When it comes to growing peonies in Alaska, North Pole Peonies was there at the very beginning.
Ron and Marji Illingworth started with about 100 plants in 2003 and with some uncertainty about whether peonies were a viable crop in interior Alaska’s brief growing season. Seventeen years later, they have 12,000 plants, sell their blooms worldwide and are central figures in the state’s peony industry. They have been leaders in the Alaska Peony Growers Association, mentored new growers and helped with research on growing and shipping issues.
Since the Illingworths planted their first peonies, the number of growers in Alaska has grown from a handful to more than 100.
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