The Problem with Peonies

Misadventures in the flower patch

This winter it seems as though many farmers have been establishing or growing their peony fields. When it comes to romantic flowers, and excellent cut flowers, there are few that top the peony so it makes sense that many flower farmers seek to establish at least a modest patch of peonies.

However, I’ve not always had the best luck with peonies.

This isn’t the easiest post to write. However, in the interest of honesty and transparency I do think it’s important that I share this part of my journey with you.

No guarantees that it won’t promptly be put behind a pay-wall.

The Problem With Peonies

Peonies are a great crop to add to your farm if you can grow them. There’s always huge demand when they flower and they are relatively hardy if you have the right conditions for them.

However, they aren’t without their challenges especially if you are growing without using herbicides and plastic mulch.

I first planted my peonies several years ago back in my very first cut flower field. I’m aware that I haven’t yet shared the entirety of my origin story with you, so to cut a long story short you should know that the field ended up overrun with weeds and the peonies had to be moved.

When I next planted my peonies I had purchased many more - something like a hundred but to be honest, I didn’t keep great records back then so can’t tell you the actual number.

At the time I was more focused on cramming a lot of plants in a small space and so wasn’t really thinking about ease of access or maintenance. The beds were slightly raised compared to the paths. I used my little walk behind tractor to till the ground twice and then used a different attachment to hill the beds.

So where did it go wrong?