Wrangell’s Oceanview Gardens was not affected by the harsh winter conditions that killed off many of the peony plants in Southcentral Alaska this year.
Dwane and Laura Ballou are in their third growing season with peonies at Oceanview and sold locally or shipped 600 stems this year as a test harvest. They anticipate putting 9,000 to 10,000 stems on the market next year, with the eventual goal of 15,000 to 20,000 annually.
The peony market is expanding for Alaska growers because “they grow here at a time when they are done growing in the rest of the country, and it’s peak wedding season,” said Laura Ballou.
Peonies are highly sought after for weddings, due to their lush petals, pastel hues and fragrance.
Alaska has the highest number of peony farms of any state, and those farms earned $90 million in revenue last year, according to a report in the Anchorage Daily News.
Ballou said the emerging Alaska market benefits because peonies “grow larger due to our longer days and cooler temperatures.” Oceanview Gardens grows yellow, coral, pink, red, blush and white varieties.
While the weather that inflicted Southcentral growers was not a factor at Oceanview Gardens, “our biggest issue is botrytis, a naturally occurring fungus in the soil,” said Ballou. “It can ruin the crop and even kill the plants, and it loves rainy weather.”
She said co-owner Dwane Ballou sprays the plants with probiotics and compost tea every two weeks to help strengthen the plants. “We lost some flowers this year, but compared to last year the plants are a lot healthier.”
Oceanview is the only peonies grower that Ballou is aware of in Southeast Alaska.
She plans to attend the Alaska Farm Bureau conference in Anchorage in November to learn more about the growing process, and to find out if there are other area farms.
“Maybe I’ll have some new ideas for next spring,” she said.
