In Bloom and In Demand: How the peony industry is growing to serve global markets.

• Author: Orr, Vanessa
• Position: AGRICULTURE

Though peonies have been growing in Alaska since the Gold Rush, it wasn't until the early 2000s that raising the flowers became a commercial industry. Since then, peony growers have worked diligently to develop both national and international markets for the flowers based not only on the quality of their products but on the fact that peonies are available in Alaska when they can't be found anywhere else.

"In the Lower 48, peonies bloom around Memorial Day, so they are available in May and June," explains Ron lllingworth of North Pole Peonies. "Our peonies in the Interior pop out of the ground in late May and are harvested in late June and early July; in some parts of the state, they may be delayed even further. And because our flowers are available when no one else has them, we get a better price."

"As long as the weather cooperates, we can produce flowers at a time when the Lower 48 and European supply is not available," adds Martha Lojewski, sales manager at the Alaska Peony Cooperative, based out of Willow. "This year, things are really late, and we shipped as a co-op through August 24 and heard that others were even shipping in September, though this is not typical."

Alaska peony growers work with a number of different markets, ranging from individual clients to wholesale purchasers. They also ship all over the nation and the world and are working to expand those markets as the burgeoning industry grows.

"Most of the peonies grown in Alaska are actually sold elsewhere; if I had to hazard a guess, I'd say that 90 percent of them leave the state," says lllingworth. "They may go to individual brides who contact growers or to florists who contact us directly or who work with us through buyers. Even more are sold wholesale."

Boreal Peonies, located in Two Rivers, sells wholesale to markets in New York, Maryland, Washington, Florida, and Washington, DC. Owner David Russell and his wife, Jill, both teach at Miami University in Ohio part of the year, offering them a familiarity to the area.

"Our presence is largely based on the availability of Alaska Air Cargo coolers," explains Russell, who also serves as president of the Alaska Peony Growers Association. "When we first started our farm, we looked at cities east of the Mississippi that had coolers at their airports and we marketed to them. That way we can fly our flowers directly from the Alaska Air Cargo cooler at the Fairbanks Airport to airports where the flowers can be stored for client...