Peony farming is the business of growing peonies to market and sell. If you’re reading this, you probably love peonies and want to make an income doing something you love. Maybe you are already a cut flower farmer or maybe you are starting from scratch with a deep-rooted (see what I did there?) love for peonies. What’s not to love?
Peonies are one of the most popular wedding flowers and it’s easy to see why. Those gorgeous, fluffy blooms are enough to steal almost anyone’s heart.
According to Lynsey Taulbee, a peony farmer, “Once they’re planted, they require minimal labor. They get better year after year. The demand for peonies is unmatched. They can be shipped across the country and the price per stem is very seductive. These qualities make for a dream product.”
How Profitable Is Peony Farming?
A mature peony plant will produce up to 50 flowers. Let’s say conservatively that 20 of those stems are lovely enough to be sold. Peonies sell at an average of $5 per stem (this can be more or less depending on demand and the rarity of a variety). Let’s assume you sell 20 premium stems at $5 a stem, you will make $100 per peony plant, per year. If you have 1,000 plants, that’s a gross annual income of $100,000. If you sell them wholesale for $2 a plant, you will make $40,000. Even if you sold your stems at $1 per stem, you’d still make $20,000.
In short, peony farming is a lucrative endeavor. Your priorities are the decision maker at the end of the day. Is your goal a business that will provide for you and your family? Would you prefer a part-time gig that will provide some spending money? Are you a peony lover wanting to keep as many stems for yourself as possible, but you still want to cover the costs of your hobby?
Where Should You Plant a Peony?
Location will play a big role in your sales because healthy peonies produce lots of beautiful blooms. Peonies are happiest in zones 3-8. They need a winter chilling period for them to store energy and thus bloom well. A peony usually likes to have 6 hours of full sun per day. However, if you are in zone 8, your peonies will benefit from some protection from hot afternoon sun.
Your soil should be well-draining and have a slightly acidic to neutral pH (6.5-7.0). Therefore, if your soil has the consistency of clay, you will likely want to amend your soil with some good compost before planting. Peonies don’t need obscene amounts of water. Watering every one to two weeks should be sufficient as long as the soil isn’t dry. Consequently, if it is dry, give it a good water.
How Do I Plant a Peony?
This is more important than one might think. There are four different ways that you can grow a peony plant:
1. From Root Divisions:
Most people purchase peony roots from another grower who has made divisions of their own plant’s roots. Those can be planted with the eyes (buds) facing up and no more than two inches below the soil surface. Your plants may fail to produce flowers if planted too deep.
2. From a Container:
You can also buy a mature plant in a container dig a hole big enough to fit the roots, fill in the gaps with soil, and then make sure the eyes are no more than 2 inches below the surface.
3. From Seed:
Growing peonies from seed can be done, but be warned that your peony is unlikely to look identical to the plant it came from unless that plant is an open-pollinated variety.
4. Via Transplant:
Although you can transplant peonies, it is not recommended as it can stunt their growth for a few years. The process would be similar to planting a mature plant from a container. You’d want to mulch around it, however, to prevent it from competing with any weeds as it will already be delicate after the transplant. Whichever planting method, you decide on, water well just after planting to ensure the dirt sells down well around the roots or seed.
How Many Peony Plants Per Acre?
A mature peony plant will usually grow to be between three to five feet tall and two to four feet wide. Accordingly, this means that you could comfortably fit 10,000 peonies in one acre. If every plant gave you 20 viable stems, that’s 200,000 stems.
How Many Years Does It Take To Grow Peonies?
Galena Berkompas from Micro Flower Farm says “The best time to plant peonies was last year.”
The reason for this is that it is not recommended when peony farming that you harvest peonies grown from root divisions or containers until the third growing season. You will probably only want to allow one bud to bloom from each variety for the first two years just to be sure it is indeed the variety you intended to order. Consequently, the rest of the buds should be removed before blooming so that your plant can focus its energy on establishing its root system. If you are growing from seed a peony plant will likely take five to seven years to reach maturity.
Are Peonies Difficult To Grow?
No. In fact, peonies are easy to grow and are hardy cut flowers. As long as you have selected the right soil, the right amount of sun exposure, and are in the right growing zones, the watering and upkeep for peony farming are pretty easy, especially if you are using something like weed fabric to keep the weeds to a minimum. After the foliage has died or fully yellowed in the fall, simply cut the peonies all the way down to the ground.
Why Are Peonies So Expensive?
At $5, I bet you’re wondering why peonies are so much more expensive than some other cut flowers that are selling for $3 and under per stem. Here are a few factors to consider:
- Peonies often cost more than other cut flowers due to the length of time it takes for a grower to have a mature plant.
- The bushes are pretty large and take up a lot more space than many other flowers which is valuable real estate for a cut flower farmer.
- They are a decently large initial investment compared to other flowers.
- Demand is another reason for the price of peonies, people love them!
What Varieties of Peonies Are the Most Profitable?
There are three types of peony shrubs: tree, herbaceous, and Itoh. In this article, we discuss only herbaceous varieties as they are the most common and make the best cut flowers.
If you are peony farming, it’s valuable to know which varieties are reliable and in high demand. The most popular and sought-after varieties of peony are:
- Sarah Bernhardt
- Duchess De Nemours
- Monsieur Jules Elie
- Coral Charm
- Festiva Maxima
- Bowl of Cream
- Do Tell
They are reliable and beautiful which makes them valuable to florists, other local businesses, and the general public alike.
Wrapping Up Our Peony Farming Discussion
Peonies are a fairly low-maintenance flower. Thus, If you can get past the initial investment and give them some time to reach full maturity, you will be rewarded with a feast for the eyes and the growth of your bank account (puns intended). Whether you plan to sell via social media, at a local farmer’s market, at a flower stand, or to local florists, these flowers are a fan favorite.
Thanks for reading! If you would like to see more of Loren’s writing, click here.