Peony growers are predicting the season for this popular cut flower will be shorter than usual, owing to persistent and heavy rainfall. Growers in both the US and in Europe say high moisture levels have forced them to end peony season early, and with more rain forecast there is considerable uncertainty about the availability of peonies in the coming weeks. Excess moisture will also prevent them from cutting and storing these blooms - which is a method often used by growers and wholesalers to extend the season by several weeks.
, retail manager for Adelman Peony Gardens in Salem, Oregon, says their farm is now past peak bloom season. ‘We have been hit with heavy rain, which has forced us to finish cutting flowers,' she explains. Kady also says excess moisture has impacted quality, and will prevent them from storing stems for longer.
'As the flowers get water trapped in the petals we have a hard time getting them dried out, and they are more likely to rot in storage with the wet petals.' Excess rain can also affect the growth of these flowers. 'Peonies really don’t like their roots be too wet,' says Kady.
For optimum growth and flower development, peonies like to sit in well drained soil, which isn't too heavy or water logged. Kady is a peony expert and retail manager for Adelman Peony Gardens who grow a large collection of peonies over a 30-acre site in Brooks near Salem, Oregon, in the Willamette Valley. Adelman has 500 named peonies growing in their fields.
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