Alaska Perfect Peony started growing peony for the cut flower market 19 years ago in 2006.
“We started this farm because Dr Holloway the University of Alaska had discovered that peonies bloom in Alaska when they don't bloom in the rest of the world. And the whole state got excited because they thought it might be an economic event, and so they asked me if I would start a farm, which I said, of course, not knowing anything, and making all the mistakes because nobody knew anything,” Schultz said.
An article published in the International Society for Horticultural Science by Dr. Patricia Halloway in 2019, provided a few more specific details on the history of the industry in the state. The article notes that the cultivation of peonies as field grown cut flowers was started at the Agricultural and Forestry Experiment station with the University of Alaska in Fairbanks. The key summary for the history is that “peonies as field grown cut flowers have potential as a horticultural export from Alaska because harvest times occur in late June to August when peonies from other world markets are not available.”
Schultz provided some details on some of the features she has offered to the state since the project first started, “I started working, sort of doing things for the state, trying to get the economic impact going. And I travel all over the state, teaching classes and doing slides and slide projectors at that time, this long time ago, 19 years ago” Statewide there are now about 200 farms, but as Schultz explained most of them are “really small, just a hobby.”
Alaska Perfect Peony, located near Fritz Creek, Alaska, started with a 14 acre farm and now has 27 acres. Current maintenance for the grounds and lawns is provided by Schultz’s son Shannon Schultz. “He does a fabulous job. He also was in charge of all the cutting, which is another exact and we're looking for it's an exact process. The stems, the buds, have to be cut. There's about a three or four hour window for them to be cut, to be perfect. Otherwise they won't open, or they'll open before they get to their destination. And so we don't really sell flowers, we sell buds. And so he takes care of that part.”
More information, historic details and both statewide and national media related to Alaska Perfect Peony and how to purchase flowers from the farm is available on their website at alaskaperfectpeony.com. In July and August there are also farm tours and a weekly Thursday evening class, “Yoga in the Peonies” with instructor Kali Tanaye. Reservations for these can also be made online.
Homer Chamber of Commerce Marketing Director Mina Gherman provided a basic overview of the summer 2025 peony celebration. “So this is our sixth annual Peony celebration, and this month we're, I mean, this year we're doing it for a month and a half instead of a month, because last year the blooms were a bit late. So we just wanted to make sure to catch all of that, and it's exciting because a lot more tourists are coming in and calling and asking about the peony celebration. So it's basically a month and a half of guided tours, art show, exhibits, events, workshops, different ways to get Peony bouquets and Peony products around town. And each week, the Chamber puts out the weekly snapshot of it, which is really pulled from the main program that's around town and stuff,” she said. The full list of events and locations is available online at https://www.homeralaska.org/events/homer-peony-celebration/.
Gherman did make this one key note about people interested in visiting the farms, “I do need to note that for all these tours, do not drive up on your own to check out these Peony farms. A lot of people are doing that, and it is not helpful for the farm owners, it's just not like how it is back down in the States, where you can drive up and check out and walk around these flower fields, because right now is their peak season, and they need to keep the farms, you know, safe and just they need to do the tours their own way, because it's their big money maker right now, and a lot of these are private residents at home, so that's why they really encourage reservations only,” she said.
