Nebraska Peony Update
We just got back from our roadtrip to Nebraska to check on our peonies and whew— it was quite a drive (especially 34 weeks pregnant). On the way up we hauled our old two-door fridge behind the minivan to drop off there for future peony harvests. Poppy made the trip with us and was such a good girl the whole way. She’s a BIG fan of the wide open spaces in Nebraska and probably wishes we left her there.
To catch you up: Grant’s Aunt, Uncle and cousins live in Seward, Nebraska where they farm corn and beans and raise cattle. Two years ago when we were staying with them for a wedding, Grant and I were amazed at the peony’s we saw in people’s yards. And Grant— being the crazy plant man that he is— promptly convinced his aunt and uncle to clear some space on their homestead and plant 1,200 peonies. So that fall we drove up to Nebraska, peony plants in tow and planted out a field of peonies. It was COLD and this Texas girl was not prepared for that lol.
OCTOBER 2020
As a joint effort with our family in Nebraska, they care for the peonies since we live about 14 hours away. They help with keeping them weeded and watered and then cut them back for the winter. Peonies are dormant in the winter so they don’t require much attention for most of the year but we are very thankful for their care of the field. We plan on making the trip up there at least once a year to help weed, harvest and whatever else is necessary to care for them. We’re still figuring out how all this is going to work as we go:)
If you aren’t familiar with peonies, the plants take about 3 years to establish before you can really start cutting off them in large quantities. We’re in year 2, so while they aren’t at their ideal cutting stage, the plants looked so great and we were able to cut a couple off some varieties while we were there this week to bring back down to Texas to sell!
If you’re reading this close to the time I’m posting, you may be able to get your hands on a bunch of Nebraska grown Winkelmann Peonies! Check out our shop page to see pickup options:)
Stay tuned to see how our peonies grow each year!
