Peonies arrived in Alaska about 50 years ago.

"A lot of people, when they moved to Alaska, brought peony roots with them," said Amy Pettit of the Alaska Department of Natural Resources in Palmer. "Everyone in the Midwest grew a peony or two in their yard and brought them with them. We have people that have plants in their yards that were their grandmother's plants."

Research of peonies in Alaska dates back to 2001, when Pat Holloway of the Georgeson Botanical Garden at the University of Alaska Fairbanks found Alaska-grown peonies bloom from July-September, later than other areas of the world.

Aware of the botanical garden's research, Shoultz planted her first peonies in 2006, the majority of her root stock coming from Oregon. With harvest periods ranging from three-five years depending on soil conditions, Shoultz harvested her first flowers this year.

Homer grower Colleen James planted her peonies at the same time as Shoultz. Because of slightly different soil conditions, she was able to harvest in 2008. This year, James was surprised when her flowers were ready to harvest several weeks earlier than last year.

"I think that was largely due to the ash. When we lost all our snow within a day, it just put everything into high gear," said James, referring to volcanic ash from Mount Redoubt.

Relatively new to the state, peony growing is on the upward side of a learning curve. In addition to the Fairbanks research, a $65,000 grant from the federal government helped launch the "Peony Project."

"With that funding, we launched what is now the Alaska Peony Growers Association," Pettit said. "We paid for design of a logo, launched the Web site, hosted four meetings to bring in guest speakers on marketing and production, sent a group to Tazmania and New Zealand to research peony growing and purchased boxes to make shipments of Alaska flowers to potential markets in the Lower 48."

A new $20,000 grant will help continue APGA's momentum. According to Shoultz, it will be used to study soil conditions and market the Web site.

Approximately 5,000-7,000 peonies can be grown on an acre of land, according to Pettit. A fertile, clay loam with a well-drained subsoil is recommended. Full sunlight, distance from competitive tree roots and shelter from wind are important factors in choosing the right location. Quality root stock can range from $3 a root to as high as $150-$200, according to James and Pettit; however, plants have a productive life of up to 25 years. A storage facility with adequate air conditioning and temperature control in which to keep harvested flowers before shipping is essential.

A report published by UAF estimated costs for the first five years of a commercial operation at $350,000, including fixed and operating expenses.

"However, it appears that a successful one-acre operation could be very profitable," the report states.

James' operation covers less than an acre. She estimates she'll eventually have 3,500 living plants. She became interested in growing peonies as a way to earn a little extra income and to have fun doing it. For her, it's important to keep the venture something she can handle by herself. Whether it will be profitable remains to be seen.

Photo by McKibben Jackinsky Ruth Cobbs peony in the garden of Daisy Lee Bitter.

"Now they're starting to say, 'Let's talk about it. Let's negotiate,'" Shoultz said.

The potential for disease also is an area needing further research.

"We do not know what kind of disease problems and pest problems we may end up having in Alaska," Pettit said. "People are buying root stock from all over this country and other countries. What that's bringing in, we don't know yet. Involvement of the Food and Drug Administration research service and other pathologists to look at that is going to be critical to make sure we're not bringing in something detrimental to other agriculture industries in Alaska."

The expanding number of peony growers will help answer those growing and marketing questions. The state peony growers association has approximately 50 members. Its Web site lists nine on the Kenai Peninsula. Locally, Daisy Lee Bitter recently put her first plants in the ground. Shelley Rainwater will be planting hers in the next couple of weeks.

"There's a lot that's appealing about it," Rainwater said. "I love working with the earth, the land and flowers. And (peonies) are fabulous."

Pettit is positive about Alaska's future as a peony producer.

"From what we've seen so far, there's real potential," she said. "Flowers are like chocolate. They seem to buffer the tide of economic woes. People will still buy flowers. And the peony has a big, beautiful, fragrant bloom."

Holloway also sees reason to be optimistic about the possibility for developing the state's peony-growing industry and about the people driving its development.

"I'm convinced there's a market, no question, but we have a lot to learn, a lot to work on," she said. "How big this can get, I don't know. It may be a small mom-pop operation, but so what? It's another market for something somebody can grow in Alaska that may allow them to have a farm and stay in Alaska. This is a fantastic group of people. A really hardworking people. To me, this is the lifeblood of Alaska. That's the best part of this whole project."

McKibben Jackinsky can be reached at mckibben.jackinsky.@homernews.com.