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Greetings dear peony enthusiasts! We just announce our 2022 Peony Field Days! Yes its that time of year to load up the vehicles and head out to our peony farm. Address is 10958 70th St SW, Howard Lake, MN. For those of you new to Swenson Gardens, Peony Field Days is a chance to tip toe through some of our peony production fields admiring, photographing, smelling and if interested, ordering our beloved peonies online at SwensonGardens.com.

Do follow us on FaceBook and Instagram pages for up-to-date information. All days and times are weather dependent so any cancellations will be noted in our blog, social and phone.

Parking is available as soon as you turn north into our driveway. Walk north on our driveway to the white information tent. There staff will meet you with field guides and directions. For those of you with special needs, it is okay to drive carefully on the driveway to the information tent. Mini Biffs are available onsite. Dogs are welcome on our property as long as they are on a leash and cleaned up appropriately.

Please respect the peonies as you WALK through the rows north to south and south to north. Do not walk west to east and east to west in the rows. Also, do not pick and/or cut off peony blooms.

Now for insurance requirements. Swenson Gardens does not charge for admittance and ask you to adhere to the following requirements when on our property located at 10958 70th St SW, Howard Lake, MN 55349. You are entering our property owned by Keith and Becky Swenson at your risk. Swenson Gardens, LLC, Keith and Becky Swenson and any staff employed by Swenson Gardens, LLC will not be held liable for any any actual and implied damages, accidents, personal loss and death while attending our Peony Field Days.

We look forward to seeing you at Peony Field Days! Bring a picnic lunch and spend some time on our property. Not only will you see world-class peonies but bird watching and a peaceful place are waiting for you to enjoy.

Well peony gardening friends, its time to pickup your peony orders! We can’t wait to see you and share our mutual love of these generational beauties this week. Rain or shine we are open from 9a to 5P on September 17th and 18th, 2021. Get your shovels sharpened and gardening gloves ready as its time to plant peonies here in USDA growing zones 2 to 5.

Address is 10958 70th St SW, Howard Lake, MN. Drive all the way north on our driveway, past our home and parking will be available. Oh and yes, a mini biff is here too for those of you traveling from afar. Come to the infamous ‘white tent’ for more information. And YES, our annual Peony Barn Sale is going on too which includes leftover retail and wholesale roots. Leave a few spaces open in your gardens for added treasures! CASH OR CHECK ONLY! No credit cards accepted. Sorry, first come first served so (hint, hint) get here early for the best selection. No holding, no shipping and no idea what will be available until the coolers are emptied.

Peony fertilizer is available for purchase onsite at $3.00 per bag per plant. This is the same organic fertilizer we use in our fields and is a bargain for the health and vigor of your investments in your new bare-root peonies! CASH OR CHECK ONLY! No credit cards accepted. The young entrepreneur who is selling it this year goes directly into his college fund.

Have a safe trip and look forward to seeing you again!

Greetings dear peony enthusiasts. Perhaps you have recovered from attending our 2021 Peony Field Days, especially those who came on June 4th and 5th. Even though we cancelled June 18th and 19th because of the extreme heat, over 3500 peony lovers visited us during the 4-days we were open. Thank you all who came out to our peony fields and we hope you experienced the true glory of peonies. It was fun to see generations of families tip toeing through the peonies!

As I mentioned in a previous post about ‘presumed bloom times’, we started our bloom season on May 16th with very early varieties ‘Lil’ Sweetie’, ‘Little Red Gem’ and ‘Sprite’ ushering in color. A smattering of other very early and early varieties showed color later that week and the week of May 24th. During Memorial Day week, the early and early to mid varieties were starting to peak. They presented an awesome display of their vibrant, exotic and cool colors on June 4th and 5th. However, June 4th we reached a high of 96F and on June 5th the high was 102F. Peonies, like us mere humans that may have an ‘son’ and ‘sen’ in their last name, do not like HOT temperatures.

The week of June 7th experienced very little reprieve from the blazing hot temperatures. Thus Peony Field Days on June 11th and 12th revealed an astounding amount of color from our micro-climate field. This field is located in an area where temperatures are 10F cooler than other fields. Thank the good Lord for micro-climates! Without this field in bloom, we were thinking about cancelling these two days as our other fields were void of mid, mid to late and late blooms. High temperatures are tough on peony blooms as their size, duration and true colors are significantly reduced.

All told, we had 90F+ temperatures from June 3rd to June 18th. What began as early and early to mid peak blooms on June 4th and 5th transformed into one of our quickest bloom times since we started in 2002. Perhaps some of you experienced similar results in your gardens? Thankfully most of our new early and early to mid blooming peony seedlings revealed their bloom colors before the extreme heat hit so yours truly could photograph them for future releases. Perhaps this a testament to all of us when planning our gardens (and fields) to make note of the peonies bloom times. Planting more very early, early and early to late varieties were the stars of our 2021 bloom season.

Earlier this morning I took our dogs for their usual walk, not only do we anxiously await the first peony blooms of the season, we also look for our last blooming peony. The winner for 2021 is ‘Bartzella’. We’ve had multiple ‘Bart’ blooms this week so we are officially over with our 2021 bloom season. Even in an extreme heat period, our micro-climate field had color from May 16th to June 26th. That’s almost 6-weeks of color with various bloom times.

Thanks again for all who attended our 2021 Swenson Gardens Peony Field Days both in person and virtually. We look forward to seeing you in our peony fields next year!

We will be open from 9a to 5P on Saturday, June 12, 2021. This is the final day to view our peonies in person at Swenson Gardens Peony Field Days. We have one field that is still at peak bloom for mid to late and late peony varieties. Its still worth the drive not only to view our peonies but also to enjoy our peony farm. Our address is 10958 70th St SW, Howard Lake. After June 12, 2021, please visit our online store at SwensonGardens.com to view our peonies and to place your order.

Thanks again for all of you who ventured out to Swenson Gardens Peony Field Days. If you chose the ‘pick up’ option on your order, we will see you on September 18 & 19, 2021 when you pick up your order.

The peonies are blooming! Though we had another 90F+ today, two of our largest fields are in peak bloom. These are located close to the information tent so once you park your vehicle walk north on our driveway to the white information tent for more details. Because of our micro-climate, they are later blooming due to the cooler temperatures in these areas.

As far as where we are at bloom times, the mid, mid to late and late varieties are at peak bloom. Most of the intersectionals/Itoh hybrid peonies have both primary and secondary bud blooms so you should be able to see most of them in bloom. For those of you who were at Peony Field Days last week, the field to the east of our home was at peak bloom for many intersectional/Itoh hybrid peonies. This week only the secondary buds are in bloom but it is still worth a walk up to our home to view this field and visit our formal garden northwest of our home.

We have lots of shade areas available for picnics and multiple mini biffs are strategically located. Based on the current forecast, looks like cooler temperatures will prevail. You will also notice a chance of rain/thunderstorms for Howard Lake, MN. We do not allow anyone in our fields if thunder and lightening is in the area. You can wait in your vehicle until the isolated storms pass or watch the radar to determine the best time to come out to our peony farm.

Friday, June 11th, we are open from 9a to 5P. The address again is 10958 70th ST SW, Howard Lake, MN. Looking forward to seeing you at Swenson Gardens Peony Field Days!

Whenever I post this the door is open for additional questions so thank you for those of you who have emailed me. Please read on for revisions to my previous post. This is not a life or death event for peonies as they are way smarter than us mere humans. One key sign that peonies need a slow drink of water is when they wilt. That said, peonies will also wilt during freezing temperatures and TOO MUCH WATER! See my conundrum? Alerting gardeners to water their peonies opens up way too many ‘what if’s’ versus looking at your peonies to see if they are wilting during drought or way too much water.

If, IF you have had ‘normal’ growing conditions, you do not need to water your peonies if you are in USDA zones 2-4. Those of you in USDA zones 5-8a, you hopefully know what to do. Here on our peony farm we do not water all our peonies as we want them to experience all life lessons no mater the weather conditions. Last night we gave some of the American Peony Society members a private tour of our peony farm. All were amazed at the condition of our peonies and the blooms that have weathered (no pun intended) our recent string of 90F+ degree days (including 102F last Saturday) and the lack of moisture due to our extended drought. Again peonies are way too smart for me!

If you choose to water your peonies in USDA zones 2-4, only do it 1x per week as noted in my previous post. Thus the slow shower soak of water around the drip line for 5 minutes per plant, check the drip line by sticking your finger into the soil in a couple of days to see if dry (reapply water) or wet (do not apply water); should only be done 1x per week until July 5th.

Sorry we cannot answer all your emails directly at this time as we are amass in peony blooms pictures and Peony Field Days. Thanks.

For those of you in all USDA growing zones that are besieged with extremely high temperatures and lack of rainfall over the past few weeks, we are suggesting you water your peonies now. Peonies start their new growth for next year a few weeks after the last blooms are spent. Thus hand watering them now affords much needed moisture for next years growth.

So how do you hand water peonies? The key is SLOWLY! Peonies take in moisture similar to trees and shrubs meaning at their drip lines. Peonies drip line is at the edge of their foliage. DO NOT WATER PEONIES IN THE CENTER OF THE PLANT WHERE THE CROWN IS LOCATED! Slowly add water around the drip line of the plant with a shower like water container or use the ‘shower’ feature on your handheld sprayer going around the peony for five minutes in the early morning and again the same in the evening.

For those of us in USDA Zones 2-4, hand watering peonies has always been a no no, but based on the weeks of no rainfall and the many days of record setting high temperatures, yes this is a peony watering alert! Those of you in USDA zones 5 and higher, hand watering peonies is a way of life in your gardens so continue doing what has worked for you. The key though is to make sure the peonies drip line dries out at least 3 to 4 inches below ground level before you hand water again.

After the first two applications, wait another two days before checking the moisture depth in their drip line. Stick your finger down into the drip line 3 to 4 inches to see if it is still dry or the drip line is still muddy. If dry 3 to 4 inches below ground level, repeat watering as described in previous paragraph. If it is muddy, do not water and wait a couple more days to recheck. Of course this may all change with much needed rainfall, so use the gauge of 3 to 4 inches below ground level till July 5th so we can help our peonies thrive for next year. Too much water, as you know, will rot out peony roots so be careful out there! 

Due to the high temperatures over the past week, Peony Field Days scheduled for June 18 & 19, 2021 are cancelled. June 11 & 12, 2021 will be our final Peony Field Days for 2021.

We have color in the fields! One of our intersectional/Itoh hybrid field is in peak color. There you will see 15+ varieties in all their glory. Other fields include many varieties from early to late blooms. Yes the heat is the main contributing factor to peonies blooming quickly, but it is still a glorious sight to behold. Its hard to put a percentage figure on the amount of blooms due to our various micro-climates. Varieties in one field may be at their peak but in another field, they are still in bud stage. Thank the good Lord for creating micro-climates as you will see that when walking through our fields.

Early and early to mid bloom peonies are some of my favorite colors. Call them vibrant or effervescent or hot, they are spectacular in fields and of course in your gardens. Today will be the last time you can see these colors as they will not be here on June 11th and 12th.

Due to the high temperatures forecasted for later this afternoon, we will be closing at 4 PM. We have lots of shade around our home so please avail yourselves to that inbetween fields that are all in full sun. Remember my adage? More sun more blooms! Less sun less blooms. Well that is certainly true in our fields.

Looking forward to seeing you at our 2021 Swenson Gardens Peony Field Days!

Ok, so the term ‘presumed’ bloom times from my previous post, is now thrown out the window. The top three events that can affect peony bloom times are: 1) late frosts, 2) inclement weather and 3) high temperatures. Lets elaborate a bit on each but focus later on number 3.

For those of you who attended our 2020 Peony Field Days, you probably noticed less blooms and plants void of any blooms. This was caused by late frosts that froze out the buds. It was very noticeable on very early, early and early to late blooming peonies. The cold temperatures did not allow the buds to form thus eliminating some to most of the color. Mid to very late blooming peonies were not affected as much due to the fact that their buds were not developed yet at the times of freezing temperatures. The flip side though is that the following year after late frosts, peonies will set more stems and buds as their energy went into more root production. Go figure, in 2021, the peonies are amass with buds and blooms!

Inclement weather can be disastrous to say the least. In the past we have cancelled many Peony Field Days due to rain, wind and hail damage. I don’t see this happening the next couple of days so I’m thinking we are ok with inclement weather. In previous posts you will see pictures of our driveway being flooded out due to massive rain storms and way back when, straight line wind damage to one of our fields. The former owners of our farm experienced a massive flood in 1990 that required the use of a boat for 2-weeks in order to get to our home on the hill and 70th St SW. This is one of the reasons why we plant our peonies over many different fields in case flooding may occur. Thank the good Lord we have been spared from major damage including a tornado that traversed south of our home and damaged property SE of us on Labor Day 2020.

High temperatures? You betcha! Yes dear friends the next few days could also be termed inclement weather AND high temperatures. This will not harm peonies but the term ‘presumed’ bloom times is null in void. Meaning peony blooms will blow out (bloom quickly) as their way of saying, ‘I DO NOT LIKE HIGH TEMPERATURES’! Yes we have color now with some early, early to mid and mid blooms, but we are at the mercy of high temperatures which may see later peonies blooming as well. We’ve been blooming with very early varieties for the past 2-weeks. Lovely to say the least but they are done for this year.

Make sure to stay hydrated while walking our fields on June 4th and 5th. We do not have water available onsite so bring plenty with you. We will do our best to greet you in the peony fields but we also need breaks from the sun. Be safe in our peony fields as you enjoy Swenson Gardens 2021 Peony Field Days!