I have attached the final publication resulting from the peony grower survey in 2012. It is similar to the poster presented at the peony meeting earlier this year, but we had a couple of late surveys handed in. It also includes all the survey questions. MP_13_03

Here’s another generic article about post harvest handling of flowers, another article from Austrailia. They cover all kinds of flowers including monkey paws and proteas, both of which Alaskans only see in the florist shop. It’s a good read, however, for background information.02.Faragher

Attached is an article by retired CA researcher, Michale Reid, on post harvest handling of cut flowers especially as it relates to air transport. It covers basic information on growth and senescence (death) of cut flowers, factors influencing post harvest quality such as light, water, and flower maturity, flower treatments and packing and handling techniques. It is generic for all cut flowers so some of the issues are not directly related to peonies. However, it is a great review of post harvest handling techniques. 08.Reid

The attached article is from Austrailia about issues with insect infestation of cut flowers and foliage. It summarizes multiple methods, both chemical and environmental to eliminate the problem. Not all of the chemicals are legal in the U.S. (methyl brominde for one), many chemicals have different names here, but it is an interesting summary of possible control methods for export.13.Seaton

The statistics for the floriculture industry in the U.S. have been published. USDA only surveys businesses whose sales are over $100,000. It is not surprising, then to see the decline in cut flowers and cut greens. During the past year, the U.S. Government made permanent its free trade agreement with countries such as Colombia which have taken over the trade in the “big three”- roses, carnations and chrysanthemums and are dominant in many other cut flowers. They are also dabbling in peonies, and those are the not-so-gorgeous flowers that show up in Freddies in June. If you attend meetings of the Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers, you also realized that the bulk of the businesses outside California are small, often family or one-person businesses, most of which will never make the $100,000 cutoff.

Wholesale crop value is up 1.1% to $4.126 billion.
- Total bedding/garden plant sales are up 3.1% to $1.995 billion*
- Foliage plants, up 4.6%, now the second largest floriculture segment
- Potted flowering plants are down 3.5%
- Domestically produced cuts are down 4.7%
- Domestically produced cut greens are down 1.5%
- Propagative material is up 3.0%

Check out this site for general peony gardening information: http://www.paeonia.com/html/peonies/about.htm

Here is another web site for peony lovers: http://www.paeonia.ch/basissee/testae.htm

There has been lots of discussion lately on herbicides useful for peonies. Check with Cooperative Extension, especially Phil Kaspari and Steve Seefeldt for a list of herbicides that are registered for use on peonies in Alaska. This article was written in 1994 and included herbicide treatments of ‘Sarah Bernhardt’ peonies. The authors found no toxicities or growth changes on peonies following applicaiton of Pennant, Derby, Stakeout, Gallery, Snapshot, Dacthal, and Pre-M. Check the article for rates and application times. This study was conducted in North Carolina.

Skroch, W.A., C.J. Catanzaro, A.A. De Hertogh and L.B. Gallitano. 1994. Journal of Environmental Horticulture. 12(2)80-82.

One of the best websites on peonies. Great for identification, other references

http://www.paeon.de/

I have attached one paper and one presentation completed by Dr. Gary Chastagner that includes a segment on his peony work. It also has a better explanation of the DNA testing techniques.2013 Wilbur Ellis Dis Man Update Final

2013 Handout for Bulb Conference final