Our aim is to keep you up to date with what's happening on the farm and to provide you, our subscribers, with special offers and "first dibs" on products.
What have we been up to?
July and August are two of the quietest months here on the peony farm. Our saffron requires little more than weed control and the odd fertiliser, and the peonies have only just started growing again. We spend most of this time either catching up on odd jobs around the farm - fencing, property maintenance, machinery repair and upkeep - or putting out mulch and compost for the peonies to use as food (compost) and to make weed control easier for us (mulch) over the spring and summer.
In August, the peonies begin really moving - we have gone from only noticing a few spears just breaking the surface, to having lots of visible baby peonies growing. They are currently in the ‘red asparagus’ stage of their growth. This is one of my favourite times of the year - the peonies are growing so fast, and it's so exciting to see how much they change in such a short period of time. Sometimes it is noticeable even on a day to day basis!
Here we have the growth of two Coral Sunset plants. Each photo was taken 2-3 days apart. Isn't the speed of growth phenomenal?
There are two other things about this time of year that I absolutely love. First, we can see our new plantings growing healthy and strong and know that what we have been doing all year has worked. Peonies typically don't like to be moved too much, and as a result they can be a bit sulky as well as a bit out of sync with typical season growth periods. It's always a good sign when you see them come up when they are supposed to.
Second, we can start getting a rough estimate of how many flowers we are going to be able to pick, which means that we can contact the lovely florists we supply, as well as our regular retail customers, and let them know we are a go for the 2023 season.
Available Now: Peony Flower Subscription!
We love peonies, but we only have a short season so let's make the most of it. We will send peonies direct to your door, every week, throughout the peony season. The peony season is typically 6-8 weeks long, depending on what Mother Nature has in store for us. Thus, our subscription period will be for 6 weeks, and you can choose whether you would like to receive your peonies once a week (6 deliveries over 6 weeks), or once per fortnight (3 deliveries over 6 weeks). There are four options to choose from:
You can get your Peony Subscription here
or email us at paeonies@viewfield.co.nz for more information.
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Currently Available for Purchase:
- Peony Soap - available in Sarah Bernhardt, Festiva Maxima, Inspecteur Lavergne, and Gardeners (mixed, with coffee grounds for some extra exfoliation). Click here to buy!
- Peony Floral Water - available in Sarah Bernhardt, Festiva Maxima, Inspecteur Lavergne, and Mixed. Click here to buy!
- Saffron Spice. This is available in 1 gram and 5 gram amounts. We recommend 1 gram packs for personal use, and 5 gram for commercial use. You can buy yours here!
- Peony Flower Subscription - You will receive a box of gorgeous, fresh peonies once a week, for 6 weeks. You can get your peony subscription here.
Available soon:
- Peony Flowers. Harvest season is rapidly approaching, and we will have peonies available for purchase by the 3rd week of October (weather dependent).