Friends tackle challenges of peony growing in permafrost

December 17, 2013

性欲社 News

Photo courtesy Polar Peonies. Janice Hanscom, left, and Carolyn Chapin enjoy growing peonies in Fairbanks.
Photo courtesy Polar Peonies. Janice Hanscom, left, and Carolyn Chapin enjoy growing peonies in Fairbanks.
Nancy Tarnai
907-474-5042
12/17/13


Two Fairbanks women have answered the age-old question about whether friends remain friendly while operating a business together.

鈥淵es,鈥 say Janice Hanscom and Carolyn Chapin, owners of Polar Peonies, the state鈥檚 first privately owned commercial peony farm.

鈥淲e had a few tiffs,鈥 Hanscom said. 鈥淏ut we decided the friendship was more important. We鈥檙e both strong women.鈥 The solution was to put each in charge of one area; Hanscom is in charge of production and Chapin marketing.

鈥淭his allowed us both to be in charge and yet have one business,鈥 Hanscom said.

鈥淚t鈥檚 worked very well for us,鈥 Chapin said.

Both women come from agricultural backgrounds. Chapin grew up in Palmer working in a greenhouse, belonging to FFA and earning a degree in natural resources management at 性欲社. She raised livestock for years and prefers peony growing to shoveling manure.

Hanscom was raised on a potato farm in Maine, earned a biology degree at the University of Maine and worked for 性欲社鈥檚 School of Natural Resources and Agricultural Sciences for decades.

While employed at the Georgeson Botanical Garden, Hanscom learned about peonies and in 2001  suggested to her friend that they grow them on Chapin family land on Chena Ridge. All Chapin knew was that it was a flower, but since then both women have learned a tremendous amount and offer workshops to share their knowledge with newbies. Their advice? Be patient. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e not going to see a return in short order,鈥 Chapin said. 鈥淒o your homework. Start small.

鈥淲e made mistakes that others can learn from,鈥 Chapin said. First off, the black spruce forest land they chose was permafrost soil with poor drainage. Clearing the land they got the tractor sunk up to its axles. 鈥淲e鈥檝e had a lot of adventures,鈥 Chapin said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e learned how not to do this.鈥

Still, they have 4,000 peony plants in the ground and sell their blooms to not only locals for events and weddings, but have buyers from all across the U.S. and as far away as Asia.

They helped form the Arctic Alaska Peony Cooperative, are active in the Alaska Peony Growers Association and run a packhouse for themselves and seven other farms. Hanscom visited New Zealand in 2009 to study peony operations.

Curiously enough, both admit you won鈥檛 find vases of peonies decorating their homes during the summer; they鈥檙e too busy to bother. Chapin takes time off from her job advising biology and wildlife students at 性欲社 and Hanscom is retired.

鈥淚t鈥檚 been a blast,鈥 Hanscom said. 鈥淚 wouldn鈥檛 say it鈥檚 successful. We are growing peonies but it鈥檚 a challenge.鈥

The soil on their farm is so bad that both admit they鈥檇 be better off pulling up their stock and moving on. 鈥淚鈥檓 just plain stubborn,鈥 Hanscom said. 鈥淚 am going to grow peonies there.鈥

鈥淲e will,鈥 Chapin added. 鈥淲e are learning how to farm in the Interior on marginal soils.鈥

Recalling a highlight of the venture, Chapin said she did a happy dance the first time she shipped a box of peonies to Hawaii. Usually brides find them through the internet and then inform florists in their area where peonies can be purchased in July or August.

鈥淲e sell everything we鈥檝e got,鈥 Chapin said. 鈥淔or every one stem we sell we could sell eight more.鈥

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This column is provided as a service by the 性欲社 School of Natural Resources and Agricultural Sciences and the Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station. Nancy Tarnai is the school and station鈥檚 public information officer. She can be reached at ntarnai@alaska.edu