Renown Peony Expert Sells Nursery By Talis Bergmanis
D
on Hollingsworth has sold his famed Maryville, Mo. peony nursery, and his growing fields will be dug up and moved to the Willamette Valley in Oregon. Although Hollingsworth is now entirely out of peony production and catalog sales, he will continue his hybridizing work and maintain a sizeable display garden. But this spring is the last time to see his 6-7 acres of peonies in spectacular bloom. Hollingsworth says the public is welcome during daylight hours seven days a week through May. All such tours are entirely self-guided, unless prior arrangements are made with Don. The Heartland Peony Society has scheduled a bus trip there May 19. (Read about the details in the article on page 39.) Hollingsworth’s interest in peonies began shortly after he was graduated from the University of Missouri’s agriculture program in 1948. He started collecting in 1957 and began hybridizing in the late 1960s. As his collection grew, he began selling plants and that eventually became a full-time job in 1991. After using various plots on other people’s properties, he finally moved all his plants to the present location in Maryville that year. His first catalog followed shortly after, in 1992. Over the years, Hollingsworth’s work in growing and hybridizing has earned him a position of respect and renown in the worldwide peony community. One of
Left to right, Garden Treasure, Bernice Carr and Garden Lace are just a few of Hollingsworth introductions. his early introductions, Garden Treasure, was an immediate sensation. Although for years its price was $125, demand typically outstripped supply. In his latest catalog, it still lists for $80. Hollingsworth’s breeding emphasis has always been on producing attractive blooms that are atop excellent landscape plants. Some peonies have weak stems and flop in the rain. Some have foliage that becomes unattractive during the growing season. Some have sparse blooms. Hollingsworth likes strong, vigorous plants with attractive foliage and blooms that cluster atop the plant, where they’re easily visible in a garden. Hollingsworth has grown and trialed thousands of varieties. Currently he has about 350 in the production fields and hundreds more that are being trialed and used for breeding. In recent years, the day-to-day work necessary in running the nursery became the responsibility of operations manager Luke Hudson. The understanding was that Hudson would eventually
become the owner. That changed when Hudson’s family in Arkansas needed him there to run the family’s nursing home business. Hollingsworth decided it was time to dial things back. He turns 85 this month and although his health remains good, his wife Lavon’s is increasingly fragile. Hollingsworth recently finalized the sale of 25,000 plants in four age groups, the Hollingsworth Peonies name, and its web site to Piet Wierstra and Ko Klaver, two
Dutch men who are both members of the board of the American Peony Society. Wierstra is co-owner of Oregon Perennial Company and past president of the Pacific Northwest Peony Society. He will be the production partner in the new venture. Klaver is co-owner of Bulb Trading Company of Hockessin, Delaware. He will be the marketing partner. The 25,000 plants will be removed from Maryville over the next two digging seasons.
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May 2013 / The Kansas City Gardener
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