Meet the Swensons

We are Keith and Becky Swenson of Howard Lake, Minnesota, and we run Swenson Gardens. It is our joy and passion to grow peonies on our property in Howard Lake, not far from Minneapolis. We organically nurture and sell them through mail and over the Internet.

When our peonies are in ripest bloom, our teens, Britta and Luke, hand pick the best blossoms and sell them as cut flowers. Throughout the season our family and wonderful team of workers help with weeding - all done without chemicals. Then in the fall we dig, divide, wash and ship the roots. Each plant and root is handled with tender loving care. Swenson Gardens’ peonies are grown organically, just as God intended.

We look forward to Field Tours this spring so you can see all of God’s beauty in bloom!

How Swenson Gardens Began

Years ago, we fell in love with the color, fragrance, and foliage of peonies, but grew discouraged by the limited varieties (usually “red,” “pink,” and “white”) available in garden stores. We painstakingly researched peony varieties, searching for those offering superior attributes. Color was important, but we also looked for plants with extended bloom times, stout stems, and crisp, clean foliage for landscaping appeal. We found wondrous peonies that you’ll never find in a garden store! Peonies with stems strong enough to hold up their own, heavy heads. Peonies in colors and shades you might expect of roses: corals, lavenders, marbles, russets, even yellows. We brought these exotic peonies home and nurtured them in our fields. From other growers, you may be able to purchase test-tube grown and immature plants that take years to develop and bloom fully. But we committed ourselves to the old-fashioned, slower way of growing peonies because it gives you the highest quality roots. Each of our plants is a division of original, three-year-old, field-grown stock. This means you get a more developed plant and impressive results in your garden faster.

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