Two days in the life of a peony purchaser

It is early in the morning and OZ Export Peony purchaser Colin is on his way to Nice in France to check the most amazing French peonies nurseries. After arriving in Nice a couple of other breeders and purchasers joined the group. Once the group was complete they took an approximately two hour ride through all the small and bumpy roads of Hyeres.

Here's his story:

"After the trip we finally arrived at Freesia fleur, a smaller flower nursery that works with sheets and tunnels to extend the season. During the trip this breeder didn’t start cutting the flowers yet, but now the fields are in full bloom.

The next day the alarm went off a little bit later than usual. At 05:00 in the morning we got ready to go the Hyeres flower auction. It is very interesting to see which flowers are auctioned off that day. We saw lots of raw Peonies, according to the employees the best Peonies already got picked out (as a kind of auction pre-sale). After walking through the auction, we took a look at the clock. It was like a time traveling trip, it took us about 40 years back in time. They still sell the traditional way.

After visiting the auction we went off to see three other Peony breeders. Each grower has its own unique business model. One breeder is more specialised in retail Peonies and the other one produced high-end quality Peonies.

It was certainly very fascinating to see the passion of all the breeders. Growing Peonies is a true craftsmanship!"