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Peony Grower's Crop Multiplies Over The Years

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) - Laverne Dunsmore knows a thing or two about plants. He started working in raspberry fields at 9 years old.

"You're used to doing that hard work, working in the heat and working in the rain," Dunsmore said.

Years later he toured Brand Peony Farm, Minnesota's first major peony grower.

He decided to plant two of his own.

"I didn't know anything about peonies and then, every year, I started acquiring more and more," Laverne said.

Laverne's two plants grew into the nearly 1 million peonies he has today at Countryside Gardens, outside his Delano home. He's got every color imaginable.

"I ended up with eight acres [of land] and I grow over 400 varieties," he said.

Even colors never seen before. Dunsmore, who studied plant biology in college, specializes in peony hybrids. Some don't even have names yet.

He says his passion for peonies was even a selling point when he met his wife, who's in garden design. Today, he joked, it's a different story.

"[Now] she said, 'No more peonies,'" he said with a laugh. "She says, 'You've got eight acres of them, and that's plenty.'"

Dunsmore sells some of the flowers and helped a few family friends out with their weddings. Still, he says it's not about the business but a passion for seeing his work grow.

"There's not a lot in our lives that's authentic," Dunsmore said. "When you come out here, you're seeing them growing, you're seeing the color, you're seeing nature at its best."

Countryside Farms is not open to the public.

You can find some of Laverne's peonies at the Arboretum or place a mail order to buy them.

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