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What is the Minnesota Peony Society?

The Minnesota Peony Society (MPS) is a regional gardening society based in Minnesota. Its stated mission is to promote interest in and appreciation of growing peonies, offering educational programs and events for both members and the general public. Its website serves as a hub for peony-growing information, society news, events, and resources.

What MPS does

• Education: Publishes peony culture guidance, including practical Minnesota-specific topics such as winter loss and peony leaf curl.
• Events: Runs a calendar that has included a peony cut-flower show, a members-only picnic and garden tour, and a fall root auction with a peony care session and dividing demonstration.
• Resources: Shares exhibition results, award information, grower handouts, and links to other peony and regional societies.
• Membership: Open to all; membership includes a newsletter subscription and access to special member events.

Who it is for

Home gardeners in Minnesota and the Upper Midwest will get the most from the regional growing advice, since cold-hardiness and winter damage are recurring local concerns. New growers can use the culture pages and the auction's pre-sale care session to learn division and fall planting basics. More experienced growers and exhibitors may be drawn to the flower show results and award listings. Anyone outside the region can still use the general peony culture material, but event access is limited by geography.

A practical next step

If you are considering peonies for a cold-climate garden, start with the society's peony culture pages, then check the events calendar for the fall root auction—it pairs a care and dividing demonstration with the chance to buy roots suited to local conditions. If you want to go deeper, compare MPS with a national organization such as the American Peony Society for broader cultivar and judging information, or with a local extension service for soil and planting guidance specific to your state.

How can I join the Minnesota Peony Society?

You can join through the Minnesota Peony Society's own website: Minnesota Peony Society. Membership is open to anyone, and it includes a newsletter subscription and access to special member events.

How to join

1. Go to the MPS site and open the Membership page.
2. Follow the instructions there to sign up. If online signup isn't offered, the page should list the contact person or mailing address to use instead.
3. Pay whatever dues are stated on that page, then watch for the newsletter and member event notices.

What membership gets you

• A newsletter subscription.
• Member-only events, such as the annual picnic and garden tour.
• Public events are also open to non-members, so you can sample the society before joining. The 2026 calendar lists a cut flower show in June and a fall root auction in September, both at Bachman's on Lyndale in Bloomington. The September 27 auction includes a fall peony care session and dividing demonstration before bidding starts.

A practical next step If you mainly want to buy or divide peonies, start with the fall auction and the peony care session rather than joining immediately. If you want the newsletter, local growing advice for Minnesota winters, and member gatherings, join first and use the events as your introduction. The site's Peony Culture section, including notes on winter loss and leaf curl, is a good test of whether the member material matches what you need.

What peony care practices are recommended for Minnesota's climate?

The Minnesota Peony Society's site points to two climate-specific concerns for Minnesota growers: winter loss and peony leaf curl, both listed under its Peony Culture section. That framing is the key: Minnesota's cold winters and freeze-thaw springs drive the care calendar more than general peony advice does.

What the site emphasizes

• Winter loss — a dedicated page, "Winter Loss In Minnesota 2025," indicates this is a recurring regional problem rather than a rare one.
• Peony leaf curl — a separate page treats this as a condition worth diagnosing in Minnesota gardens.
• Fall root care — the society pairs its fall root auction with a session on fall peony care and a dividing demonstration, which suggests fall is when division and replanting are handled locally.
• Seasonal timing — its 2026 calendar runs a cut flower show in early June, a members-only picnic and garden tour in mid-June, and the root auction in late September.

Practical translation for a Minnesota garden

• Plant and divide in late summer to early fall, not spring, so roots establish before the ground freezes.
• Site peonies where snow cover lingers and winter temperature swings are buffered; exposed, windswept spots worsen winter loss.
• Cut back foliage after frost and clear fallen leaves to reduce disease carryover.
• In spring, expect some leaf curl or distortion after a hard winter. Check whether new growth looks otherwise healthy before assuming disease; the society's leaf curl page exists because that distinction confuses growers.
• If a plant fails to emerge after winter, wait before digging — winter loss can look like slow emergence.

Where to go next

If you want local specifics rather than general rules, the society's Peony Culture pages and its events are the most direct route: Minnesota Peony Society. Its fall care session and root auction are open to all, so a new grower can get dividing and planting guidance in person and buy regionally proven roots at the same time. For broader cultivar and culture information, the American Peony Society is the national body, and regional societies cover neighboring states.

What events does the Minnesota Peony Society host and when?

The Minnesota Peony Society hosts three recurring events in 2026, according to its calendar:

• Peony Cut Flower Show — June 5–7, 2026, in the Heritage Room at Bachman's on Lyndale, Bloomington, MN. Exhibition results are posted on the Resources page.
• Picnic and Garden Tour — June 13, 2026. This one is members only.
• Fall Root Auction — Sunday, September 27, 2026, also at Bachman's on Lyndale. A fall peony care session and dividing demonstration begins at 11:15 a.m., with the auction at 1 p.m. It is open to all, and the auction list is published in the Events section.

If you are deciding what to attend: the cut flower show and auction are open to the public, while the picnic and garden tour requires membership. The auction is the most practical for someone who wants new plants, since you can bid on roots and watch a dividing demonstration beforehand. The flower show is better for seeing named cultivars in bloom before choosing what to grow.

Check the Events section on Minnesota Peony Society before traveling, since dates and venue details can change. For broader regional comparisons, the American Peony Society American Peony Society covers shows and conventions beyond Minnesota.

How can I participate in the fall root auction or cut flower show?

The Minnesota Peony Society holds both events in the Heritage Room at Bachman's on Lyndale Avenue in Bloomington, Minnesota, and both are open to the public rather than members only.

Fall root auction (September 27, 2026)

• A fall peony care session with a dividing demonstration begins at 11:15 a.m.
• The auction itself starts at 1 p.m.; anyone may come and bid on roots for their garden.
• The final auction list is posted in the Events section of the site, so check it before you go to plan bids.

Cut flower show (June 5–7, 2026)

• Held at the same Bloomington venue; results afterward appear on the Resources page under "MPS Exhibition Results."
• The site does not spell out entry classes or staging times, so if you want to exhibit rather than just visit, contact the society through the site before the show.

A practical next step The events section is your main reference for dates, location details and the auction list. If you are new to peonies, attend the 11:15 a.m. care session first — it doubles as a preview of what well-grown roots look like before bidding starts. Note that the June picnic and garden tour is members only, so join through the Membership page if that appeals; membership also includes the newsletter.

Other regional groups If you garden outside Minnesota, similar societies run their own shows and sales — for example American Peony Society for national exhibition and judging information, or Canadian Peony Society if you are north of the border.

Where can I find resources for growing peonies in Minnesota?

The Minnesota Peony Society is the most direct starting point for peony growing in Minnesota, especially if you want advice tuned to the state's winters and short growing season. Its site includes a "Peony Culture" section, which is where general growing guidance lives, plus a specific page on "Winter Loss In Minnesota" that addresses a problem gardeners in cold climates actually face. If you are deciding whether the site is worth your time, start with Peony Culture and Winter Loss rather than the news and events pages.

Minnesota Peony Society

What you'll find there

• Peony Culture: basic how-to material for growing peonies in Minnesota conditions.
• Winter Loss In Minnesota: notes on what happens to peonies after hard winters, useful if plants die back or fail to emerge in spring.
• Peony Leaf Curl: a page on a specific foliage problem, helpful for diagnosing rather than guessing.
• Peony Growers Handouts: practical handouts, likely the closest thing to a quick reference you can print or skim.
• MPS Exhibition Results and APS Awards: mostly of interest if you want to see which cultivars perform well locally or are considering showing flowers.
• Resources and Membership: the hub for the above, plus member benefits such as a newsletter and special events.

Who this suits

A home gardener in Minnesota who wants regional, experience-based guidance will get more from this than a generic national peony page. Someone outside the Upper Midwest may still find the winter-loss material relevant if they garden in a similarly cold climate, but the cultivar and timing advice is aimed at Minnesota. A grower looking for commercial-scale production information or detailed soil science would need to look elsewhere.

A practical next step

If you are new to peonies, read the Peony Culture page first, then the Winter Loss page before winter arrives so you know what to watch for in spring. If you already grow peonies and one is struggling, check the Leaf Curl page and the handouts before assuming disease.

Comparison: where to look for what

For broader or more specialized questions, the site also links to other peony societies. The American Peony Society is the main national organization and publishes cultivar registrations and broader growing information; if your question is about a named cultivar's origin or registration, that is a better fit than a regional society page.