Living heirlooms
Hidden Springs Peony Farm creates, reignites family legacies
By Amy Kyllo
STAFF WRITER
SPRING GROVE — Laura Kubes inherited peonies from her grandmother and great-grandmother. Now, since purchasing a peony farm a few years ago, over 600 varieties of peonies shower her rural Spring Grove acreage with vibrant blooms.
The location is Hidden Springs Peony Farm, owned by Kubes and her husband, Bryan, and their daughters, Gwen, Bianca and Mira. The family purchased the flower farm — which opened in 2012 — in late 2022.
With a legacy of passing down peonies, Kubes said buying the peony farm felt right.
“Peonies can be a family heirloom,” she said. “They live for more than 100 years, and they’re just such a great and beautiful sign of spring. I think it’s something fabulous to look forward to after a long winter.”
In the spring, guest can visit the farm with its 2.5-acre peony field, buy a bouquet they pick or that is pre-picked, or stop by the greenhouse, where there are potted peonies, fruit trees, unusual perennials and native plants.
The farm is open every day in season, and the public is welcome to come see the flowers regardless of whether they make a purchase. The peony field is close to the driveway, making it easier for those with mobility issues to experience the flowers.
“This is a peony farm,” Kubes said. “It should be shared; it should be enjoyed.”
Last fall, the farm sold peony roots to customers in 45 states, and Kubes said she estimates the farm received thousands of in-person visitors.
She said one of the most common things she visits with customers about is the peonies they remember their family having.
“I hope (our peonies) conjure memories of Grandma’s garden and bring you back to that place,” she said. “I hope the peonies that people purchase become family heirlooms for their daughters and sons and future generations to come.”
The only paid flower experience at the farm is their evening picnic events. Each guest is given a lunch basket, drink and small bouquet of flowers. Guests can come when they want and stay as long as they want, all while listening to live music.
“The peonies aren’t in bloom for a super long time, so we want as many people to enjoy them while they are at their peak as possible,” Kubes said.
Kubes said her favorite part of the farm is watching the field develop across the season.
“It’s so fun just to come and walk through and see all the flowers,” she said. “There are different colors that take over at different times in the peony season. … Every one smells different; every one looks a little different. There’s always some that you see that you didn’t think a peony could look like that.”
In the greenhouse area, the Kubes family operates by the same philosophy the original owners of the farm had: If the box stores sell it, they do not.
“(There are) so many plants in this world we can grow,” Kubes said. “We don’t all have to focus on the same thing.”
Single white peonies are Kubes’ favorite, while she said her husband enjoys the double, fragrant peonies. The three most asked-for peonies on the farm are the yellow, coral and fern varieties.
The first peonies on the farm were planted by the previous owners in 2008. The Kubes family bought the business when these owners were retiring.
The timing was right for the Kubes family, as they had been looking to move out of the Twin Cities to a rural home and acreage where they could grow a niche crop.
“We were … looking to get out of the rat race, slow down, live more of a small-town life,” Kubes said.
Kubes had been working as a meteorologist at KARE 11.
“News and weather don’t take a break,” Kubes said. “It just wasn’t a super family-friendly position, working nights, working weekends, being on call. We really just wanted more family time together, rather than passing in the night.”
They soon decided to go forward with the peony farm purchase.
“All the pieces of the puzzle were there, the timing was right, the place was right, the people were right,” Kubes said. “Without ever seeing the peonies in bloom, we bought the property and moved down here.”
Kubes began working on the farm full time, although she still tapes her gardening segments at KARE 11 once a month or so. Bryan works full time off the farm but helps when he can.
Kubes said the first peony season was stressful, as she learned how to operate the business and manage the plants.
“We felt comfortable taking over the business side of things because (the former owners) were so great in showing us their process,” Kubes said. “(They made) it as easy as possible to step into a business they had already built.”
The peonies are simple to care for, Kubes said. Their main challenge is weed control. They have not needed to irrigate or fertilize, and wildlife does not seem to bother the plants.
“(They) seem like they’d be a fussy plant because they’re so big, and they’re beautiful, and they’ve got these massive flowers,” she said. “They don’t need anything but sun.”
The family has integrated into the community, with their children enrolled at the local public school and Kubes volunteering as president of the Spring Grove Area Chamber of Commerce.
“We were a little worried that we would be branded city slickers and not welcome, but everyone has been so welcoming,” Kubes said. “We want to be part of the local community, and we’re happy that they want us to be (as well).”
The farm will likely encompass the rest of her career.
“We imagine ourselves at this property for years and years to come,” Kubes said. “Hopefully one day, one of (our daughters) will want to carry on the business. I’m not holding my breath because that doesn’t always happen, but that would be my goal.”
By Amy Kyllo
STAFF WRITER
SPRING GROVE — Laura Kubes inherited peonies from her grandmother and great-grandmother. Now, since purchasing a peony farm a few years ago, over 600 varieties of peonies shower her rural Spring Grove acreage with vibrant blooms.
The location is Hidden Springs Peony Farm, owned by Kubes and her husband, Bryan, and their daughters, Gwen, Bianca and Mira. The family purchased the flower farm — which opened in 2012 — in late 2022.
With a legacy of passing down peonies, Kubes said buying the peony farm felt right.
“Peonies can be a family heirloom,” she said. “They live for more than 100 years, and they’re just such a great and beautiful sign of spring. I think it’s something fabulous to look forward to after a long winter.”
In the spring, guest can visit the farm with its 2.5-acre peony field, buy a bouquet they pick or that is pre-picked, or stop by the greenhouse, where there are potted peonies, fruit trees, unusual perennials and native plants.
The farm is open every day in season, and the public is welcome to come see the flowers regardless of whether they make a purchase. The peony field is close to the driveway, making it easier for those with mobility issues to experience the flowers.
“This is a peony farm,” Kubes said. “It should be shared; it should be enjoyed.”
Last fall, the farm sold peony roots to customers in 45 states, and Kubes said she estimates the farm received thousands of in-person visitors.
She said one of the most common things she visits with customers about is the peonies they remember their family having.
“I hope (our peonies) conjure memories of Grandma’s garden and bring you back to that place,” she said. “I hope the peonies that people purchase become family heirlooms for their daughters and sons and future generations to come.”
The only paid flower experience at the farm is their evening picnic events. Each guest is given a lunch basket, drink and small bouquet of flowers. Guests can come when they want and stay as long as they want, all while listening to live music.
“The peonies aren’t in bloom for a super long time, so we want as many people to enjoy them while they are at their peak as possible,” Kubes said.
Kubes said her favorite part of the farm is watching the field develop across the season.
“It’s so fun just to come and walk through and see all the flowers,” she said. “There are different colors that take over at different times in the peony season. … Every one smells different; every one looks a little different. There’s always some that you see that you didn’t think a peony could look like that.”
In the greenhouse area, the Kubes family operates by the same philosophy the original owners of the farm had: If the box stores sell it, they do not.
“(There are) so many plants in this world we can grow,” Kubes said. “We don’t all have to focus on the same thing.”
Single white peonies are Kubes’ favorite, while she said her husband enjoys the double, fragrant peonies. The three most asked-for peonies on the farm are the yellow, coral and fern varieties.
The first peonies on the farm were planted by the previous owners in 2008. The Kubes family bought the business when these owners were retiring.
The timing was right for the Kubes family, as they had been looking to move out of the Twin Cities to a rural home and acreage where they could grow a niche crop.
“We were … looking to get out of the rat race, slow down, live more of a small-town life,” Kubes said.
Kubes had been working as a meteorologist at KARE 11.
“News and weather don’t take a break,” Kubes said. “It just wasn’t a super family-friendly position, working nights, working weekends, being on call. We really just wanted more family time together, rather than passing in the night.”
They soon decided to go forward with the peony farm purchase.
“All the pieces of the puzzle were there, the timing was right, the place was right, the people were right,” Kubes said. “Without ever seeing the peonies in bloom, we bought the property and moved down here.”
Kubes began working on the farm full time, although she still tapes her gardening segments at KARE 11 once a month or so. Bryan works full time off the farm but helps when he can.
Kubes said the first peony season was stressful, as she learned how to operate the business and manage the plants.
“We felt comfortable taking over the business side of things because (the former owners) were so great in showing us their process,” Kubes said. “(They made) it as easy as possible to step into a business they had already built.”
The peonies are simple to care for, Kubes said. Their main challenge is weed control. They have not needed to irrigate or fertilize, and wildlife does not seem to bother the plants.
“(They) seem like they’d be a fussy plant because they’re so big, and they’re beautiful, and they’ve got these massive flowers,” she said. “They don’t need anything but sun.”
The family has integrated into the community, with their children enrolled at the local public school and Kubes volunteering as president of the Spring Grove Area Chamber of Commerce.
“We were a little worried that we would be branded city slickers and not welcome, but everyone has been so welcoming,” Kubes said. “We want to be part of the local community, and we’re happy that they want us to be (as well).”
The farm will likely encompass the rest of her career.
“We imagine ourselves at this property for years and years to come,” Kubes said. “Hopefully one day, one of (our daughters) will want to carry on the business. I’m not holding my breath because that doesn’t always happen, but that would be my goal.”
