Beautiful peony farms sits in the Hills of Chillicothe

CHILLICOTHE— This time of year many people are buying their mothers, or other loved ones, flowers to show their love and appreciation. Or maybe you are just buying them to make your house look pretty, but did you ever think of where these thousands of flowers come from?

For some the peonies on their table come from the Great Seal Peony Farm right here in Ross County.

The Great Seal Peony Farm was started 20 years ago when Owner Mike Miller decided to purchase a farm for him to use. Spending years as a realtor, Miller would often move from house to house fixing up the yard and planting flowers and fruit trees only to move on to the next project before he could enjoy them.

On his farm, he started with two peony plants he originally dug up from his grandparent's old house. While he had always had a green thumb Miller said at that point he knew very little about the flower. Not too long after he was attending peony festivals and conventions with friends learning more about the plant and its varieties. His two little plants quickly grew into him buying 100 plants one year 200 the next and so on till he eventually reached the over 6,000 plants and 1,000 varieties he has now.

"It started out as a hobby," said Miller who originally planned to use the farm as a retirement project, instead he now has his normal full-time job and the farm to care for.

While there is an almost six-week blooming period with the flowers Miller said he works all year on the farm helping prune, pick and weed the rows of plants preparing the farm for visitors and getting the plants ready for the next year. He does a majority of this work by himself, unless you count farm cat Peaches who enjoys walking up and down the rows.

"As soon as the snow is gone you are busy from that day on," said Miller.

Some of the plants on the farm are one of a kind as Miller works with Don Smith, from the East Coast, to help create hybrids such as the Itoh Peony and more. Miller calls himself the "custodian" of the hybrids as he only gives them a home and helps to care for them. Still, he enjoys seeing all the special plants that are created.

With so many different flowers each with its own smell, texture, shape and color it can be hard to choose favorites, however, Miller said the red charm and the coral sunsets seem to be customer favorites. when it comes to his favorites choosing is more difficult as it changes every day, still, he said you can never go wrong with an Adonis, a Miss J.H. Neeley or an old fashion, which is the type his grandmother grew.

"It depends on the day," said Miller when asked his favorite variety. "There are different characteristics about all of them that make them special," said Miller.

Miller said his favorite thing about the farm is the peace he feels when he is working with the flowers or just walking through the fields.

The Great Seal Peony Farm's flowers and greenery can often be seen at local florists, farmers markets and events. The farm itself hosts a variety of sales throughout the year for those looking for fresh flowers or bulbs of their own to grow. To learn more visit Great Seal Peony Farm online.

Shelby Reeves is a reporter for the Chillicothe Gazette. You can email her at SReeves@gannett.com or follow her on Twitter @Shelby_Reeves_

This article originally appeared on Chillicothe Gazette: Great Seal Peony Farm brings special flowers to the area