Styer’s to host fifth annual Peony Festival May 18-28
05/16/2023 01:50PM ● By Richard GawCourtesy image The fifth annual Peony Festival will be held at Styer’s Farm in Chadds Ford from May 18 through May 28.
By Caroline Roosevelt, Contributing Writer
As I whack at the long, drooping daffodil remnants in my backyard with a concentrated bloodlust, I think about gardens, the people who tend them, and the reward we all reap when the buds turn to blossoms and the gardeners quiet work displays itself. Unfortunately for my daffodils, I am not that kind of gardener.
Luckily for the Chester County region’s most ardent followers of flowers, Styer’s Farm will hold their fifth annual Peony Festival from May 18 through May 28 as a bountiful and glorious showcase of what truly can be.
If Longwood Gardens is the Versailles of Chester County, Styer’s is its Secret Garden -- a sprawling gem amidst the rolling hills. The farm and its festival, located on Cossart Road in Chadds Ford, promises rows upon rows of fluttering peonies that will delight any crowd, be it peony enthusiasts, families looking for an enjoyable afternoon getaway or just the odd social media savant looking for the perfect selfie opportunity.
This year, organizers have provided the opportunity for viewers to curate their own experience. Tickets are $12.50 per person, or five tickets for $30. You can walk or drive the tour, and there will be wine a grace de Chadds Ford Winery, as well as various food trucks that will be stationed daily from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
A few different nights throughout the festival will be designated “Tailgate Nights,” and Styer’s will also set up group tables in the garden from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. The tables seat ten and are adorned with a floral centerpiece which can be brought home. Tables are $250 and patrons are welcome to BYOB. Visitors will also have the opportunity to purchase cooler bags, picnic blankets, peony scented candles, goats milk soap, and tee-shirts.
If you haven’t already started curating your experience, here’s your sign to start planning. This year’s blooms should exceed expectations according to festival producer Bruce Mowday, Jr.
“With the warmer weather we have had – it actually did well for the plants,” Mowday said. “The blooms are significant. Late frosts sometimes hinder how the flowers bloom, but since the weather was warmer this year, we did not have a late frost. We expect a beautiful show this year.”
So, if you’re like me, and ruin your garden every year with your black thumb and need a reset, or if you just want to enjoy the curated beauty nature has to offer Chester County in the spring, sign up for a stroll among the peonies during their short but magnificent peak. For more information and to obtain tickets to this year’s Peony Festival at Styer’s Farm, visit www.styerspeonies.com.