HAVRE DE GRACE, Md. — Maryland has a lot of beauty but there is one hidden gem in Havre De Grace which has been a best kept secret.
Chris Scholz was able to get a hold of some peonies from a neighbor almost 15 years ago.
He learned how to plant and take care of the peonies and during the pandemic he opened his land to the public for people to visit the beautiful flowers.
"The first year I think we had 25 or 26 people and he made the website and the next year we had about I think about 100 and some thing and it's just grown and i think this we're up to about our fifth or sixth year," says Scholz.
He says over time he has enjoyed sharing the beauty with people who come to visit, and over the years he has even gotten different types of peonies from Festiva Maxima to Madame Emile.
"But the thing that makes me happy is when I see everybody out here in the flowers are blooming and that's just lost smiles that's worth the money the investment I made so that's one thing," says Chris Scholz.
Scholz says as he expands his peony garden he enjoys having people come by and take pictures and even take some home.
"They bloom like you see for such a short period of time take them with you," he says.
They not only bloom for a short time, but the time they bloom depends on the weather, but he says they should be ready in may.
Scholz says this year he also wants to let people pre-select a type of peony they would like to take with them in the off season to grow on their own.
"So you put a steak at the one you like and then come back and see me in the fall we find a steak and we take them up so that's something new we're going to try." says Scholz.
He is also looking to expand his garden over-all adding more plants than just peonies.
"We started a bunch of sunflowers so later on in the summer we're gonna have some flowers and hopefully over the goats were will make a place for pumpkins out and that lower field. I've got a bunch of wildflower seeds and I want to make like a wildflower area," he says.
The fields are expected to start blooming ahead of mother's day.
