Peonies are flowers of a short season and high expectations: they arrive as tight buds and turn into lush, fragrant clouds within a day or two. To make the magic last, peonies need special care: the right water, temperature and a little patience if the buds are slow to open. Here's how to care for peonies in a vase, how to make buds open faster or hold them back, and how long the bouquet lasts. Bloom dates and order of varieties: when do peonies bloom.
Approximate timing at room temperature; everything slows down in a cool room.
The first hours: preparing peonies
Fill a clean, tall vase with cool water and dissolve a sachet of cut-flower food; we include one with UFL bouquets. Remove any leaves that would sit in water, leaving one or two near the flower. Trim the stems by 2–3 cm at an angle with a sharp knife and put them straight in the vase. Heavy peony heads are best supported by a tall, narrow-necked vase.
Peony buds can be sticky: that's nectar, which attracts ants in the garden. If a bud is slow to open, gently wipe it with a damp cloth, as the sticky coating can glue the petals together. General rules for any bouquet are in how to make a bouquet last longer.
How to speed up or slow down opening
To open buds faster, put the vase in a warm room and use slightly warmer water (around 35–40 °C): warmth speeds things up. To hold peonies back for an occasion, keep them cool, as they open more slowly in a cool room. Florists store buds horizontally in the fridge, wrapped in paper, and they can wait like this for several days.
Daily care
Change the water daily or every other day, rinse the vase and recut the stems. Don't mist open blooms, as petals can spot. Keep the bouquet away from sun, radiators and fruit. With this care peonies last 5–7 days. When petals start to drop, cut the fullest heads and float them in a wide bowl for another day or two of beauty.
Peony season and alternatives
Peony season is short: in Ukraine they bloom mainly from late May through June. We covered varieties, colours and growing in our peony guide, and wedding ideas in peony bridal bouquet. Out of season, garden roses are a lovely substitute: lush, fragrant and longer-lasting in a vase.
Common mistakes
Don't buy rock-hard green buds: they may never open. Keep peonies away from ripe fruit and direct sun. Don't leave leaves in the water and change it regularly: peonies cloud it quickly. And avoid draughts: heavy heads snap easily.
Garden roses delivered when peonies are out of season
Lush garden roses look like peonies and last longer: we deliver across Kyiv with flower food.
Graduated from Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Institute of Biology and Medicine (2001). BSc in Biology, MSc in Horticulture. Writes about plants, works at a garden centre selecting and repotting plants, and contributes to plant reference guides.
Birthday
Hydrangeas