How to care for your peonies

Peony season is here! Having a big bouquet of these beautiful spring blooms always brightens up our day. And as peony season is normally between May and June we’re getting ready to welcome these cheerful flowers.

 

If given the right care and attention, fresh-cut peonies can last a surprisingly long time. Our peony care tips will help keep your peonies fresh for as long as possible. We’ve even got some extra tips on how to open up the buds faster so you can enjoy them for longer!

Our 6 fresh cut peonies care tips

You don’t need a green thumb to be able to properly care for your peonies. You just need to follow these easy tips!

1. Cut the stems

When your bouquet arrives use some sharp shears to cut the stems down. You’ll want to cut about 3-5cm off to get rid of the dry ends so it’s easier for your peonies to drink their water.

2. Remove some leaves

If there are any low leaves that’ll sit in the water of your vase, make sure you remove them. The last thing you want is leaves falling or sitting into your water because this can cause nasty bacteria to build up, which your flowers definitely won’t appreciate.

3. Pop them in a clean vase

Make sure your vase is sparkling clean before filling it with lukewarm water and placing the peonies in it. If the vase is dusty this will dirty the water and the flowers will drink up all the bacteria.

4. Use flower food

When you buy a bouquet of lovely cut flowers it comes with a packet of flower food. Whatever you do, don’t just throw it away! Flower food is vital for helping your flowers last longer. Either before or after you put your peonies in water, sprinkle the flower food in and stir it until it dissolves.

5. Keep away from direct sunlight

Peonies can be a tad high maintenance when it comes to finding a spot for them. While they enjoy a naturally sunny environment, it’s important to keep them out of direct sunlight so they don’t wilt. They’d also prefer it if they weren’t somewhere too drafty. We think that putting them on a side table in your living room, hallway, or any room that lets in lots of light, would be ideal.

You’ll need to avoid placing them near fresh fruit too. Fresh fruit actually gives off a chemical that causes your peonies to age prematurely. And that’s the last thing we want!

6. Water them regularly

It should go without saying really that you’ll need to water your peony bouquet regularly. Just like people, flowers need water to be their best, beautiful selves. Peonies do like to drink quite a lot so keep an eye on the water level and top it up whenever it’s looking low.

 

How to make your peonies open faster

Don’t be alarmed when your peonies arrive and they’re not the big, fluffy flowers you expected! To start with they’ll still be in their little bud form. But a golf-ball size peony can open up to three times its size in just a day or two. And you’ll get to watch them bloom into all their glory!

But, if you have an event coming up and you need them open ASAP, we’ve got a few tricks up our sleeve to help your peonies bloom faster.

1. Keep them warm

Filling up a vase with lukewarm (not hot) water and placing them in a warm room as soon as they arrive will do wonders in helping them bloom faster. Don’t forget to add your flower food to give them all the nutrients they need!

2. Give them a little massage

We know you’re looking at your screen with a befuddled look on your face right now but trust us. Giving the flower heads a little, gentle massage at the base (near where the petals join the stem) will stimulate the petals, making them open up faster.

3. Cover them up

If all else fails you could try covering up the peony bouquet with a plastic bag for a little while. We wouldn’t normally recommend covering up such pretty flowers. But, this does allow for naturally emitted ethylene gas to stimulate the flowers and open them up quicker, so we’ll let it slide just this once.

Fancy treating yourself (or someone else) to some peonies? Take a look at our beautiful peony bouquets here. But be quick, peony season doesn’t last very long!