Peonies: From Garden to Table

It’s been a lifelong dream of mine to have a garden full of peonies - the large, glorious blossoms that bloom from late May to early June. I love bringing them into the shop to use in our floral creations. I also like to harvest a few stems to scatter around my home in pretty vases. You could do the same with these easy steps.

☙ Step 1 – Purchasing Peonies - Bare Root or Potted?

There are two options for planting peonies. The first is to purchase them at your local nursery, already potted in containers. The plants can be transplanted into your garden in early spring. The other option is to purchase bare roots from an online peony farm. I love to purchase my bare root peonies from Adelman Peony Gardens in Salem, Oregon. They have an abundance of varieties, and I can usually find a few that are not as common.

☙ Step 2 – Planting and Waiting

When you plant new peony babies in your garden, be sure to follow the planting instructions and consider the spacing beforehand. Then, let them grow in your garden for at least 2-3 years before ever harvesting a single stem. This is probably the hardest step!

I know what you’re thinking: why do I have to ignore my new peony plants when they are filled with pretty blooms? It’s so tempting to cut them when you see the first beautiful flowers. But truthfully, leaving them be is one of the most important steps. Letting your plant mature to get the nutrients it needs will allow for much larger blooms in the future. With a little patience, you will be rewarded with so much beauty, year after year.

☙ Step 3 – Harvesting Blooms

When your peonies are mature, you can begin harvesting during the late spring. As the weather starts to get warmer, you’ll notice the peonies beginning to open. This is the best time to head out to the garden to cut the blooms. Be sure to cut in the early morning when the sun is not at its warmest.

If you’re wondering about the best time to cut each bloom, here are a few helpful hints:

When the peonies start to bud, they will look like round, little balls. If you touch them, you’ll notice they feel squishy like a marshmallow. Cut them when they are in the “marshmallow stage” and they will be very quick to bloom!

☙ Step 4 – Preparing Stems

Once you cut the stems, get them in water immediately. To maximize vase life, remove the foliage on the stems by stripping the leaves up to the head of the flower. This will allow the stem to take the water and nutrients up to the flower. Otherwise, the nutrients would go to the foliage first. This also eliminates decaying leaves and will give the peonies a longer shelf life.

Peonies open very quickly - enjoy them from bud to bloom!

If you’re inspired to start planting, or already have a few peony plants in your garden, don’t hesitate to share some photos with us on Instagram. If you’re looking for cut peonies now, call or stop by the shop to see what we have available. Happy spring!

XOXO,
Sandra

P.S. To learn how to design a flower arrangement with peonies, see my tutorial video below.