A big bouquet of gorgeous peonies can brighten up any space.
Peonies bloom during that time of the year when not too many flowers blossom to beautify your garden or home. This delightful flower grows to fill that void by offering early summer foliage. In addition, peonies can last for a very long time even after they have been cut—given they are taken care of. If you want to extend the vase life of cut peonies and keep them fresh—whether purchased from a local florist or harvested from your garden—follow the instructions below.
If you cut the flowers from your garden after they have opened up and are in their full-bloom phase—the vase life of your peonies will reduce significantly. When peonies are harvested in the fully bloomed stage, they can only last for a couple of days before they wilt.
The petals will droop and then shed off the stem after two or three days in the vase. Ideally, peonies should be harvested during the marshmallow stage. During this stage, if you cut peonies and place them in your vase, your flower will likely last between six to eight days—and ten days in ideal conditions.
When buying peonies from the market, carefully pick the ones that have closed petals. You might be tempted to pick the gorgeous blooms that have fully bloomed—but remember, those will wilt in two to three days in your home—and are more prone to getting damaged during transit.
Buying peonies when they have closed petals and be patient. However, this flower typically does not take too many days to blossom. In case you want to accelerate the blooming process, you can get home and immerse the flowers in warm water or place them in a warm spot.
Like most fresh flowers, storing peonies in the refrigerator overnight can help them stay fresh and last longer in the vase. Another technique that can help retain the freshness of cut peonies while they are still soft— wrap a newspaper around them—and stash them in the fridge until you want to use them. The flowers will not open in the refrigerator, and you can extend the life of the flowers for an additional day or two.
Never leave your peonies next to a window during the daytime—if the flowers are exposed to direct sunlight, they will lose their stunning hues, and some petals might even shed. Always keep them in a cool and shady spot.
To allow maximum water absorption, you should cut the stems of your peonies at an angle. This simple technique will help increase the surface area of the cut, enabling the flowers to absorb more nutrients and water. Repeat this technique regularly or on alternate days to help eliminate clogs (if any) at the stem’s base.
Before placing the flowers in a vase, you need to remove the leaves from the bottom of the flowers’ stems—to prevent them from getting submerged in the water. If the leaves are not removed—they will rot in the water.
If you are harvesting peonies from your yard—make sure the flowers are free of unwanted pests. Ants and other bugs are attracted to peonies for the nectar. To ensure that your flowers are free of pests—immerse the stems of the cut peonies in water and leave the flowers outside for about 20 minutes to eliminate ants and other insects.
If you follow our advice, your cut peonies will thrive longer, and you won’t have to fret about having droopy petals too soon.
