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It’s peony season! Of all the garden flowers we love, peonies are the queens of the garden. Peonies are large, showy and fragrant. An arrangement with these show stopping blooms is a beautiful way to embrace gracious living. These peony care tips will help your peony bouquet or arrangement live longer.
Welcome to Monday Morning Blooms. My three flower friends and I are sharing our love for flowers with you today. Please be sure to visit each of them by clicking on the links at the bottom of this post!
Peonies have a special allure. They are big, feminine and flirty, few things are as stunning as real peonies in a vase. Because peonies aren’t available all year, it makes them even more special, doesn’t it?
Harvested and sold from early May to the middle or end of June, the peony season is short but glorious. I’m always the first one to rush out to buy bunches and bring them home. Not only are they beautiful, they remind me of my grandfather’s garden in Europe. He loved his garden so much, and as a little girl I loved nothing more than walking the property with him while he talked about each flower, bush or tree.
For this Monday Morning Blooms, I was so delighted to be able to go out and safely buy flowers again! That they were peonies, roses, and hydrangeas {all my favorites!} made it even more special, it was the first time I went “out” after our shelter in place order on March 19th.
I mean, you just can’t improve on these cloud-like blooms, right? Peonies are beautiful alone, but they really shine when mixed with roses and hydrangeas to create a magnificent arrangement.
HOW TO PICK AND CARE FOR PEONIES.
1. START WITH THE RIGHT FLOWERS.
Gather peonies from the garden in the early morning. If you don’t grow your own, buy peonies fresh cut from a grower or at your local flower shop. The buds should still be closed and the size of a golf ball. They should have green petals, but show a little bit of color. The buds should feel like firm marshmallows.
2. PREP THE FLOWERS.
Prep your peonies at home as soon as possible. Cut the stems about 1/2″ up, on a diagonal. This is so that the flowers will absorb as much water as possible. Remove all the leaves from the stem where they will touch the water in your vase. If you don’t need the foliage, strip off the leaves, they only divert the flower’s energy. Place the peonies in cool water immediately.
3. GET YOUR VASE READY.
Peonies look their best when they are not flopping all over. To get your peonies to look as beautiful as possible, this trick will guarantee you design the best peony arrangement of the season. The secret? Clear floral tape. After you fill your vase with room temperature water, use a towel to dry the rim of your container. Then, apply strips of the tape across the top like a grid, or a diagram like you make for tic-tac-toe. The tape should run about 1/4″ longer than the opening on both sides, so you can tape it to the outside of the vase. You can secure tape even more by circling all the way around the opening with an extra strip of tape.
4. ARRANGE CAREFULLY.
When arranging the flowers, make sure you don’t pull the bottom petals of. They provide much of the support for the heavy flower heads. Peonies love to be arranged with other flowers, but be sure to avoid flowers with sharp points, they will damage the petals.
5. CLEAN AND HYDRATE.
Change the water and trim the stems a little tiny bit daily or at least every other day. You can add a little more flower food then, too.
6. GIVE THEM THE TLC THEY DESERVE.
Now that you have created an peony arrangement that is heart-stoppingly beautiful, make sure to place your peonies in a cool place, out of direct sun. The warmer your room is, the faster the flowers will open. Opening buds will last a week or more; fully unfurled blooms, a day or two.
If you follow these simple steps you will have a beautiful peony arrangement.
Peonies are always a good idea! They make me so happy when I see them in the living room. Even though they are only available for a short time, while they are here, they are glorious!
Thank you so much for visiting me today. I always love to read your comments, they mean so much to me. These Mondays when we all share our love of flowers are favorites.
Especially now during this unprecedented time, making our home special for ourselves and our families is more important than ever.
Do you love peonies as much as I do? With these Peony Care Tips you will be a designer pro!
On a side note, please join me in prayer that we as a nation can have healing, justice and peace on our streets, in all our lives, and in our hearts.
ps. For those of you who have been waiting….I’ve restocked the FrenchGardenHouse Flower Arranging Kit!
Please be sure to visit my friends, they always deliver just the right dose of beauty and inspiration we all long for!
SHIRLEY from Housepitality Designs
MARY from HomeIsWhereTheBoatIs
and me, LIDY from FrenchGardenHouse
A BIENTOT
Shop for the best in French Antiques, furniture with the patina of age, vintage accessories to delight you and your family & friends, and French Country utilitarian pieces. Treasures that make your home fresh, beautiful, inspirational and uniquely yours. Visit our shop FrenchGardenHouse.com
sharing with Between Naps on the Porch
Hello Dear Lidy. I can smell those peonies now…actually I am enjoying the delightful scent of them too. I follow all the tips you have so wonderfully presented with the exception of one…I brought my Peonies home and placed the vase filled with them in the laundry room sink (under the window) and the next day most of them were in full bloom! You are so right, their delicate “cloud like” blooms are truly magnificent.
I had the landscaper plant 3 peony shrubs before we moved in. I am hoping they bloom next year; however, some say it takes up to 3 years to bloom. 🙁 Have a fabulous week Lidy…”happy” is being with my flower friends of MMB!
Shirley, you and I are two birds of feather today with our peonies. Oh I hope you will be able to grow your own peonies. I know we can’t but I’ll just live vicariously through you, dear friend. xo
Hydrangeas, roses and peonies are three of my favorite flowers, too. Lovely arrangement.
Thank you so much Barbara, for your visit. It’s so easy to make any arrangement with flowers as gorgeous as these!!
I love your arrangement of peonies with hydrangeas- some of my favorite flowers!
I have them growing in my yard, but hesitate to bring them in the house because of the big black ants, which help them to open- how do you get rid of them?
Martha, most professional growers cut the peonies when they are in bud, before the petals unfurl. You can turn the buds “upside down” and give them a shake, to shake off the ants, too.
Lidy, your floral arrangement is so pretty. I too love peonies and hydrangeas. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you for your visit, Della! I hope the peonies and hydrangeas were a beauty spot in your day! xo
Lidy, peonies are truly a gorgeous flower and mixed with hydrangeas, and roses makes for a WOW arrangement. We have planted four peonies and hopefully they will provide blooms next year…patience! I know your space is filled with a heavenly fragrance. Thank you for sharing all of the helpful tips for peony care. It is a special treat to join you for Monday Morning Blooms. Wishing you a joy-filled day! xoxo
Oh Pam, how lucky you are to be able to grow peonies! I wish we could here. I’m always on the hunt for one that will do well in our planting zone. It’s such a joy to share these Mondays with you dear friend. xo
Thank you for sharing peonies…how beautiful. I always love them but did not know how to care for them. If you water everyday, do you retape everyday?
Thank you.
Rae, thanks so much for your visit! When I re-water, i take the vase to the sink and carefully water with my tea kettle, inserting the spout through one of the holes. I keep my fingers i the vase so i can tell how much water to add.
Thank you for the gorgeous photos!
Karen, thank you so much for visiting today. I hope that you have a beautiful day where you are. Enjoy every moment. xo
Lidy, your arrangement is beautiful! I love peonies and thanks for the tips. They look so pretty with hydrangeas and roses in your lovely white pitcher.
Thank you so much Bonnie. Especially today, a bit of beauty in our world is so welcome. Hope you are having a lovely day. xo
Lidy, your bouquet is beautiful! It has all of my favorite flowers. I always look forward to Monday Morning Blooms. Thanks for the helpful tips. Take care, sweet friend!
Thank you so much for visiting Shannon. I so look forward to Monday Morning Blooms, too….for many reasons, not the least is seeing you here. Hope your day is beautiful!
Hooray for the short but sweet peony season Lidy! What a gorgeous pitcher of blooms…and with my two favorite flowers peonies and hydrangeas! Peony season was especially short this year with our storms and heavy rains that wreaked havoc on the blooms. Hope springs eternal…I keep waiting for a nursery to come up with a hybrid that lasts a little longer. As always it’s a treat to join you for some flower therapy and MMB. Happy June <3
Happy MMB Mary! It’s always such a joy to visit you and your two darlings. 🙂 I am sorry about the storms, I am sure you were sad about those gorgeous peonies!
Wow Lidy, you must feel like a fish out of water being sheltered that long. We went to a garden center 5/15, mask and disposal gloves in place and grocery shopping once a week. Our favorite checker hasn’t missed a day of work and she said not one of the employees have gotten the virus.I suppose being diligent about protection is the answer.Anyway, peonies are so beautiful that I run to cut ours if I see a cloud in the sky. Thanks for the tip as getting them to stay fresh for any length of time has been a problem for me.
Alice, it was really great to finally go shopping again!! I stayed home mostly because my kids asked me to, and groceries and all sorts of delicious dinners are so easy to have delivered in our area. : ) I have had a few bouts with pneumonia in my past and they were really concerned. But now I’m “out and about” again. Wishing you a blessed week ahead!
Lidy, your arrangement is simply gorgeous. And, I must confess I love peonies as much as you do. I have since I was a little girl. When we lived in Virginia I had a very large garden and I left over 200 peony plants in my garden when we moved. Needless to say, it was a sad time for me. However, I dug and moved several of my favorites and brought them to their new home where I live with over 60 peonies. Truly is a glorious time when they bloom.
Thank you for your tips about them, there is always much to learn about these lovely ladies. Stay well, my friend and have a wonderful week.
Wow, how wonderful to have that many beauties, even though I know it’s way less than you had before. I’d by so thrilled with even ONE plant!! Still holding my breath that we can find a peony that will work here where we live. Thank you Sandra, for sharing your love of peonies with us. xoxo
Hopeful you can give tips on drying peonies..there so pretty when done right..
Dear Lidy, you have combined my three favorite flowers for your arrangement. The color in your white pitcher is so beautiful. I have peonies, roses and hydrangeas blooming at the same time. The rain has been hard on the peonies. They were all transplanted from my Mother’s house in 2014. What a true joy to follow your posts. I stayed in for a very long time also. I still have not been to Trader Joe’s, my favorite place for flowers. Praying for peace in our country and the hearts of mankind.
Stunning Lidy, simply elegant!!
I love MMB with you and your friends! The pictures of your arrangements are always so beautiful – and I so appreciate your Peony tips! I’m saving this in my FGH folder! Have a great week!
I love Peonies, growing up my Aunt in Virginia had a whole bank of them in her back yard that bloomed in May…. they were stunning.
I live in a town home community but I did plant 4 Peony plants last year and actually had 1 gorgeous bloom this year. It was a deep fuchsia and just perfect. I hope that is a sign of more next year!
Thank you for sharing your tips on arranging! I always learn from you 🙂
Theresa
Hello Southeast Mn is expecting a harsh storm this evening. My peony bushes are beautiful but buds not open yet. What can I do to protect my bushes? Anything? I appreciated so much your information on care of peonies. Thank you.
Laurel, the only thing I can think of is to cover them with tarps, and try to deflect the rain and wind somewhat. Unfortunately, there isn’t that much we can do to protect from a fierce mother nature. I’m so sorry!
Lidy, lovely arrangement and very helpful tips. I adore peonies, just wish their growing season was longer…like all year lol! Hugs!
I stumbled upon your garden site by accident. What a delightful surprise. Peonies are my favorite flower. It blooms in my garden every year for my birthday. What a better way to celebrate Right? Today is my 80th birthday and I am truly blessed.
Happy Birthday! I hope your day was wonderful Jamey.
I wish that too, Bobbi! I do think that their short availability makes them even more special! Hope you have a beautiful day!
Absolutely beautiful flowers. I’m learning so much! I am grateful for your knowledge, your teaching, and the loving care you show us. thank you!