4 Things Every Peony Fan Needs to Know
The owner of
Floret Flower Farm and author of
Cut Flower Garden shares her tricks to making peonies last longer in a vase. Plus, how to grow them yourself!
By Erin Benzakein with Julie Chai
Photo: Michèle M. Waite
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How to Pick Peonies
Peonies make wonderful, long-lasting cut flowers that generally persist for over a week. You can pick them as open as you like, but for the best vase life, harvest them while in bud. I aim for harvesting at the "soft marshmallow" stage—in the mornings I go through the plants and gently squeeze each flower bud, feeling for sponginess. If the buds are still hard, then I leave them to ripen longer, but if they feel soft—similar to a marshmallow—I pick them.
Published 05/09/2017
