Thursday, August 26, 2010

Peonies as Cut Flowers

Peonies Perfect Bouquet at Peony Farm, WA

Peonies in Bloom


What a show stopper Peonies in Bloom are! Friends who visit, neighbors taking a walk or jogging by your property - when peonies are in bloom, they come to a stop to admire those peonies!

But, that's not all they're good for. You want them inside your house, lending its beauty, grace Peony Pink Hawaiian Coral in a vase at Peony Farm, WAand fragrance to your rooms; adorning your dining table, your kitchen, your living room, anywhere you want it. Peonies make a beautiful addition to your landscape garden. As cut flowers - they are elegant! Even just a single bloom can be a dramatic addition to a room.(Pink Hawaiian Coral in an arrangement with Hostas, Irises and Allium).

To view Peonies in bloom, go to Peony Farm 2010 In Picture

I guess we need to talk about cutting peonies for your home.

Cutting to promote growth during the 1st year


During the first year of your peony plant, and if you can resist it, do not cut any flowers. But if you must, cut as little of the leaves as possible to promote root development. Just cut enough length to put the flower in a very short bud base. These leaves are essential to the peony so they store food for next years growth. So take but a few flowers from each plant and leave as much foliage as possible.
New Peony Plant at Peony Farm

Leave as much as 75% of the flowers on the plants. Then, when the flowers are spent, deadhead it right away. Do not leave the seed pods on the plant. Remember, we are trying to grow the roots underneath for a more productive plant the following year.

You can certainly cut as many flowers as you want from your mature peonies, with a longer stem if you wish. Do leave as much leaves as you can because it will allow your peony plant to grow bigger.
Mature Peony Red Charm at Peony Farm, WA
Visitors to the Peony Farm tell of their grandmother's peonies that's been in place for over 45 years! Here's one that's been blooming for 3 years.

Optimum Time for Cutting Peonies


Cutting flowers in the morning applies to all flowers, including peonies. Peony Pink Hawaiian Coral floating in a vase, Peony Farm, WA It is the Optimum time for cutting peonies. Peonies make excellent cut flowers. Key to enjoy it longer inside the house is to cut the peonies while still in bud, before the petals unfurl. Press the buds lightly. It should feel like a semi-soft marshmallow. Avoid buds with a hard marble feel, when the buds are too tight. the flower might not open.

A single bloom (type of peony flower) can be cut earlier (tighter bud formation) than a double bloom. A double bloom is bigger and has lots of petals and so would need to be a softer bud than the bud of a single bloom. Cutting at this stage will allow you to enjoy your peonies longer.

When you bring in a fully opened flower in the house, it will fall apart faster.

To plan your peony garden and/or peony additions, check out ---the Peony Catalog at www.ilovepeonies.com for the different varieties available.

Preserving cut flowers for when Company's coming


If you are going to entertain and want a massive show of peonies, you can preserve your cut flowers for weeks after their bloom time:

1. Cut them as described above. Store them in the refrigerator.

2. They can be stored with or without water, placed on their side, wrapped in damp paper towels and cling wrap, for up to four weeks.

3. A few days before the day of your event, take them out of the refrigerator, place them in lukewarm water and let them open fully in your home.

However, peonies stored for a long period of time will open faster and will not hold as long as the fresh cut peonies.

Enjoy your Peonies!

2 comments:

  1. These peonies are simply adorable. I do have them in my garden as they are my favorite. Don’t like to pluck them because of its beauty. If on any occasion when I need flowers, I always buy them from Flower Delivery Los Angeles services. They are best floral delivery and well-known.

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  2. beautiful flowers for the hot summer month, i get similar customized flowers bouquet from Mumbai Flower Delivery team and they gave flowers on time to my address, i always inspired by fresh cut flowers and my wife too love these lovely blossom.

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