How To Cut Peony Buds For Flower Vase Arrangements (With Pictures)

Learn when and how to properly cut and care for peony buds for a beautiful vase floral arrangement in your home.

After a long cold winter that seemed to never end, we find ourselves at the cusp of peony season. The buds have survived the late frosts, and now it’s time to celebrate this iconic flower!

Peonies are wonderful flowers, a fan favorite of gardeners and florists alike. They offer a full, billowy bloom in beautiful hues of pinks, whites, reds, and even yellows. Cut peonies make dreamy flower arrangements that you can use to add beauty to your own home.

But did you know there is a right time to harvest peonies for optimal bouquet bloom time?

And, if you cut the stems at the WRONG time, you may end up with no beautiful flowers opening at all!

Today we are going to learn how to get the most out of your peony arrangement by cutting and caring for your peonies the right way.

When Do Peonies Bloom?

First things first, when do peonies bloom? Peony bloom time ranges from late spring until early summer. The bloom time depends on species of peony and can range depending on zone, temperature, and weather.

Peonies grow in Zones 3-8 and bloom for 7-10 days. Planting a variety of cultivars will allow you to have blooms emerging throughout your garden for the entire peony season.

When To Cut Peony Buds For Vase

As your peonies begin to bud, it’s important to cut them at the right time in order to get a long vase life. If you cut them too early they may not open, and if you cut them too late they will not last long in the vase.

You want to cut the flower right before they are about to open, so they can fully open in your vase and you can enjoy the unfurling of the petals. The peony flower should feel soft but still firm, like a marshmallow.

A petal may have started to peel away from the bud, which indicates a good time for cutting. You do not want to cut peonies that are hard to the touch and feel like a walnut.

The Best Time To Harvest Peony Blooms For Flower Vase Arrangements:

• Peony bud looks and feels like a marshmallow, puffy, round and soft but slightly firm
• A petal may be lifting away from the peony bud, indicating the bud is getting ready to bloom
• The peony is no longer in a hard ball, like a walnut
• Cut your peony flowers in the early morning, before any heat kicks in

Here are photos that illustrate the perfect timing for cutting peony flowers.

This peony bud is hard and feels like a walnut. It is NOT ready to cut:

The peony bloom below is at the perfect stage of bloom for cutting. You can see one petal has begun to peel away from the bud.

The bloom is soft on the outside with slight firmness on the inside. It essentially feels just like a marshmallow… a bit soft but still firm.

The below peony is just a few days past prime for vase cutting. You can still cut peonies at this stage, they will just have a shorter vase life. You can also choose to just leave these blooms on the stem to enjoy in the garden!

Key tips: For vase flower arrangements, cut peony buds when they are the texture of a marshmallow. A flower petal may have started to separate from the bud, indicating the perfect time to harvest the bud for a vase. This will ensure your blooms open and you are also able to enjoy them for the longest period of time.

How To Cut Peony Buds For A Vase

Now that you know when to cut your peony blooms, let’s jump into how to cut your peony blooms. The proper technique will protect your peony bush from infection and preserve the vase life of your bloom.

Don’t worry, it’s easy!

Step by step instructions for cutting peony blooms for a vase arrangement:

• Use a strong, rust free pair of scissors or pruners.
• Dip your pruners in bleach to disinfect them before cutting your blooms. This will prevent your peony bush from getting introduced to diseases from other plants.
• Fill a vase half full and add flower food (see below), mixing gently.
• Identify your perfect blooms ready for cutting (see above).
• Cut blooms, leaving enough stems and leaves on the peony stalk to collect energy for the next year (see below).
• Remove any leaves that will be submerged in the vase water. This is very important and will prevent your blooms from rotting quickly.
• Immediately add your flowers to the vase.

As pictured here, remove any leaves that will be submerged under water. Foliage in the vase water will cause mold and decay, decreasing the vase life of the flowers.

When you harvest and care for your peony blooms property, they will soon open up and yield full, gorgeous bouquets.

Here is a photo of our harvested peony buds, and the open blooms we awoke to the next morning:

When harvested at the right stage, it takes about 8 to 24 hours for peonies to fully open.

Where To Cut

It is important to leave enough foliage on your peony plant when harvesting peony flowers.

Leave at least 2 to 3 sets of leaves on the stems, so that your plant can gather sunlight and store energy to put into next year’s blooms.

On an established plant this should not be too difficult. Take care with younger plants not to cut too much of the stem and leaves.

How Long Do Peony Bouquets Last?

Peony bouquets last for 3-y days, depending on when they are cut and how they are cared for.

You can extend the bloom harvesting season by planting a variety of peony plants that bloom sequentially from late spring to early summer. Read this article on how to extend the time your peony garden blooms for more information.

You can also utilize a few tricks in order to extend the life of your home cut bouquet.

How To Make Arrangements Last Longer

Here are a few easy tips that will allow your gorgeous flowers to last longer.

First, make sure to mix a quality flower food into your water.

Tucking the flower vase in the fridge at night will slow down the decay of your blooms and extend the life of your bouquet! Make sure the flowers have plenty of water- at least half full.

Avoid displaying your peony vase in direct sunlight. If possible, display your beautiful arrangement in a cool location out of direct heat or sun.

Keep your home at a moderate temperature, if possible. The warmer and more humid your home, the quicker your blooms will fade.

FAQ On How Cut Peony Buds For A Vase

Here are a few answers to frequently asked questions on cutting peonies!

What Kind Of Vase Should I Use For My Peony Arrangement?

You will need a strong, tall vase for peony arrangements. When opened, the peony flowers can become top heavy and may tip over a small or light weight vase.

I have used a simple mason jar and the beautiful peonies look elegant! It doesn’t take much, these flowers shine on their own. Make sure your vase is clean and disinfected from any prior flower arrangements.

How Do You Arrange Peonies?

With their incredibly full blooms, it is not hard to create a casual peony arrangement that looks absolutely stunning.

To create the perfect bouquet, cut your stems at slightly different lengths, varying them by an inch or half of an inch. This allows your flowers to blend together naturally.

Leave foliage above the neck of the vase as an accent. Group peony stems in odd numbers (3, 5, or 7) for the most artistically pleasing presentation.