A Week of Peonies
I’m convinced that part of the reason people go nuts over peonies is that they only bloom for a few days, creating a sense of urgency to savor each and every bloom. But for the most part, their appeal ( and intense fandom) is due to how insanely showy and gorgeous they are, I mean come on, name a more show-stopping spring bloom.
Peonies are so versatile, they’re like roses where the flower form looks like anything from a daisy to a pom-poms flower bomb and everything in between.
In my garden, I have Peony 'Edulis Superba' (bright rose-pink) and Peony 'Lady Alexandra Duff' (pale pink), both from the herbaceous variety. I watch the buds in anticipation for weeks, even though I know full well that mine never bloom until the first week of June. Peonies bloom for only about a week (7-10 days), so if you’re planning on using them in an arrangement, you’ll want to cut them just as their buds begin to open. I cut mine on day 3.
Fast facts about peonies:
Peonies have three blooming seasons and are of three varieties: Tree peonies, early (April); herbaceous peonies, midseason (May); and Intersectional peonies, late (June).
Peonies grow best in cooler climates (zones 3-8); the cooler the climate, the longer the peony blooms will last. Typically, peonies bloom for 7-10 days, however, certain varieties such as intersectional can bloom for 3-4 weeks.
Peonies are perennials that come back year after year. In fact, they’re known to rebloom in the same spot for over 50 years!
Peonies prefer full sun, at least 5-6 hours of sunlight a day.
If you’re planning on transplanting or separating your peony, do it in the fall when the peony is dormant.
Blooms are heavy and may require staking depending on the flower form. I have “bomb” flower form peonies. Bomb peonies are the largest and fullest, comprising of the most petal layers.
Resources for peonies: Garden Design, Florgeous, Almanac.
If you’re local to SE Michigan, there is a peony garden at the University Of Michigan, I haven’t been (yet) but I hear only good things and plan to go next spring.
Peony Arrangement
Peonies are great to work with because their blooms take up a lot of space, relieving you of the burden of finding filler flowers to make the arrangement appear more full.
I wish they bloomed longer so I could arrange them with different blooms in my garden, but I had to work with whatever I had at the time. Here’s what I used in my arrangement:
Focal flower: Peony
Accent flower: Rosebud azalea
Texture: Coral bells & ferns
Foliage: Ivory Halo Dogwood and Japanese Willow
I absolutely love the variegated foliage in this arrangement, I think it pairs well with almost any flower type.
Tip: Since peonies love cooler temps, you’ll want to refrigerate your cut stems if you don’t plan on arranging them immediately. You can also store your arrangement in the basement if you need it to look fabulous the next day.
Due to the extremely hot and humid temperatures we experienced here in Michigan during the first week of June, my arrangements barely made it 24 hours before wilting.
