My life consists of two glorious weeks of cutting and arranging my peonies and 50 weeks of anxiously waiting for them to bloom again (obviously, I need a hobby).
Peony season is fleeting but so worth the wait and if you have ever dreamed of growing your own make sure to read my Peony Growing post filled with my favorite tips and tricks for making sure your peonies are the envy of the block.
When I woke up Sunday morning, my peonies were bursting at the seams so I decided to show them off in a quick video of when to cut peonies.
Notice how I went all glam girl on you with full hair and makeup!
I found this old water cooler at an estate sale last week and I’m in love!
These are affiliate Sarah Bernhardt peonies and I love the soft pink color.
What’s your favorite flower in your garden?
Don’t miss more of my gardening tips …
Hi Kelly! I LOVE your blog and think that your house is amazing. And I think you are so relatable and funny!
Anyway, I wanted to share with you something I learned from one of my favorite flower vendors at our Farmer’s Market in Franklin, TN. She always has the most beautiful flowers, and I noticed that she seemed to have peonies so much longer after mine had already bloomed. She said the trick to having peonies long after the plant has finished blooming is to cut the flowers just before they bloom (not quite as far bloomed as the ones you showed in your video – they should look more like a bud). The bud/bloom should be soft and should feel like a marshmallow when you give it a little squeeze). Then, you put the cut blooms into a zip lock bag with NO water and store them in your refrigerator. When you are ready to use them in an arrangement, simply give the end of the stem a fresh cut and put them in water. And voila! Fresh peonies for weeks after everyone else’s are done and over with!
I wish I had known about this before my peonies were done. I will definitely try it next year, though.
I worry about bringing ants in the house I always thought the ants force them to bloom. My mother always shook them before bringing them in.
You can clip them before they fully bloom to prevent bringing in ants or you can clip them at night. Also, you can soak them in water to drown the ants. I brought in tons of peonies and only saw one lone ant in the bunch!
Great tips mine haven’t bloomed yet this year and I’m glad I know all these things now 🙂
Love your gorgeous Peonies in your fabulous vintage cooler. I think I will try again next year and plant Peonies and hope that the deer won’t love them as much!…
I’ll cross my fingers for you Shirley!
That is one flower I have not planted but, need to. Yours are beautiful and so are you.
You must plant peonies Marlene – you’ll love them!
Your pink peonies are beautiful.
Loved the video, short and sweet and had two cuties acting in it (not counting the peonies. 🙂
Sushi is pretty cute and my sunglasses make me camera ready!!
I thought the ants were necessary for the Peonies to bloom. They eat the waxy coating from the buds which allows the buds to open.
I live in Alabama and would like to plant some Peonies
I would like the ones that most look like the ones used for weddings
Is there a specific type I should buy and do you recommend ordering the plants online?
I don’t know what type you are referring to but the light pinks ones like mine are called Sarah Bernhardt. You can buy them check your local garden center for them.