Peony care
The peony is the bouquet's quiet show-off. A tight bud arrives the size of a golf ball and opens over days into a bloom the size of a small saucer. Generous, blowsy, briefly here. Worth doing right.
Season
May–July
Vase life
Long
Sourcing
Direct from growers
Difficulty
Easy
How to care for them
Unwrap straight away — peonies do not like staying packaged. Cut about two centimetres off each stem at a sharp angle, ideally under running water. Strip any leaves that would sit below the waterline. Place into a deep, clean vase with cool fresh water. The bouquet drinks heavily in the first hours, so the reservoir matters more than the vase shape.
Top the water up every morning. As the bloom opens it can swell to twice the size it arrived, and the stem needs the reserve. Keep the vase out of direct sun and away from radiators — peonies fade fastest in heat. Rotate the vase a quarter turn each day for a balanced display.
Closed bud that will not open? Stand the stem in warm (not hot) water for an hour to wake it. Drooping head means the stem has air-blocked — take it out, cut a fresh two centimetres off, return to deep cool water. Most peonies recover within an hour or two.
Common questions
No. Peonies prefer plain cool water. A clean vase and a fresh water change every day or two does more than any homemade additive. The flower-food sachets supplied with the bouquet are optional — useful, but not required if you are topping up regularly.
A tight bud is sometimes just shy. Stand the stem in warm (not hot) water for an hour — the temperature change triggers the bloom. If the bud is hard, dry, and brown at the seams, it was cut too tight and will not open. Contact the studio and we will make it right.
Yes. Most varieties we send are cut tight on purpose and open over several days in the vase. A bud the size of a grape becomes a bloom the width of your palm. Tight buds let the flowers travel without damage and give you the full show at home.
Many days with the right care: deep cool water, daily top-up, and out of direct sun. Heat shortens the display; cool spots prolong it. Every order is covered by our Stem freshness promise — if anything is not right, get in touch and we will sort it.
Mildly. Peonies (Paeonia species) are listed as toxic to cats and dogs if eaten — they can cause vomiting and lethargy. Keep the vase out of reach of pets that graze on plants. If a pet does eat some, contact your vet.
No single colour outlasts another. Variety matters more than colour: Sarah Bernhardt and Coral Charm are both reliably long-lived. The studio chooses varieties for both look and vase performance.
Yes — peonies hold well in a cold spot. If you want them to open closer to an event, store the wrapped stems in the coolest part of the fridge (out of contact with fruit) for a day or two, then bring them out, re-cut, and place in cool water.
Pairs beautifully with
