How to Keep Peonies Fresh Longer With 7 Simple Tricks

A bouquet of big, beautiful, spring-blooming peonies always brightens up a room. We love to place a vase of them where we can admire the flowers' ruffly textures and vibrant colors up close. Here's how to keep peonies fresh longer for maximum enjoyment, whether harvested from your cutting garden or purchased at a favorite florist's shop. Peonies can last surprisingly long—provided they're given the proper care. Plus, we've got some bonus advice for encouraging the buds to open faster and last longer.

1. Buy Peony Buds

One tip for how to keep peonies fresh longer is to buy or harvest them while they're still in bud form. Don't be afraid to gently touch the buds before buying—if they're soft (think the texture of a marshmallow), that means they're close to opening. Avoid ones that feel hard (like a marble) because they may not be developed enough to open once picked. Buds aren't always pretty, and slight deformities—like little brown spots—are normal. And if you're picking backyard peonies, head out in the morning to look for buds. If you wait until later in the day, there's a better chance that the flowers will have opened up by then.

2. DIY Flower Food

If you lost track of that little food packet that came with your flowers, don't fret. You can make your own by adding a spoonful of regular granulated sugar to the water to make your cut flowers last longer. This will mimic the sugar rush that occurs during photosynthesis, helping to keep the flowers fresh.

3. Keep Peonies Cold

Like many fresh flowers, stashing peonies in the fridge at night is guaranteed to help them last longer. But you can take the trick a step further. A technique for how to keep peonies fresh longer is to cut the buds while they're soft, wrap them in newspaper, and store them in the refrigerator until you're ready to use them. They won't open up in the fridge, and you can preserve them for an extra day or two if you need them to last for a garden party or get-together.

4. Avoid Ants on Peonies

If you're collecting peonies from a garden, beware of unwanted pests that might make a home on your blooms. Ants and peonies have an especially notorious relationship. The insects are attracted to nectar that the buds release as they open. Place the cut peony stems in water and leave them outside for 20-30 minutes before bringing them inside to give the ants plenty of time to migrate off the flowers.

5. Cut Stems at an Angle

For maximum water absorption, cut your peony stems at an angle. This trick increases the surface area of the cut, helping the blooms absorb more water and nutrients. Do this every other day to help remove any clogs at the base of the stems.

6. Change the Water Often

Instead of simply topping up the water your flowers are in, make sure that every two or three days, you completely change the water in your vase. In warm weather, repeat the process even more often. This will get rid of any bacteria that has built up in the vase and keep your peonies healthy.

7. Remove Lower Leaves

Bacteria can shorten the lives of your flowers by clogging stems so they can't take up water. Any leaves on stems that fall below the waterline of your vase will rot quickly and encourage bacteria build up in the water. That's why it's important to remove any lower leaves from stems as well as any that might fall into the water.

Bonus: How to Open Peonies Up Faster

You're throwing a dinner party and bought or cut a batch of peonies, still in bud form. It's the day before your party, and the buds have yet to bloom—what do you do? To speed up the process, trim the stems and put them directly into warm water. Put the flowers, vase and all, in a warm place in direct sunlight and check on them periodically. Once they start opening, you can move them to wherever you'd like them to be.