Peonies: when they are in season and how to care for them

In Lithuania peonies flower from about late May to the end of June, and the season for locally grown cut peonies lasts only a few weeks. In a vase they usually last about a week if you buy them as soft buds and keep them cool. The two things that matter most are choosing buds at the right stage and giving them plenty of clean water. Below is everything in order, from the season to why peonies suddenly drop all their petals.

When peonies flower in Lithuania

Peonies have a short flowering season. In Lithuanian gardens the earliest varieties open in late May, and most peonies flower in June. The exact timing depends on the spring: in a warm year they open earlier, in a cool one later.

Outside the season you can sometimes find imported peonies in flower shops, grown in greenhouses or in countries where the season falls at a different time of year. There are fewer of them, they are not always available, and they usually cost more than peonies in season. If you need peonies for a particular date, especially outside June, ask well in advance.

Choosing peonies: the soft bud test

The bud tells you most about how a peony will behave at home.

• Too hard. A bud that is as hard as a pea or a nut, fully green and showing no colour, may never open in the vase.
• Just right. The bud is round, the petal colour shows, and when you squeeze it gently it feels soft and springy, a little like a marshmallow. Growers call this the marshmallow stage. A peony bought like this opens at home within a day or a few days and lasts longest.
• Already open. An open peony looks its most impressive, but it has less time left. That is fine if the bouquet is for a celebration today.

Look at the leaves as well: they should be green and firm, without brown spots. The stem should be sturdy and the cut end pale.

How to help peonies open

Peonies open faster in warmth and light and more slowly in cool and shade. You can use this to your advantage.

1. Cut 2–3 cm off each stem at an angle with a sharp knife.
2. Stand them in a clean vase with room-temperature or lukewarm water.
3. Put the vase in a bright spot, out of direct sun.

Buds usually open within one or two days. If you want to slow them down, for example because the bouquet is for a party in a few days, keep the peonies somewhere cool and shady in cool water.

Peony buds are sometimes sticky. That is natural: they produce a sweet sap, which is also why ants climb them in the garden. If sticky buds are slow to open, rinse them gently with lukewarm water.

Caring for peonies in a vase

Peonies have large, heavy heads and drink a lot.

• Choose a stable, fairly heavy vase or jug so the bouquet does not tip over.
• Fill it generously, to about two thirds, and check the water level every day.
• Remove every leaf that would sit below the waterline. Keep the upper leaves: they frame the flowers nicely.
• Change the water every 1–2 days and trim about a centimetre off the stems each time.
• Keep the vase away from radiators, direct sun and ripening fruit.
• If you have a sachet of flower food, use it as the packet says.

If a peony bends its head while the petals are still fresh, recut the stem under water and stand it in deeper water. A shorter stem also carries a heavy head more easily.

Why peonies drop their petals

Peonies do not fade slowly the way roses do. A flower often looks completely full for several days and then drops its petals almost all at once. This is the natural end of the bloom, not a sign that you did something wrong. Some things do bring that moment closer:

• warmth, radiators and direct sun;
• ripening fruit next to the vase;
• moving and bumping the vase once the flowers are fully open;
• flowers that were already old when bought.

Bought as soft buds, peonies usually last about a week in a vase, counting from the bud. A fully open bloom generally holds for a few days.

The most common peony colours

• Pink, from the palest blush to bright pink. This is the most common colour for cut peonies. One of the best-known varieties is the soft pink 'Sarah Bernhardt'.
• White and cream, calm and soft, often chosen for weddings.
• Red and burgundy, deeper and richer.
• Coral, varieties whose flowers fade to apricot or cream as they open.
• Yellow, seen less often.

Many peonies are scented, though how strongly depends on the variety.

Peonies in wedding and birthday bouquets

Summer is wedding season in Lithuania, and peony season falls right at its start. Brides like peonies for their large, full flowers and soft colours. A few peonies make a bouquet look generous, so you do not need many.

Things to keep in mind when planning:

• the peony season is short and depends on the spring, so nobody can promise the exact week in advance;
• for a wedding outside peony season, garden roses, ranunculus or, in spring, double tulips give a similar look;
• for a bridal bouquet, peonies are chosen so that they are open on the day itself.

In birthday bouquets peonies go well with roses, lisianthus and greenery. For someone with a June birthday they are one of the most seasonal choices there is. Even three or five peonies with some greenery look like a full bouquet.

If you cut peonies from your own garden

• Cut them in the morning while it is cool.
• Choose buds at the soft, marshmallow stage.
• Leave plenty of stems with leaves on the plant: the leaves feed the roots and next year's flowers.
• Shake off any ants and rinse the buds before bringing them indoors.

Peonies in Kaunas

Gitanos gėlės is a flower stand inside the Šilas store at A. Baranausko g. 26, Kaunas, open every day 8:00–23:00. Because the peony season is short, if you would like peonies for a particular day, such as a wedding or a birthday, it is best to ask in advance. You can pre-order a bouquet by SMS on +370 656 38880 or on gitanosgeles.lt.