How to Grow Peonies for Beautiful Cut Flowers
A Beginner’s Guide to One of the Garden’s Most Beloved Blooms
If you ask anyone come June what flower is on their mind, there’s probably only one answer: peonies. And for good reason! There’s something almost magical about them with their lush, fragrant blooms that are a showstopper in any garden, and even more so in a vase. If you want to fill your home with armfuls of ruffled petals or want to grow them as a long-term garden investment, peonies reward patience and care with absolutely unmatched beauty.
I planted 225 peony plants on the farm and let me tell you, harvesting these beautiful things has given me a whole new obsession. It’s a shame their season is so short (as is the case with most perennials) but perhaps that’s why they’re such an adored and sought after flower for brides, florists, and all flower-lovers come June.
If you’re new to growing them, don’t worry. This guide will walk you through how to order, plant, tend, and harvest peonies so they’ll thrive with beautiful blooms for decades to come.
Festiva Maxima and Duchesse de Nemours peonies.
Photo ©Arlyn Flower Farm, 2025
Ordering Peonies: Choose Bare Root for Best Results
When ordering peonies, bare roots are the way to go, especially for those who want strong, long-lasting plants. You’ll find that many reputable growers begin accepting orders in summer for fall shipping, so plan ahead (as some well-loved varieties sell out quickly). If you can find a local grower that sells roots that can be ideal because you then know you’re getting roots from plants that thrived in your zone. If you can’t however, there are plenty of growers that ship quality roots - so don’t fret!
Tips for ordering:
Look for roots that have 3–5 “eyes” as this typically ensures a healthier and more robust rootstock (resulting in more stems out of the gate). These can be slightly more expensive than smaller roots (those with 1-3 eyes) but the value succeeds the extra cost.
Choose varieties based on bloom time (early, mid, or late) so you can stagger your flowering season. Peony season is short, typically 2-3 weeks, so opting for varieties that span the season offer you an elongated bloom window.
If you’re growing for cut flower use, opt for herbaceous types (versus tree peonies) with strong stems and fragrant blooms like ‘Sarah Bernhardt,’ ‘Duchesse de Nemours,’ or ‘Coral Charm’ (I grow all three of these on the farm). These tend to have a slightly longer vase life than tree peonies.
Planting Peonies: Set Them Up for Long-Term Success
Peonies are incredibly hardy but do best when planted right. Fall is the ideal time to plant them as this gives roots a chance to settle in before winter.
What they love:
Cold climates: They thrive in areas (USDA zones 3–8) with a winter chill that encourages blooming. Did you know that Alaska is actually one of the leading suppliers of peonies in the US?!
Full sun: For maximum blooms and health, peonies want at least 6–8 hours of sun a day.
Well-draining soil: They don’t like soggy roots.
How to plant bare roots:
Dig a hole about 12" wide and 8" deep.
Mix in a handful of bone meal or compost at the base of the hole for an initial added boost to the root.
Place the root with the "eyes" (buds) facing upward.
Bury the root so the eyes sit about 1–2 inches below the surface. This is important! If you bury them too shallow they’ll be unstable… too deep and they may not bloom.
Backfill with soil and water well.
Peonies do not like to be moved, so pick a permanent spot from the beginning. They certainly can be transplanted, but they’ll be happiest staying in one spot.
Tending to Peonies: Patience and Care Pay Off
The first few years of growth are all about establishing strong roots, not blooms. This is especially true if you want to use them for cut flowers. Growing peonies will test your patience… trust me!
In the first 2–3 years:
Pinch off all flower buds before they open. I know, I know… this is incredibly disheartening. I fully understand that this is a difficult thing to do, but as hard as it is, this redirects energy to the roots and ensures a much more productive plant in the long run. It is worth it! Someone asked me how I had so many stems on my plants after only three years and it’s because I disbudded all buds the first few years.
Ongoing care:
They’re not huge feeders but they can do with a boost here and there. Fertilize with a balanced, low-nitrogen fertilizer (like 10-10-10) once in early spring and again in the fall.
Water deeply but infrequently. Peonies are pretty drought-tolerant once established but need regular moisture their first few years.
In the fall, cut back stems to the ground and dispose of them to prevent disease. Don’t compost them. You don’t need to cover them or protect them for winter because remember, they thrive in cold zones and are very hardy to cold temperatures.
Support tips:
Some varieties have heavy blooms that benefit from a peony cage or support ring, especially after spring rains.
Harvesting Peonies: For the Longest Vase Life
If you’re growing for cut flowers, timing is everything. Harvesting peonies at the right stage ensures they last the longest and open beautifully indoors. And what is the right stage? Let me introduce you to the “Marshmallow Test” (perhaps you’ve heard of it?).
This test is the easiest way to determine if a peony is ready to be harvested and it’s also the stage that allows a peony bud to be stored in a cooler with a great chance of surviving a few weeks.
The Marshmallow Test:
Gently squeeze the bud. If it feels soft and squishy—like a marshmallow—it’s ready to be cut. These buds will often have plenty of color on them.
If it’s hard and tight like a marble, wait. Cutting at this stage actually runs the risk of the bloom not opening at all.
If it’s open and floppy, it’s too late. You could certainly cut this (especially if you wanted it open for an event that day or something, but the vase life will be quite a bit shorter.
Below are three different images that show the various stages. From left to right, we’re going for the “goldilocks” in the middle - the marshmallow stage.
Harvesting tips:
As with all flowers, if you can, cut in the cool of the morning using clean, sharp snips as this is when plants are most hydrated.
Leave at least 2–3 sets of leaves on the stem to keep the plant healthy. The leaves are how the plant is able to undergo photosynthesis which is required for their growth.
Immediately/quickly place stems in cool water.
Cold storage tip:
If you're not using your flowers right away, you can actually store them for a few weeks. Some farmers have had luck storing them even longer (like two months!) but I haven’t pushed it that far. The main method to do so is via “dry storing” them. First things first, it’s important that the stems and buds are absolutely dry, otherwise it can encourage mold during the storage process. To store, wrap the stems in newspaper or plastic, place them in a bucket, and/or store them horizontally in a refrigerator (around 34–38°F) where they should last easily for up to 2–3 weeks.
When you’re ready, re-cut the stems and place in water. They’ll open as if freshly picked.
A Few Final Notes for Success
Be patient. Peonies are slow to start but incredibly long-lived. Some plants can live, and bloom, for over 50 years. You might know people who have plants from generations before them as is quite common with these beautiful blooms.
Don’t overwater. They like deep, infrequent watering, especially during hot dry spells.
Avoid disturbing them. Once planted, peonies don’t like to be moved. Again, if you need to you can transplant them, but they’re happiest left alone.
So what do you think? Are you feeling ready to give peonies a try!?
I’ll share this with you… when I planted my first root I had never grown a peony before in my life. Three years later and I’m overflowing with gorgeous, fluffy and fragrant blooms and I could not be happier.
So if you're dreaming of armloads of blooms or just a single vase on the kitchen table full of these stunners, peonies are absolutely worth the wait. Plant them once, care for them with intention, and they’ll bring beauty year after year.
Happy planting!