How to get peonies to open when you purchase them at your local florist or grocery store to find some buds closed tight. Sometimes they are simply picked too early for shipping because the peony is a fragile fleeting bloom! Do you have an event and need them open quickly? This method should work for you overnight as it has for me.
As an avid lover of flowers and as someone who lives where the varieties available are so limited, I’m very frustrated! Sure we have every possible kind of orchid known to man/woman here in South FL, but those are out in my garden and rarely do I cut some to bring inside for photo shoots. Grocery store flowers are dismal and florist shops seem to come and go as quickly as restaurants around here. The flowers above are from several months ago on my desk in my French style home office and are my favorite. PEONIES. Peonies are akin to elusive butterflies and they don’t grow at all in the tropical south. So I’m forced to find them at florists and occasionally at…
grocery stores like Whole Foods and Trader Joes. This weekend I was in shock to see just a couple bunches of peonies at one of the above and they had been imported from Holland. They were $10 for a bunch, or $2 each and were just tight buds about the size of a quarter…sigh. I bought them knowing it was risky business but I’ve been experimenting.
And I did some research about peonies and found out how the buds have a wax type of coating on them that is eaten by ants to get them to open and bloom in the garden. It’s amazing how nature takes care of these things on her own! I simply have not had much luck with the peonies that I find here in town that are probably picked too early due to the fragility and shipped here from Holland and countries in Latin America.
How to get peonies to open? Here is what I have found works and although it’s not entirely foolproof, if you have a photoshoot due or an event…try this method.
How To Get Peonies To Open And Bloom Quickly
- As soon as you get your peonies home, cut them on a sharp angle to allow as much water to penetrate into the stem as possible. I like to use garden clippers and then remove all foliage, except for maybe a few at the top.
- Place them immediately in a bucket filled with enough warm water to cover the stems. Having the water as HOT as your tap will allow is best and add a packet of flower food.
- Keep the peonies in a warm and sunny (if possible) room and repeat this process every 3-4 hours.
- After a day or so your blooms should start to open. If they don’t, fill a pitcher with HOT tap water and soak the actual buds face down in the water. This will help to melt the waxy coating when all else fails. Rinse and repeat!
- I purchased the peonies above yesterday and they would have never bloomed if I didn’t force the peonies to open with the method above. The most STUBBORN PEONIES EVER…kind of like a 2 year old that you are trying to get to eat his/her vegetables!
- Sometimes you have to massage the blooms to force the peonies to open. I did that with these last night and today we have these…below↓
They are adequate, but again I swoon when seeing peonies that you west coasters get to appreciate and for those of us on the east coast this will do in a pinch.
This post was originally published in 2016 and has been upated.
Try it and let me know if it works for you!
Hey Janet, when you say ‘massage’ are you literally rubbing your fingers over the closed buds?
Hi Lynn…yes! It doesn’t work well with completely closed up buds, because I think that they pick those too early. If they are slightly open it works better and I’ve had good luck with this!
I never thought about these not growing somewhere. I live in the upper south, northwest Arkansas, & have quite a few in my yard. My favorites are the white because the scent is so very luscious. I pick them in bud so the blooms last longer but have never had problems with them opening for me. Of course mine don’t get refrigerated & shipped?
I have to wait until May to enjoy them & it’s one of my favorite parts of spring.
I think that because you grow them yourself Jenny it might not be a problem since you know when to pick! Many of us take what we can get in terms of the commercial flower market. The selections in my area aren’t usually the best.
I love my peonies. They are so big and showy in my garden. Like the other poster, it never occurred to me to think about the area they don’t grow in. I am in Ontario, Canada and they grow well here. Yes it is always a good sign to see ants on your buds. I have white, deep pink and my new ones are peach. I wish I could show you a picture.
I do buy peonies every year normally, since they sadly don’t grow here. The showiest flower…you are fortunate to have them in your garden!
It’s peony blooming time in central New York and the peonys are gorgeous! Now that I’ve read your post I won’t take mine for granted anymore! I just cut 2 different varieties to bring in. I had no idea the ants served a purpose.
Yes… I saw the beautiful coffee table books & artwork on Randi Garrett’s blog last week.. and had doscou T’s for her collection she picked out.. Guess u missed it? Seems I see a lot of similar articles on your blog…
I know Randi from Instagram, but don’t follow her blog. Have a wonderful day Debbie!
I love the peony tips in this post! I live in Wisconsin and our warmer weather has been delayed by weeks this year. I have so many peonies growing beside my new-to-me home. Now I can cheat and bring them inside sooner! I’m excited to try your tips
I hope that it works for you Susan!