There are two things that happen in May that I now associate together, Mother’s Day and peony season. I think this is because I was gifted my first peony plant, a Sarah Bernhardt, from my husband when my son was still little. I have since found out that is is indeed a popular Mother’s Day gift.

I grow all three species in my garden: tree peonies, herbaceous peonies and their hybrid peony, the Itoh. The Peony is by far one of my favorite flowers. Its blossom is ethereal, cloud like puffs of pink, peach, yellow, white and red and many are perfumed scenting the cool Spring nights. Peony season however is like the blooming of the Cherry Blossoms in Washington DC, a much anticipated event that is over in almost the blink of an eye.

But with a little planning you can extend their blooming season by an extra month, possibly two by storing them in your refrigerator using a method called “dry packing”. This simple trick allows me to paint my peonies around my often busy schedule. I am going to share with you now how you too can do this and what you need to do to revive them.

“Red and White Peony Sketch” Oil on linen panel. 12” x 9”. Private Collection.

Dry Packing Peonies

You will want to harvest your peony buds when they are still closed but feel a little soft in the center, like a marshmallow. I like to leave my stems pretty long (as long as I can reasonably fit in the refrigerator ;) and this next step is important, be sure to dry your stems with paper towels and take off any extra leaves you won’t need. Taking this extra step will ensure that they don’t grow any mold while they are in your refrigerator. Next gather all the stems in a bouquet and wrap them in newsprint or newspaper like you would see if you bought flowers in a flower market. Add rubber bands at the ends to keep the packages together. Peonies wrapped in this way can last in the fridge from 4 - 6 weeks. I normally reserve a shelf in my fridge that my family knows is off limits to them and keep all the cut peonies there lying down on their side until I am ready for them.

Wrapping the peony buds for storage in the fridge.

Reviving The Blooms

When you are ready to revive the blooms, simply take the stems out of the refrigerator, recut them and put them in warm water in a sunny place. You will need to replace the water with more warm water ideally every 6 hours or less. They should fully bloom within a day or two.

Please consider this little “hack” my gift to you for Mother’s Day. And thank you for all the selfless things you do every day. Those around you see it and appreciate it all. :)

And if you have any peony tips or Mother’s Day remembrances of your own, I’d love to read them in the comments below.

Happy Mother’s Day!

Various peonies from my garden including the fuchsia Karl Rosenfield above and Sarah Bernhardt, far right.

Mother's Day Post: Extending Peony Blooms