Peony for President (no, really… please!)

Hey there!

Hats off to Mother Nature, who we’re pretty sure is the original Peony enthusiast! I mean, how many beautiful, frilly petals can you fit on a single stem? That would be a way prettier commercial (in our opinion) than licks to the center of a lolli-pop! ;) But, we digress per usual… anyway, if you’ve been around long enough, you probably know that Team Farmgirl loves a peony moment. We want to literally swim in a pool full of Sarah B’s, Coral Charms, or our founder’s personal fave, Etched Salmon peonies! So we figured, what could be more fun than sharing a peony for your thoughts, because the only thing we love more than a peony is a good floral pun! So, without further ado, here's our hot take on how to make the most of these oh-so-stunning blooming beauties:

Waterless Delivery Is KEY! We know it probably seems so weird to receive your blooms without the hydration packs you usually see with our flowers, but trust us, it’s intentional. There’s a few varieties of flowers that prefer to make their trips dry (less bathroom breaks maybe?). But never fear, Peonies are super eager to bloom upon arrival, and we don’t want to speed up their opening process so you can enjoy them for every last second that you can of their somewhat brief, but undeniably-breathtaking blossoming life! 

De-Leaf in Your Peonies! While we pack and ship peonies with lush foliage for their journey (psst, it helps protect the buds by giving them some natural shock absorbers!), be sure to remove most of the leaves before placing them in a vase - especially those that fall below the water line. This helps the blossoms absorb water more efficiently and prevents bacteria from getting in the water (leading to a longer life!). Also, don’t worry if the leaves are wilty upon arrival, it has no bearing on the health of the Peony, it just makes them easier to remove!

Ordering For A Special Occasion? If you’re planning to show off your Farmgirl peonies at a special event or occasion, have your peonies delivered a day or two beforehand so they can have time to hydrate and open juuuust in time to be swooned over!

Our Surprise Selection Is The Most Fun! Many of our peony offerings are often a delightful surprise as they come in what we call “grower's choice” bunches. We do that so you can experience new varieties you may not have ever seen! Sarah Bernhardt’s are probably the most common variety that comes to mind when you think of a Peony, and while beautiful, we think there are equally if not more beautiful varieties that we can’t wait for you to see! And trust us when we say that in our 14 years of business (where we’ve shipped literally millions of stems of Peonies now), we have never seen a Peony variety that we haven’t absolutely loved! 

Temporary Beauty. While we wish Peonies had the vase life of a carnation (we’ll come back to that being a huge reason we should all love Carnations more later!), maybe that’s also what makes them so special? There truly is something beautiful about how fleeting their beauty is. While most peonies last around 5 days (trust us, we wish they lasted longer too!), some varieties may surprise you with a longer lifespan. Changing their water daily and keeping them in a cool place and out of direct sunlight definitely helps them look their best for as long as possible.

Coaxing Closed Buds. For those stubborn buds, a fresh stem trim and a soak in warm vase water (trust us, warm is best here!) can often persuade them to open up and reveal their beauty. If you pride yourself in having a steady hand, you can also gently peel back the outermost petals to give it a little nudge in opening as well.

In our opinion, there really isn’t a more obvious display of Mother Nature showing off than watching a peony fully open and strut her stuff! I guess that’s why they’re a whopping 92% of our customer’s favorite flower. I know, that stat stunned us a little too! They’re in season here in the U.S. for a very short window of time, so if you’re planning your big day, or saving your little luxuries budget for a rainy day, plan that rainy day fund for mid May through the end of June! It’s a short six week window and then we continue our quest to find them in further away places (from Italy and France to the Netherlands and Chile and many locations in between!). But the sweet spot for locally grown Peonies happens but once a year, in late Spring and early Summer.

To keep your peonies looking fresh and fabulous for as long as possible, here are a few of our favorite care tips:

• Start with a squeaky clean vase! This may sound elementary, but you’d be surprised by how shocked many are that a grimy vase can cause your flowers to expire more quickly, but that grime can lead to bacteria which is the worst enemy of your blooms.

• Master The Trimming Technique (and do it often!). Before placing your peonies in a vase, trim the stems at a 45° angle to help them absorb water more effectively and prevent them from sitting flush with the bottom of your vase. You’ll want to do this pretty often - daily if you can remember, or every time you change your water. You don’t have to cut much though, a half inch works great! 

• Keep Leaves Above The Water Line. Remove any foliage from hanging below the waterline to prevent bacterial growth and ensure the blooms last longer. We recommend checking the water daily for any little bits that may have fallen.

• Water, Water, Water. Change the vase water every few days, or even better every day, to keep your peony stems fresh and clean.

• Shade Over Sun! Peonies, like almost all flowers, are happiest when not in direct sunlight, so keep your peonies in a cool, shaded spot away from the sun to prolong their lifespan. Our favorite hack is putting your stems outside on a patio or deck overnight to give a little time to chill.

Our last mention in what’s become our peony-soapbox (not even a little ashamed!) is some of our favorite ways to enjoy these beauties to the fullest:

• Experiment with different arrangements to showcase your peonies' beauty, either on their own or mixed with other blooms. One of our favorite things to do is put a solo stem in a bud vase next to your bed so it’s the first thing you see in the morning to really set your day off in a positive direction!

• Take photos of your peonies at different stages of blooming to capture their fleeting beauty forever (and tag is on IG so we can see @farmgirlflowers!). One of the coolest varieties of Peonies are Coral Charms because they actually change from vibrant coral to blush to the creamiest of creams during their aging process. Trust us, it’ll blow your mind watching every color stage they go through and you’ll probably find your camera roll filled with hundreds of shots of them just like us! 

• Share the love by giving peonies as gifts to friends and loved ones, brightening their day with a touch of floral delight. You can send online flower arrangements (for delivery!) here.

Happy peony season!

xx,

Team Farmgirl