Peony Tips for the Most Gorgeous Arrangements

Combine my peony tips with these arrangement pointers and enjoy your gorgeous flowers for even longer!

Who doesn’t love a sweet flower arrangement in their home? Not only do they add some lovely color to any room but their sweet aromas are so divine. Right now, all the lilacs are in bloom and the whole neighborhood smells amazing! And it won’t be long until those amazing peonies start to bloom as well. And whether you’re going to harvest from your yard or purchase them at the store – peonies can have a surprisingly long life if you know how to care for them. So I’m sharing my best peony tips on how to select, prepare and even – how to arrange them. So let’s talk everything peonies!

Peony Tips for Buying and Preparing

So you’re at the florist or Trader Joe’s (that’s where I go!) and you’re checking out the gorgeous display of peonies. How do you know which flowers are the best to bring home? Well, here is what I do…

Buy peony buds. Peonies will last the longest when still in the bud form. Be sure and touch the bud – if it’s soft – that means it’s close to opening. And that’s the flower that you want to buy!

**Kitchen Sources: Black Vase | Leather Counter Stool | Round Cutting Board |**
**Square Cutting Board | Pendant** (similar) |

Cut stems at an angle. In order for your peonies to drink up the most water, the stems need to be cut at an angle. This easy little trick increases the surface area of the cut, helping the blooms absorb more water and nutrients.

And be sure to recut every other day to help remove any clogs at the base of the stems. And speaking of water…

Don’t forget to add the flower food. Missing the little food packet that often comes with flowers? No problem! You can easily make your own by adding a spoonful of granulated sugar to your flowers cool water. Just be sure to replace the water every two days, because mixing in sugar can encourage bacteria to grow.

Help the buds gently open. If your buds are taking longer than you like to open, I have some tips you can try. First, remove the outer leaves that are covering the buds. Second, place the peonies in warm water. And third, find a warm room with lots of bring light. I actually placed mine in my laundry room while I was drying my laundry and it worked like a charm!

Bonus tip! To help your peonies last the absolute longest, place them in the fridge at night. 🙂

Now that you know how to buy and prepare your flowers, let’s talk about how to actually arrange them. 🙂

Peony Arranging Tips

When it comes to arranging flowers, I prefer small vessels. I used a charcoal garden pot for my first peony arrangement. I picked it for the striking black contrast it was going to give my flowers.

It’s a little bit bigger than what I’d normally use but I just kept filling it full of peony blooms and I absolutely love how it turned out!

peony arrangement in a charcoal garden pot

But my favorite type of vessel to use for peonies is more of a bowl shape. This aged iron compote was the perfect holder for my peony and hydrangea floral arrangement. All I added to complete the look was a couple stems of eucalyptus.

peony and hydrangea arrangement in compote on kitchen quartz counter with wood lamp — **Kitchen Sources: Iron Flower Vessel | Lamp | Plates | Flatware |**

So when it comes to arranging peonies, I have a few tips. I like to place a smaller glass insert into my pots, larger vases or compotes. This way I don’t have to worry about any water leaking out and damaging the vessel. Then I tape a grid over the opening of the glass insert. Let me tell you, a grid is a game changer. Your peonies will stay in place and the whole arrangement will look ten times better. 🙂

Close up of peony and hydrangea flowers in compote with eucalyptus

And finally when it comes to peony arrangements, I like to keep things simple. One of my favorite arrangements is just a bowl full of peonies. But for a fun variation, I will incorporate maybe another flower type and just a touch of eucalyptus or baby’s breath.

Favorite Peony Vessels and Faux Options

peony and hydrangea arrangement on kitchen counter with white plates and gold forks

Some of my favorite places to shop for flower vessels or vases are:

And just because I love to shop, here are some of my favorite peony vessels. Just click on the image to shop:

Now, if you can’t find any fresh peonies – not to worry! I have a bunch of high quality faux peony flowers that you’ll love. You can shop those below:

I hope you found all my peony tips helpful! If you create a beautiful arrangement and want to share, be sure to tag me @inspirationformoms on Instagram. I would love to see all your pretty peonies!