Harvesting your Peonies
So, the time has come to harvest your peonies for sale or just for show around the house or home. Let's look at a few practices to help harvest, store, and present the flowers you labored so hard for.
When to Cut.
When should you cut your peony stems? Well, that depends on what you intend to do with them. Store them long term, store them short term, or display them immediately? The most significant difference between the three is when and at what stage you cut your flowers.
Long-term storage of stems should be done when buds are either hard bud or just beginning to soften. At this stage, the color of the peony is clearly visible in the bud, but the petals have not softened. So you are looking for swollen and mature buds, i.e., ready to open but not loose.
Short-term storage of stems is more flexible; if you want to keep them in cold storage for a few days to a week, you can pick your stems at the soft-bud/marshmallow stage. The bud is matured and softened; you can pinch the flower head without resistance. Petals will be loose, and the head will be larger. The fragrance at this stage is also apparent.
Immediate display: if you intend on immediately displaying your peonies, remember two things:
1: it's better to begin displaying BEFORE the buds have opened.
2: they should be chilled 24 to 48 hours prior.
If picked before fully opened, you will find the enjoyment period of your cut flowers will last FAR longer than if cut open — over 2 weeks in some cases. Chilling the stems 24 hours before display ensures the buds' enzymatic activity that increases desiccation has been neutralized: you will get more time to enjoy your cut flowers. In short, pick stems for immediate display at marshmallow to loose buds and keep them in the fridge for a day or two before setting them out in a vase.
How to Cut.
Get a pair of sharp floral sheers early in the morning before the daytime heat (if possible), and select your stems. Cut as near the stem base as possible without damaging the plant. Since you are chilling your stems before displaying them, the angle of the cut isn't as crucial as its cleanliness: make a clean cut without crushing to avoid bacterial infection and growth. Be sure your shears are clean so as to not transfer any potential infections into your plant. If you intend on harvesting most of the plant, be sure to leave 1/3 of the stems on the plant ( divide the total number by 3 and leave that on the plant [12 stem plant = 4 left on the plant, 8 harvested]) to ensure the peony has enough photosynthetic tissue to prepare itself for winter and survive to next year.
Storing
We'll do a longer section on storage later, but remember you need to IMMEDIATELY get the stems into excellent storage after harvesting. Pack the stems into 2-gallon zip-lock bags for a home display and gently set them in your refrigerator somewhere they will stay cold without freezing or being crushed (ideal temperature is 35˚ F). They will wilt when stored in this manner: don't panic. 12 hours in a vase will revitalize them.
Display
So you're ready to display your peony stems. Even if doing so commercially, you must follow two practices when taking the stems out of cold storage.
1: cut the stem 1-2 inches above the original stem cut at a 45-degree angle for a fresh opening.
2: place the stems in cool to cold water in your selected vase (nutritional package is recommended, not required) immediately after cutting; they will be wilted, but give them time: they will perk up quickly and within 24-72 hours (depending on what stage they were cut) they will begin opening. If harvesting commercially, I recommend doing this step in your commercial cooler room to prevent buds from opening.
At home, place your vase in a cool, shaded area of the house, avoiding direct sunlight, where you can enjoy it for up to 2 weeks.