Tips & Tricks for Arranging Peonies

Use these tips & tricks for arranging peonies to easily display this beautiful flower in your home. Includes suggestions for preparation and vessels.

magenta red peonies in sink

Peony season…a very short time of year when you can fill your home with blooms that have the power to lift your soul. The only negative thing about these flowers is the fact that they bloom for such a short period of time. Other than that, they are perfection. 

My peonies were beautiful this season, and I thoroughly enjoyed cutting the blooms to bring inside. I waited a bit too long to cut them, so they didn’t last as long as I would have liked. It’s best to cut peonies when they are still in bud and I missed it this year by a few days. Life got in the way, and I just didn’t have a chance to spend any time in the garden. They were almost completely open when I brought them in, but they stayed fresh for almost a week. 

Arranging peonies is easy because they have such big blooms and sturdy stems. Here are a few ideas…

arranging peonies in mason jars

Arranging Peonies in Mason Jars

Every flower looks good in a mason jar, and peonies are no exception. I especially love pink peonies in vintage blue mason jars…but any sort of jar will work. If you have enough room in your kitchen, spread your mason jars out on the counter. Add water to each jar. Begin placing the peony stems in the jars, making sure to snip each stem on an angle. By filling the jars all at the same time, you can make sure the peonies are divided evenly, and that the stems are a good height. 

arranging peonies in kitchen

Galvanized Metal

peonies in galvanized watering can

Galvanized metal and peonies are the perfect pair. Any kind of galvanized metal container will work…even small buckets or watering cans. It’s a lovely example of rustic meets refined!

peonies in pitcher on basket

peonies with white petals yellow centers

Arranging Peonies in Pitchers

Along with mason jars, pitchers are my go-to vessels for flowers. If you want to start (or add to) an ironstone collection, good places to look are Homegoods and T. J. Maxx. Sometimes you can find them at antique malls or flea markets, but those tend to be a bit pricier. Websites like Wayfair and Overstock also carry a nice variety of pitchers. 

peonies in blue and white pitcher

Centerpiece Idea

One of the easiest centerpiece ideas ever is to group several mason jars together in the middle of your table. Try to vary the heights of the jars, and add a pitcher or two for interest. There is no right or wrong way to do this…just place the jars, and move them around until you are happy with the way they look. 

centerpiece of peonies in dining room with board and batten

peonies in mason jars on dining room table

peonies in blue mason jars closeup

The dark pink peonies pictured in this post are ‘Kansas.’ They were planted about six years ago and it took a few years to get blooms…but it was definitely worth the wait. I also have ‘Jan Van Leeuwen.’ They have large white petals and a round yellow center. You can see how they looked in the garden by clicking {HERE.} I have two bushes with light pink blooms called ‘Elk Grove.’ They are on their third year, and I finally got some big blooms. 

peonies and mint in pitchers

One thing I started doing and it has helped keep my bushes upright, was trim off all the tiny buds around a bigger bud. This eliminates a stem with five or more blooms at the top. I had this problem last year, and most of the peonies were on the ground because the tops were so heavy. The blooms are still heavy, but clipping the extra buds really helped.

*Affiliate links included. Click HERE for my disclosure statement.

Shopping Sources:

blue and white pitcher (no longer available) | vintage blue mason jars | mason jar carriers | pitcher 1 | pitcher 2 | pitcher 3 | gardening scissors | gold handled scissors | round basket on coffee table | blue plaid towels (similar) | fabric on chairs | blue striped table runner |  galvanized watering can 1 | galvanized watering can 2

If you have a favorite peony, please share in the comments! Thank you for stopping by…see you soon!

garden bundle graphic below post 600

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32 Comments

  1. Brandless Artist says:

    I never thought about this in depths, it is a good chance to know about them more. Peonies are wonderful, I also have one but I’m struggling with keeping it alive.

  2. Your photography was so lovely! I have several peonies that smell like roses; went to my daughter’s yesterday and her dark red/pink ones have almost no smell. When I am organized, I pick off those “sucker buds” to let the energy go into the big main bud. I have used plain old tomato cages to keep mine upright. I like to save the petals for pot pourri, too.

  3. Mary Kaiser says:

    I love your peonies. I have 2 plants in my garden one is 3 years old and the other I planted last year. I put tomato cages over mine and the peonies grow right up inside them perfectly. Keeps them from flopping over when they bloom, and once the leaves all come in you can’t even see the cage. It works beautifully!!

  4. Sherry Myers says:

    Beautiful, Ann! This post brought a lot of joy and beauty to this cloudy day in NC. Thank you for your time. Your dedication does not go unnoticed. I have enjoyed your blog for several years now. Your recipes have become some of my family’s favorites. Your home and design ideas have helped motivate me to keep my home warm and inviting to all who enter. Your faith shines through in your care for your readers. I’m glad to be a part of your blog family. God bless your efforts.

    1. Kathy Menold says:

      I think Peonies are my favorite flower. This spring I picked some lovely light pink ones in the marshmallow bud stage and have been able to watch them slowly open for over a week. Don’t know the variety since I got it at a plant sale with no label. I am trying,to add a few each year.

    2. What a lovely comment you made to Anne. I also follow her blog and feel so blessed to find a person that loves beauty in flowers, organization and love of keeping a beautiful home with comfort, ease and style.
      Greetings from Ontario, Canada

  5. Karla Bannerman says:

    Thank you for the peony’s chat. I read to the end, and found the best information! My peonies have always just laid their heads down, now I know what to do next spring . I’ve written down the information about trimming the small buds in my gardening journal, so next season perhaps my blooms will stand tall. 😊

  6. Love all your examples for arranging peonies in different containers. Thank you for sharing. Jean

  7. I am sitting on my deck reading this post and I have a bouquet of deep pink peonies in the exact same galvanized watering can sitting on my table. It looks exactly like the picture you posted! (Great minds think alike.) I also love to use my blue canning jars and white pitchers for flowers, especially peonies. They are my favorite flower and I am always sad when peony season ends. Thank you for the beautiful printables, I can’t wait to use them.

  8. Absolutely gorgeous. I’ve always loved peonies but have never grown them.

  9. Linette Arnold says:

    I read that bringing them in as buds will keep out the ants. It worked! I’m cutting some today as rain is on it’s way for the week!

  10. Hi Ann!
    I absolutely love all the pictures of your lovely Peonies! I’ve never grown them but I think I need to :D I didn’t realize they take so long to bloom but only last a short time. And what’s up with the ants? Anyway, they are stunning! The deep pink is so intense. I especially love the blooms in your Vintage Mason Jars! Your blooms appear to be a saturated deep pink but when I looked up the ‘Kansas’ variety it says red. I would want to grow the exact color you have. Breathtaking!

  11. I hésitate to bring in home because of the ants.
    Nowhere else but many ants in the peonies.
    Here, in Montréal, the peonies will wait…some weeks. The snow just melt.
    Like each year, I will install tomatoes cage to help the plant. I have mine for more than 30 years: white, burgundy, pink like magenta.
    Love tour photos.

  12. Lori Schmidt says:

    I also like putting one peony floating in side a glass round vase, looks like a water Lily floating and it’s great for smaller bushes that don’t produce many blooms yet.

  13. Cherylann Thompson says:

    Hi Anne…I too love peonies! Is it true that soil can affect the color of the blooms over time? Thus a deeper pink or red peonie may turn lighter pink because of the type of soil they are grown in.

  14. Beautiful Anne. I have the same color in my garden. Your tips are well appreciated. Can I ask, how do you manage the bushes after the blooms have gone? Thank you!
    Louise

  15. Susan Marcellus says:

    I love your blog. Thanks for all the info on Peonies.

  16. Peonies are my favorite flower. Mine are starting to bloom. I love bringing them inside, but i do worry about bringing ants in also. Hopefully a good shake will knock them off. I think will try your idea of adding the hosta leaves to the blue canning jars along with the peonies.

  17. I also love peonies, but I am not alone. The ants do too! Do you have any tricks on how not to bring them into the house? I try to rinse them but the little buggers sneak in. But I guess the peonies are worth it.

  18. I added a yellow peony about 4 years ago and it is spectacular ! I have 5 pinks and whites from my parents house. I moved them before the house sold. They can live 75 years. Love them so.

  19. Diane Smith says:

    I got my peony about the same time we got our mini Schnauzer puppy, Mocha (AKA Boo Boo). After I planted it, she tore off the 3 blooms & was playing with them in the yard. Oh well, I thought. Then she ripped off all the leaves. Oh dear, I thought. Then she chewed off all the branches down to the ground (you’d think I would have learned not to leave her alone). I figured that was the end of the peony. But it’s come back every year, and blooms beautifully! We lost our Boo Boo 2 years ago. I always think about that when my peony blooms. Makes me smile!

  20. Mary Ward says:

    My mom and grandmother always told me you trim the small, extra buds off of each stem so the energy would go to the strongest bud on a stem for better flowers. I am lucky enough to have some large peony bushes from them that I now share with my daughters in their yards

  21. I love the bud trimming idea. I also cage mine in tomato cages…adds a lot of support.

  22. Hi Ann
    If you put cut peonies into a dry vase ,they will dry perfectly .This works well for hydrangeas as well.

  23. Such a beautiful flower and they look lovely in all the containers, enjoy.

  24. I love to put my peonies in my ironstone and milkglass vases. I have the dark pink peonies, as well as light pink and white. I agree that they are perfection. Mine haven’t begun to bloom yet. We are in the Pacific NW; I think it’s the only cool place in the nation right now!

  25. I’m from Florida and never had the pure joy of growing these gorgeous flowers. This is the first year here in NC they have really popped. I am in awe of this amazing flower. My new favorite!

    Thank you for those amazing ideas for displaying them.

  26. Loved your post,one of my favourite flowers.
    Brought back memories of the peonies I grew in our garden at the cottage.
    Thx for the tips

  27. Hi Ann! Your peonies look great! Mine are just starting to bloom. One thing that would help with keeping them upright is a peony ring. It is easiest to use before they get too big. Just center it over the plant in the spring. It holds the blooms more upright. You can find them at most garden centers.

  28. My peonies are gorgeous this year. They were my father’s favorite flower in his garden. When they bloom every year in my garden it brings back sweet memories sitting on the back porch of my parents’ house looking out at his garden. Thank you for the post today. Your photos are beautiful.

  29. Ellen Sorce says:

    Cut my white peonies at 6 am this morning and have them in a blue canning jar that was my grandmother’s. How fun to see these ideas from you, Ann.