Witnessing the first peony buds emerge from the cold ground in early spring fills my heart with promise and hope.
I like to believe it's earth’s acknowledgement that the cold winter we have endured is almost over and soon it will be Spring! As the weather begins to warm, the buds sprout and shoots begin to emerge. Soon the flower buds will appear and you can practically watch them swell and grow.
I have several peony bushes and trees of various ages. My pink peony is by far the best and most prolific peony (I do not know the official name). With dozens of buds on this bush, I can watch them grow from the tight orbs into big fluffy blooms.
Peony plants earned their popularity due to their flowers, which have a subtle yet distinguishable fragrance and have massive blooms which come in beautiful shades of pinks, whites and reds. Did you know that peonies have the ability to bloom for 100 years and they symbolize good fortune and promise?
The biggest drawback to peonies, is they just don’t last long enough! So, I started drying them, so I can enjoy them forever. I adore the muted colors of the papery blooms and they go perfect with a romantic shabby-chic decor.
Here is my method of how to dry peonies:
1. Once the fluffy petals are in full bloom, and before they start dropping petals and turning brown, cut the peony and strip the stems of all leaves. This helps accelerate the drying process.
2. Secure the stem to a wire hanger with a rubber band and stagger the stems so the blooms don’t touch. Any type of clothes hanger works great, because they are so easy to just hang up, plus you probably have some extras!
3. Find a dark and cool space where they can hang upside down for 2 weeks. A basement is a great place. You can check on them every few days if you like. You may notice their sweet scent as they dry. It’s normal if some petals fall off in the process. If a bloom loses too many petals, or just becomes too brittle, toss it. There are usually a couple that just don't make it.
4. After two weeks have passed, the blooms should be dry and ready to take down. You will see that the stem has dried up and shrunk down. The petals have shrunk down in size and the entire bloom is now like crepe-paper. The petals should retain their color as well.
5. Before I take them off the hanger, I like to spray the dried blooms with aerosol hairspray to minimize shedding. It does help, just be sure it’s unscented hairspray!
6. Once the hairspray is dry, you can take them out of the rubber bands and set them standing up, placed inside a vase or jar. You can leave your stems longer or trim them down to any length you wish.
Now you can decorate with your perfectly dried peonies! I like to arrange my dried peonies in bud vases with a nice ribbon. They make great gifts as well!
A few other ideas for dried peonies:
- Make a dried peony wreath.
- Tuck a bloom on top or inside of a book.
- Wrap the stem with a piece of silk ribbon, and place it on a hutch or nook.
- Make a larger dried peony bouquet and place it in a white pitcher or crock.
Peonies are a favorite flower of many. They look beautiful on a bush, as cut flowers and now dried flowers too!
