Preserving Peonies At Marshmallow Stage - In Fridge - June 2025

Peonies are here.  And they don't last long.  With four-or-five peony plants coupled with some travel, the timing of bloom season isn't great this year.  We're getting more peony blooms than ever, but they're all going to waste.  Or...at least they *were* going to be going to waste.  That was...until I came across this person who "Flower Farms" on Tiktok - her handle is Hidden Springs Flowers.  She's a good follow on TikTok, but one video - in particular - taught me something I didn't know:  You can 'extends' peony season by cutting them at the 'marshmallow stage' and sticking them in the fridge.   

Here, below are some of the cut peonies where I removed their bottom leaves:

Below is the TikTok that she posted that details the process:

@hiddenspringsflowers Replying to @user1379406190063 how to store peonies for weeks in a cooler. Make sure to grab them at marshmallow stage before they’ve opened or this won’t work. 🌸 #flowerfarm #flowerfarmer #farmerflorist #flowertok #garden #gardentok #flowers #springflowers #peonies ♬ original sound - Katy 🌸 Hidden Springs Flowers

Am I a flower farmer?  No.  Do I want to be one?  Yes.  Did I watch dozens of her TikToks?  Yes, I did.  She's great.  

Back to my project. 

With them being 'marshmellow stage', the time was right to begin.  And...looking at her process, I followed it pretty closely with a few sets of ten-to-twelve cut peonies.  You're fighting two things:  drying out and fungus growth.  I decided to try two different ways:  First...wrapping up the individual peony in paper and then wrapping a big bunch together.  To mostly see if there was a difference.  Below are the steps showing the individual-wrapped ones.  First, I wrapped the top in Paper Towels.

Then, I wrapped each one in craft paper.  And bundled them in paper:

And, lastly...I wrapped the whole package in kitchen plastic wrap.  And stuck this big package in the fridge.  

In her video, she says that they'll come out of the fridge looking ratty.  Dried out and rough.  But, after cutting the bottoms off and rehydrating them in a vase, they'll spring back to life.  

Will it work?  I don't know.  But, having peony arrangements in late June and early July would be....wild.