Fridge-Stored Peonies For Mid-Summer Flower Arrangement - July 2025

Peonies are Nat's favorite flower.  But, in our garden, peonies have a very short window.  They all bloom at the same time and the blooms don't last long.  Like a flash of petals, only to fade-away quickly.  That's why I was excited to come across the advice of how to cut and store peonies at the "marshmallow stage" by cutting them, wrapping them in paper and plastic wrap and tucking them in to a long Summer's nap in the cold climate of our fridge.  

I wrote this post showing my process back in mid-June.  I cut-up-and-preserved two big bunches of peonies.  

This week, I took one of the packages out of the fridge.  I cleaned up the leaves, cut the stems and put them in water.  They perked up and looked like the perfect peonies that we see a month-ago when they are fresh cut from the garden.  

Below are a couple photos showing this peony arrangement on our counter - IN JULY.  Yes...July.  That's pretty great.  

This is a cut-flower game-changer for me.  Next year, I think I'll save even more for later in the Summer.