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Figure 1 Pink Peony, David Austin Roses, Ami Lou Roses and Hydrangea
Hi there! You’re here because it’s Peony flowering season in Melbourne, Victoria. Peony is everyone’s favourite flower, and now you want to wander into the heavenly world of Peonies to enjoy at home and give a gift that will be treasured and admired.
Well, you have come to the right place. I am going to take you on a Peony journey like no other. You’re going to learn all there is to know about this beautiful flower.
First thing – it doesn’t take a lot of care to keep these flowers blooming for days.
In this post I am going to cover basically what you need to know to take care of your Peonies, keeping in mind that they are very easy to look after and don’t need much attention.
Choosing a Peony
Peonies are displayed in the store as large buds. The growers put five flowers stems in a bunch. We take care of the Peony flowers, ensuring they will bloom and open perfectly for you. At the end of each day our Peonies are store in the cool room to maintain their freshness.
Choose a bunch of Peonies that are not too tight. If the buds are green and have not cracked open, revealing the petal colour, they have been picked too early and they may not have enough strength to open.
Figure 2 White Peony in bud
You want to choose a bunch of Peonies that are showing a bit of colour.
Caring for your Peonies
Now I am going to explain how to take care of your Peonies when you take them home. First, choose a vase that will support the flowers stems. Usually, a vase that sits ¾ the length of the stem is a good height.
Once you have selected the right sized vase, wash the vase with water that has a couple of drops of bleach. Give the vase a good scrub, so that when you add fresh water is will be sparkling and clean. This detail adds to the beautiful end look you will be creating.
Fill the vase with fresh water, about half way. Now that the vase is ready, use secateurs or a sharp knife to cut the end of the flower stem on an angle and place without delay directly into the vase water. Repeat with the other flower stems. Following this process will ensure that your Peonies are able to take up water and give them the strength to open their blooms. It takes a lot of energy for them to look great!
I recommend repeating this flower care guide every four days. Keeping the vase clean and retrimming really helps keep the flowers lasting longer.
Light Requirements
Peonies will thrive when they are receiving bright, indirect sunlight.
You want to avoid Peonies getting direct sunlight as their petals may wilt. If this happens, refresh the vase with cold water, retrim the stems and place a in a cool spot.
Temperature Requirements
For Peonies to open gradually, place them where it’s not too hot and not too cold. If you want your Peonies to open more quickly, find a warm spot, trims stems and place in a warm spot.
Peonies will not perform if you place them in a spot where they will receive draughts. This includes air-conditioning vents blowing hot or cold air onto their petals.
Origins and Blooming Season in Melbourne Victoria
Peonies are native to Asia, Europe and Western North America.
In Melbourne, Victoria, the blooming season can start as early as 1 October and finish as late as mid-December. The flowering season of Peony depends on the weather during the Peonies’ lifecycle. If the weather is cooler, Peony season will start later. And if the weather is warmer, Peony flowering season will start earlier and be shorter.
There are about 30 different species of Peonies. They belong in the Saxifragales order. The most popular varieties grown locally are:
Coral Charm
Figure 3 Coral Charm with soft leafy foliage
Coral Charm Peony appear at the start of the Peony flowering Season. As they name suggests, their blooms have an intense coral or watermelon colour. Bloom size is huge – about 15 to 20 centimeters across.
After the bud opens and blooms the colour becomes less intense. The whole blooming process is such a joy to experience.
Figure 5 Coral Charm Peony a few days after blooming. The colour becomes less intense.
Figure 6 Coral Charm Peonies arranged ready to be gift-wrapped.
Pink Peony
Pink Peony generally are the next variety that you will see in the store. They variety of Pink Peony is called Sarah Bernhardt. The colour is a soft powder pink. The buds start of quite small, and it’s a beautiful surprise to watch them open. The multitude of large billowy petals are so magical and dreamy. Pink Peony are pretty and very popular to enjoy at home and to give as a gift. Peony can be enjoyed on their own, and they look amazing with smaller textural blooms.
Red Peony
Red Peonies flower season arrive at the same time as the pink and white Peonies. The Red Peony variety you will see in the store is called Command Performance.
The bloom size is side plate size! The colour is a deep ruby red, which is so amazingly beautiful.
White Peony
White Peony’s flowering season is at the same time as the pink and red varieties. White Peonies petals look so delicate, light porcelain aesthetic. Many brides choose their wedding day in October-November so they can have a Peony bride bouquet.
Well, that wraps up all I know about Peony. Thank you for taking the time to read my post. I hope you found it post useful and interesting. I hope you enjoy Peony flowering season. Let me know which Peony is your favourite! I would love to hear from you. Please leave your comments and questions below and I will try to answer them the best I can.
Hermina Bevilacqua