Peonies – Bud Preservation in Water as Fresh cuts

(Question)

Can peony buds be refrigerated, so they bloom later, when placed in light and water, as fresh cuts? To me they look like “lollipops for the eyes”, better than blooms. Also, I’d like to be able to gift them, but most people, I imagine, like them when they’ve bloomed. Thank you.
This is a picture of 3 stages of peonies in my garden.
Also, can I add more than one photo, if it meets the space specifications? Thank you.

(Answer)

Because peonies are so beautiful, and yet have such a short blooming season, it is no wonder we want our cut flower bouquets to last as long as possible.  You can cut fully and partially opened blooms, as well as buds.  Make sure that you include as long a flower stem as possible, and remove leaves.  If you need to, you can refrigerate cut blossoms before putting them into water.

The Canadian Peony Society has a good article on how to cut and store peony blooms: https://peony.ca/articlesfaqs/.  Another good article on how to cut and prepare peonies for flower arrangements is here:  https://homeguides.sfgate.com/pick-peonies-40892.html