Peonies, with their delicate beauty and fragrance, are among Martha's favorite flowers. The variety of forms and colors available makes it easy to find the right peony for any bouquet.
Look for buds that are neither tight nor fully open -- a happy medium makes for maximum bloom time in the vase.
Arranging Peonies
Peonies are flexible -- they pair well with many types of flowers for beautiful arrangements. Here are some suggested bouquets that Martha and Kevin Sharkey put together on "The Martha Stewart Show."
Martha's Arrangement
- "Red Charm" peony
- Purple anemone coronaria
- Helleborus
Kevin's Arrangement
- "Coral Charm" peony
- "Flash Point" double tulip
- "Snowball" viburnum
Large Arrangement on Table
- "Coral Sunset" peony
- Godetia sweet peas
- Hypericum
Individual Arrangements on Table
- "Coral Sunset"
- "Kansas"
- "Sarah Bernhardt"
- "Monsieur Jules Elie"
- "Festiva Maxima"
- "Duchess"
- "Scarlett O'Hara"
Peony Care
For longer-lasting arrangements, change the water and recut the stems once a week. Display the flowers at a spot in the house where you can enjoy them, away from direct sunlight and extreme heat.
Thanks for doing this show. I was thrilled to watch you both create the arrangements. I learned a lot and I will try to buy more peonies this year.
Did you use any tree peony flowers in your segment?
I remember hearing Martha stating on this segment that you should never prune a tree peony. Is it advisable to cut long stems of peony blooms from a tree peony?
I SO enjoyed the peony segment...I too love peonies. I appreciate that the names were shared here online of the beauties that we saw, and the contrasting flowers that were shared that do well within the arrangements that I had not thought of.
In my own garden in Northern California, I was please that I had roses that exactly matched the shade of some of my hot pink peonies...and they looked so nice together in an arrangement in my home.
Thank you, Martha, for providing the show!
I really appreciated the peony show today, and love peonies too! It was so nice to watch, and then find the names of the specific flowers shown here on-line, as I hoped they would be!
In addition, I appreciated the complimentary flowers that were shown within the arrangements. I was pleased in my own garden recently to find that the hot pink roses I had matched exactly a shade of peony that was ready to pick...and they too looked great together in the house.
Thank you Martha, and Staff!