How to Dry Peonies

Peonies are such a beautiful flower! Their only shortcoming is they flower in a short window of time and the flowers don't last long. Because of that, I decided I would dry my peonies and extend their beauty. I didn't use any fancy methods or buy anything. I just dried them how people in the past preserved peonies. Easy, without any fuss, with just a little time.

Can you dry peonies? Absolutly! Do peonies dry well? I sure think so! I've been doing that for years. The proof of how welll they dry is in the picture above. Let me show you the simple steps of drying this beautiful flower so you can use these dried peony flowers as decor! I do love drying and transforing flowers. If you need some ideas for your hydrangeas, take a look at this post on How to Paint Hydrangeas.

What you need

• Peonies - in their earlier flowering stage. When peonies are in their flowering peak, their flower petals will start falling off within a day or two.
• Something to cut the peonies with, like these pruning schears. I have this exact kind.
• Someplace cool and dry to hang them.
• String of some kind to hang them with.

When to pick

I pick them after the bud has opened. You can pick them when the flower bud is still closed, however it will dry like this (and that's ok for variety).

The best time to pick the peonies is when the petals start to unfurl. Once the peonies are in full bloom, you can also dry them, but that isn't considered the best time (and I don't care - lol). Be cautious that they aren't past their peak because the flower petals will become loose. The peony below is in full bloom and you would need to make sure their petals are still fully attached. I use a low tech method of testing by just giving them a good shake!

Cutting the Stems and Peparing the Leaves

Use a sharp pair of pruning schears to cut the stems. I like having a little extra stem so it's easier to try them.

Many people remove the leaves. I left them on. They are easy to remove once they are dry. I wanted them on so I'd have the option of having the dried leaves visible in a future flower arrangement. These flowers were dried the old school way - no fuss and no obsessing over 'correct methods'.

Where to dry them

My method was to air dry these peonies. Basically, I hung them upside down in a cool, darker, less humid area. They are hanging on a cheap rack. I have a room in my basement that is fairly dry. Full disclaimer, I did have a dehumidifier running near the flowers since my basement isn't always dry in the summer.

You don't want the cut flowers to be in the sun or they will fade. Excuse my 100 year old basement walls!

Pro Tip

When hanging a bunch of flowers to dry, stagger them so that they all get lots of air flow. If they are bunched together, they won't dry well and could get moldy.

Roughly two weeks later, they looked like the image below. I used a twine type string that was hanging out in my garage.

How long will they last?

All the images going forward are peonies that were sadly forgotten in a corner of my basement for a couple of years. They were stored hanging, in dry conditions in a darker area (specifically no sun).

What to do with dried flowers?

Sometimes I leave them lying in a loose bouquet on a buffet or dresser because I think they are pretty!

Other times, I will arrange them in a container of some kind that I can hang or display.

The greenery is just a few clippings from a boxwood hedge in my yard. No one will even notice the clippings I've used. The green boxwoods do dry nicely, but they are not the same as the colored ones you often see in the store.

How to dry flower petals

Easy peasy. I lay them flat on an extra pan. Every day or so, give them a little stir so that the petals are all exposed to dry air. When you think they are dry, give it a few more days. I store mine in a lidded mason jar.

This is an awesome thing to be able to do if you have waited too long to harvest your peonies to dry.

Dried Flower Tips

• Store petals in a pretty container that can be closed (mason jar). Add a few drops of essential oils. When you open the jar, it becomes an air freshener.
• If you are displaying your peonies around your house, try to keep them out of the sun so they don't fade.
• What do I do when they get dusty? I throw mine out and use new ones the next year. I love displaying them in late winter/early spring. At that point I'm just a few months from seeing real peonies in my garden.
• If you really want to keep them and dust them, use a hair dryer on a low setting. Personally, I do this outside.

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