Peonies: share your peony pics, 1 by lmelling

lmelling wrote:
Here's a picture for you! How about dozens of peonies drying! ;o) Each year I have to cut and dry many dozens of peonies to use in our local Fair's dried flower arrangements. This year I cut and dried over 32 dozen peonies - all volunteered from my garden and others around my neighborhood, plus a local nursery.

Most of the cultivars we use are Kansas, Karl Rosenfeld, Sarah Bernhardt and other similar doubles. I've found that (at least here) whites don't dry well unless it's a dry year, and you have to be very careful with the Sarah Bernhardt to make sure they dry in air conditioning or a cooler location , otherwise they turn too brown. But the reds and hot pinks are unbelieveable!

If anyone's interested in learning how to dry these, you just cut them (leave about a 4" stem) and hang upsidedown to dry in a warm, dark place like a garage. I poke a 22 gauge wire through the peony head, close to but not through the center (too tough), bend the top of the wire and bring it back down through the body of the peony, then hang it upside down by the wire. This gives you a good "stem" for arranging.