There’s a reason why people wait all year for peony season. In a brief window during late spring and early summer, peonies contain a magic which keeps us all on the edge of our seats.
For thousands of years, peonies have held us in their spell. (Even those who don’t know other flowers, know peonies.) Originating in parts of China, peonies were valued for both their beauty and medicinal uses. Over time, they became associated with prosperity, romance, honor, and abundance. Today, they still carry that feeling — full, generous, and fleeting as all flowers are.
At La Terre, peonies are one of the flowers customers ask about the most long before they’ve even arrived. “Are peonies in yet?” starts becoming a daily question sometime around April. We fully understand why.
A peony’s shape is unlike any other. They begin tightly closed, almost marble-like in shape, and then over the course of a few days, they completely transform. In a dramatized fashion, they unfold layer after layer until the bloom is soft, expansive, and impossibly full.
There are varieties that feel airy and delicate whereas others are dense with petals and heavily fragrant. Some lean creamy white or blush, while others arrive in saturated pinks, deep raspberry tones, or coral shades that slowly fade as they age.
Despite how delicate they look, peonies are surprisingly resilient plants.
They thrive in climates with cold winters, which is part of why they grow so beautifully throughout the Midwest. Peonies need winter dormancy to properly reset and bloom again the following season. Once established, the plants can live for decades with very little intervention.
We also grow peonies at our flower farm in Mequon, which makes the season feel especially personal to us. After a long Wisconsin winter, watching the first peony buds emerge from the field feels like a marker of the season changing. There’s something grounding about knowing exactly where they came from, how briefly they’ll bloom, and how much care goes into every stem before it reaches the shop.
In the garden, peonies prefer:
- Full sun or light afternoon shade
- Well-draining soil
- Space to breathe
- Patience (as peonies don't love being moved once planted)
For cut peonies:
- Trim the stems at an angle before placing in water
- Use clean, cool water, topped off daily
- Keep them out of direct heat and sunlight
- Change the water every few days
If your peonies arrive closed, don’t worry — that’s often the best time to buy them because watching them open is part of the experience.
At La Terre, we love working with peonies through every stage: tight buds, half-open blooms, fully unraveled flowers dropping petals onto the table. Each phase feels beautiful in a different way.
That’s the thing about peonies — they remind you that some of the best things are seasonal, fleeting, and worth waiting for.
