Root & Petal Flower Farm

I harvested the first flowers from the plants that I started early this spring and I’m calling it a small victory because only a handful of them made it. BUT they made it and I’ll take that as a win.

The peonies put on quite the show for their first year! It actually took every single ounce of self control in me to not cut every single stem they produced.

As a rule of thumb, peony plants should not have their flowers harvested the first couple years because the plant needs all energy to establish and mature, all of that green foliage is the roots food to bulk up and become stronger — which makes bigger blooms and more of them. Really all of the buds should be removed within the first couple years as well, but this first year I wanted to make sure that I let one flower bloom from each plant to ensure it was the same variety! Only one plant from the whole slew of them was of the wrong variety…

That being said, I was able to dead head the spent flowers after they had bloomed (since I don’t want the plant to put its energy into growing the seed pods). And I made a flat lay of the color shades from dark to light.

“Some years are for growing but this one, this one is for blooming.”

— unknown

I don’t think there’s a question to what my favorite spring flower is, Peonies are it! They only last a couple months and amaze me every year with how gorgeous they are! I cut them at the stage right before they open all the way up so that they have the longest possible vase life for you, and It’s all part of the peony experience to watch them open up in your home ✨