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Growing Peonies for Profit: A Quick-Start Guide for Flower Farmers and Florists

June 1, 2025 Melissa Hessney Masters
How to grow peonies on your flower farm

If you’re looking to grow a profitable flower farm or expand your existing offerings with a crop that’s low maintenance, highly in-demand, and long-lasting, peonies are a smart place to start.

These stunning blooms aren’t just a favorite among florists and customers—they’re also one of the most profitable cut flowers you can grow. Whether you’re a beginner with a few garden beds or a budding flower farmer exploring wholesale or retail sales, this guide will walk you through exactly how to grow peonies for profit.

Why Peonies Are One of the Most Profitable Cut Flowers

Peonies check all the boxes for beginner flower farmers:

  • Low maintenance: Once established, they require minimal care.

  • Incredibly long-lived: Peony plants can thrive and produce for 50+ years.

  • High demand: Loved by florists, event designers, and brides alike.

  • Post-harvest flexibility: Can be dry stored for weeks and rehydrated as needed.

  • Works across sales channels: Peonies can be sold wholesale to florists, at farmers markets, through CSAs and subscriptions, or featured in weddings and on-farm experiences.

Real-Life Example: Peonies at Tanglebloom

On our flower farm, Tanglebloom, we’ve planted hundreds of peonies over the years. Here’s what it looks like in practice:

  • Plants are spaced 3’ apart in rows 4’ apart to allow airflow (which helps prevent disease) and accommodate agritourism activities like u-pick.

  • We fertilize only every few years and do not irrigate.

  • The marketing, harvest, and sales window lasts 6–8 weeks per year. The rest of the year? Field labor is minimal.

  • We add new plants every year or two to grow our collection and respond to market demand.

Peonies can be a powerful legacy crop that produces income year after year with low ongoing effort.

How to Source Peony Roots

When sourcing peony roots, you’ll typically buy from wholesale suppliers who require minimum orders of 10–25+ per variety. While this may feel like a big investment up front, the price break makes it worthwhile.

Tips:

  • Split orders with another grower or florist.

  • Buy surplus from another grower if you're just testing things out.

  • Try before you plant: If you're a farmer-florist or florist, source fresh stems from another grower to trial different varieties before investing in roots.

How to grow peonies on your flower farm

How to Plant Peonies

Best Zones for Peonies: USDA Hardiness Zones 3–7 (and sometimes 8/9 with special care).

Site Selection:

  • Full sun (6–8+ hours/day)

  • Well-drained soil

Planting Depth:

  • Zones 3–5: 2” below soil

  • Zones 6–7: 1–1.5” below soil

  • Zones 8–9: 0.5–1” below soil

Growing in Warmer Zones (8/9)?

  • Look for cooler microclimates on your land

  • Provide afternoon shade

  • Choose early, single/semi-double blooming varieties

  • Be prepared to irrigate

Peonies need about 40 days under 40°F each winter to bloom well, so success in warm zones requires planning.

How to grow profitable peonies on your flower farm

Should You Disbud Young Peony Plants?

Yes—especially in the first year. Disbudding redirects the plant’s energy into root development. Here’s what we recommend:

  • Year 1: Remove all buds

  • Year 2: Harvest a few short stems from vigorous plants

  • Year 3: Begin a modest harvest from healthy plants

This sets your peonies up for long-term productivity and profitability.

Fall Peony Care

After your first frost:

  • Cut all foliage to the ground.

  • Dispose of it (don’t compost!) to prevent disease.

This seasonal cleanup keeps your plants healthy for the long haul.

How to grow profitable peonies on your flower farm

How to Harvest Peonies for Maximum Vase Life

Most peonies should be harvested at the marshmallow stage—when the bud shows color and has a soft, squishy feel when gently pinched. This stage:

  • Stores better in a cooler

  • Gives your customers longer vase life

  • Takes up less room during storage and transport

Dry Storage: A Game-Changer for Flower Farmers

Yes, it’s true—you can dry store peonies for weeks!

Here’s how:

  • Harvest at marshmallow stage

  • Remove foliage

  • Wrap 10–20 stems in kraft paper or newspaper

  • Seal with tape or rubber bands

  • Store in crates or boxes in a cooler at 35–38°F

Some varieties store better than others, but this method gives you major flexibility in your sales window.

Rehydrating Dry Stored Peonies

To rehydrate:

  • Unwrap

  • Give stems a fresh 1–2” cut

  • Place in cool water

  • Keep in a warm area to speed opening (most open within 24 hours)

Dry storage is one of the key reasons peonies are such a profitable cut flower for growers.

Are Peonies Profitable?

With wholesale prices ranging from $3–$5 per stem (often more for premium varieties and in high-demand windows), peonies offer a strong return on investment.

With proper care and strategic planting, a single peony plant can yield dozens of stems annually—for decades.

If you’re ready to build a profitable flower farm with a crop that works hard for you year after year, peonies are it.

How to grow profitable peonies on your flower farm

Ready to Get Started? Join The Peony Course

If you want a clear, step-by-step system to grow and sell peonies successfully—without the guesswork and costly trial and error—The Peony Course is for you.

You’ll get practical, farmer-tested strategies and live support to:

  • Choose the right varieties

  • Market your peonies effectively

  • Store, sell, and scale with confidence

👉 Enroll in The Peony Course today and grow your legacy crop the smart—and sustainable— way.

In Flower Farming, Peonies, Perennials, Sales & Marketing Tags profitable peonies
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