A Florist's Guide to Peony Varieties and Colours — Organised by Vase Life

Understanding vase life is one of the most commercially important skills a florist can develop. Recommending the wrong peony variety for a multi-day corporate installation or a destination wedding can result in wilted blooms, unhappy clients, and damage to your professional reputation. This guide organises peony varieties by their realistic vase life expectations, giving you a practical framework for matching the right bloom to the right job.

What Affects Peony Vase Life?

Before examining individual varieties, it is worth understanding the factors that determine how long a peony will last once cut. Vase life is never fixed — it is a product of variety genetics interacting with handling conditions.

The flower form is the single biggest genetic determinant. Fully double and bomb-form peonies hold the most petals and take the longest to open, naturally extending their display window. Single and Japanese forms open rapidly and are spent sooner. Beyond genetics, conditioning quality, cold-chain integrity from grower to florist, the stage of bud development at cutting, water quality, ambient temperature, and ethylene exposure all interact to produce the final result. A poorly handled double peony can underperform a well-handled single. The vase life ranges given below assume professional conditioning and good handling throughout.

Category One — Longest Vase Life: 10 to 14+ Days

These varieties are the most reliable for extended display, destination events, large installations, and any situation where longevity is non-negotiable. They are predominantly fully double and bomb forms with dense petal counts and slow opening behaviour.

Itoh (Intersectional) Hybrids

Itoh hybrids as a group offer the best vase life of any peony type when properly conditioned — frequently reaching 12 to 16 days from bud to finish. Their hybrid vigour and robust cellular structure makes them exceptionally tolerant of room temperature display compared to herbaceous varieties.

'Bartzella' — The gold standard of long-vase-life peonies. This yellow Itoh double routinely achieves 12 to 16 days in professional conditions. Its large, fully double canary-yellow blooms with subtle red flare at the petal base open gradually and hold their colour with remarkable stability. It is the correct choice for any high-budget, multi-day event where yellow or warm-neutral tones are required. Its premium price is entirely justified by its performance. Fragrance is strong and sweet.

'Cora Louise' — A white and lavender Itoh hybrid with exceptional holding power. The distinctive magenta flare at the petal base provides visual interest throughout its vase life as the outer petals open to reveal the inner colouring. Expect 10 to 14 days. It is particularly effective in romantic and garden-style wedding work where longevity and visual complexity are both required.

'Julia Rose' — A coral-to-cream Itoh that mirrors the colour journey of Coral Charm but with greater staying power. It opens coral-yellow, progresses through peach and apricot tones, and finishes in soft cream — providing an evolving colour story over 10 to 14 days that can be a genuine design asset in long-running installations.

'Garden Treasure' — A softer yellow Itoh double with a slightly more relaxed form than Bartzella. It shares the excellent longevity of the Itoh group, typically reaching 10 to 13 days, and is useful when a more understated warm yellow is required rather than Bartzella's intensity.

'Lollipop' — A lesser-known Itoh variety producing semi-double yellow blooms with pink petal edges, giving a bicolour effect. Vase life is consistent with the Itoh group at 10 to 14 days, and its unusual colouring makes it valuable for designers seeking something unexpected.

Herbaceous Double and Bomb Forms — Extended Performers

'Sarah Bernhardt' — The world's most commercially grown peony holds up well compared to many alternatives, typically achieving 8 to 12 days from tight bud under professional conditions. Its warm apple-blossom pink fades gracefully to soft blush, and the progressive colour change is an asset rather than a liability over a multi-day display. For standard commercial work, Sarah Bernhardt is the default reliable choice.

'Duchesse de Nemours' — This nineteenth-century white double remains commercially relevant for good reason. It conditions reliably, opens steadily, and holds its creamy-white colouring across 8 to 12 days. The subtle lemon-cream tint at the centre that fades to pure white as it opens adds gentle visual interest over its display window.

'Festiva Maxima' — A white double with crimson flecks, highly fragrant, and one of the most durable of the older commercial varieties. Well-conditioned stems can reach 10 to 12 days. The flecking remains visible throughout the display window, maintaining its character until late in the bloom's life.

'Karl Rosenfield' — A deep rose-crimson double that is among the most colour-stable of all pink-red peonies. Where lighter varieties can fade significantly over their vase life, Karl Rosenfield retains its rich tone for the majority of its 8 to 12 day window. Essential for any work where colour consistency over multiple days is required.

'Pillow Talk' — A contemporary favourite with genuinely impressive vase life for a modern cultivar. Its large, warm mid-pink double blooms open slowly and hold for 10 to 12 days under good conditions. Long stems make it easy to work with in large-scale arrangements.

'Red Charm' — The benchmark red peony, a bomb-double form in deep true crimson. Its tightly packed bomb structure means it opens more slowly than standard doubles, contributing to a vase life that can reach 10 to 12 days. The outer guard petals open first, revealing the raised inner dome gradually — a process that keeps the bloom looking dynamic throughout its life.

'Monsieur Jules Elie' — A classic rose-pink bomb-double with silver-edged petals, historically one of the most popular peonies in European cut flower trade. It conditions reliably and holds for 8 to 11 days. Its strong rose fragrance remains present for most of its vase life.

'Kansas' — A deep magenta-rose double with strong colour saturation that holds well over its vase life of 8 to 11 days. Unlike some intensely coloured varieties that fade quickly, Kansas maintains its rich hue through most of its display window, making it dependable for bold colour work.

'Bowl of Cream' — A large, ivory-white double of exceptional quality that opens cleanly and holds for 9 to 12 days. One of the most impressive white peonies for luxury event work where a clean, pure white that performs over multiple days is essential.

'Shirley Temple' — A soft blush-cream bomb-double that transitions through creamy white as it matures. Vase life is reliable at 8 to 11 days. Its gentle colour evolution suits long-running displays where a fixed colour is less important than overall elegance.

Category Two — Good Vase Life: 6 to 9 Days

These varieties are suitable for most standard event and retail work. They represent the bulk of commercially available peonies and perform well when properly handled. They are best suited to events of one to three days and retail bouquets with a standard display window.

'Pink Hawaiian Coral' — A warm salmon-pink semi-double to double with a more open centre than fully double varieties, which accelerates opening slightly compared to Category One performers. Expect 6 to 9 days. Its complex warm colouring — richer and more saturated than standard pink varieties — justifies its widespread use in summer wedding work despite its moderate rather than extended longevity.

'Felix Crousse' — A carmine-rose double with raspberry fragrance and strong stem length. Vase life averages 7 to 9 days. The warm, red-toned carmine holds well and it remains a reliable choice for deep pink work in standard event timelines.

'Solange' — A bomb-double in warm blush-cream with peachy undertones. Vase life is 6 to 9 days. Its nuanced colouring — warmer and more complex than straightforward blush varieties — makes it a designer's choice for sophisticated warm-neutral palettes, best deployed in events where a 3 to 5 day display window suffices.

'Myrtle Gentry' — A fragrant, pale blush double that opens large and flat. Its relatively flat final form means it reaches its display peak sooner than bomb forms, giving a vase life of approximately 6 to 9 days. It is at its best during the middle of its life cycle, so timing procurement carefully is important.

'Buckeye Belle' — A dark mahogany-red semi-double with golden stamens. The semi-double form means it opens more rapidly than fully double reds, giving 5 to 8 days of display. Its open, naturalistic form is at its most beautiful during days three to six, when the golden stamens are fully visible against the dark petals.

'Salmon Dream' — A soft peachy-salmon double sitting between blush and coral. Vase life is 6 to 9 days under standard conditions. Its gentle colouring suits warm-toned spring and summer arrangements without the more demanding management of Coral Charm.

'Jan van Leeuwen' — A Japanese-form white with a yellow staminode centre. The Japanese form opens faster than doubles, bringing it into the 6 to 8 day range. It reaches its peak beauty on days two to four, when the staminode centre is fully revealed and the outer petals are open but not yet drooping.

'Amalia Olson' — A white double with lavender shading at the petal bases. Vase life is solid at 7 to 9 days. The lavender quality in the bloom is most visible in the bud stage and early opening, becoming more subtle as the flower matures — useful information for timing its use in arrangements.

Category Three — Moderate Vase Life: 4 to 7 Days

These varieties require more careful timing and are best suited to one or two-day events, same-week retail sales, and arrangements where their specific aesthetic qualities outweigh their shorter display window.

'Coral Charm' — The most widely desired coral peony in contemporary floristry has a moderate vase life of 5 to 7 days, shorter than many double pink varieties. This is the trade-off for its extraordinary colour journey: it opens from deep coral-orange through salmon and fades to soft peach-cream. Managing which colour stage it is procured at is essential — buy in tight bud for deep coral, buy more open for the peach tones. For weekend weddings, it requires careful timing and storage management.

'Coral Sunset' — Similar to Coral Charm in character and vase life (5 to 7 days), with a slightly warmer, more orange-toned coral. The same procurement timing considerations apply. Its fuller double form compared to Coral Charm gives it marginally more staying power at the petal level, but the colour still fades at a comparable rate.

'Do Tell' — A Japanese-form peony in pale pink with deep rose-mauve staminodes. Beautiful and highly sought after, but the Japanese form means a display window of approximately 4 to 7 days, peaking in the middle of its cycle. Its rarity and visual impact justify the shorter display window for specialist occasions.

'Chocolate Soldier' — A Japanese-form peony in dark maroon with golden staminodes. The striking contrast between dark petals and bright centre is at its most dramatic on days two through five. After this the staminodes can discolour and the petals begin to drop. For dramatic editorial work and styled shoots, the visual reward is worth the careful timing required.

'Nosegay' — A single-form mauve-pink peony of considerable charm. Single forms have the most compressed display window of all herbaceous peonies. Expect 4 to 6 days, with the bloom at its best on days two to four when fully open but not yet ageing.

'Moon of Nippon' — A single-form white with golden stamens. The same compressed timeline applies as with all single forms — 4 to 6 days total, with peak beauty at the open stage on days two through four. Invaluable for naturalistic designs where its open, daisy-like face adds airiness unavailable from double forms.

Category Four — Short Vase Life: 3 to 5 Days

These are the most perishable peonies in commercial use. They require specialist handling, precise timing, and are best reserved for same-day or next-day use. Their extraordinary visual qualities justify their place in a florist's repertoire, but they should never be specified for multi-day events without careful client communication and risk management.

Tree Peonies (Paeonia suffruticosa varieties) — As a group, tree peonies are the most challenging cut flowers in the peony family. Their large, translucent, tissue-paper-thin petals are exquisitely beautiful but inherently fragile. Vase life typically ranges from 3 to 5 days under optimal conditions, and their sensitivity to heat, low humidity, and physical disturbance means real-world performance is often at the lower end of that range. They must be conditioned immediately after cutting, kept well hydrated, protected from drafts and heat, and used as close to cutting as possible. Available varieties include the creamy white 'Renkaku', deep magenta 'Hana Kisoi', soft yellow 'Kinshi', and the extraordinary crimson 'Taiyo'. For any florist fortunate enough to access them, they represent the pinnacle of peony luxury — but must be communicated to clients as day-of flowers only.

'Sweet Memory' — A herbaceous single in soft pink. Single forms with particularly large, delicate petals fall at the short end of even the single-form vase life range. Expect 3 to 5 days. Its value lies in its naturalistic openness and the simplicity of its form, which suits intimate same-day work beautifully.

Sweet Pea Peony types / micro varieties — Certain smaller-flowered or unusually delicate herbaceous cultivars bred for garden rather than cut flower performance have correspondingly brief vase lives. When sourcing unusual varieties from garden or specialty growers rather than commercial cut flower suppliers, always request vase life data or test varieties in-house before committing them to a client event.

Practical Vase Life Management Techniques

Knowing a variety's genetic potential is only half the equation. The following techniques allow a florist to consistently achieve the upper end of each variety's vase life range.

Dry cold storage is the single most powerful tool for extending peony vase life. Peonies can be held dry (without water, wrapped in paper) at 0 to 2°C for two to four weeks without significant quality loss, provided they are in tight bud condition. This technique is invaluable for managing supply around peak demand periods and allows a florist to buy well ahead of a major event.

Bud selection at purchase is critical. The ideal bud for conditioning is at the "marshmallow" stage — firm but with a slight give when gently squeezed, with colour just beginning to show through the sepals. Buds that are completely hard and show no colour may not open successfully. Buds that are already showing open petals will have a shortened remaining vase life.

Water temperature management allows florists to control opening speed with precision. Cold water (around 5°C) slows opening and can hold a peony at a particular colour stage for longer. Warm water (around 35°C) accelerates opening for last-minute procurement situations.

Flower food at the correct dilution is non-negotiable for achieving maximum vase life. Commercial flower food provides sugars that fuel continued petal development and biocides that suppress bacterial growth — both essential for long performance. Change the solution every two days for multi-day arrangements.

Botrytis prevention — grey mould is the most common cause of premature peony failure. Ensure good air circulation in cold storage, avoid misting or wetting petals, remove any damaged or browning petals promptly, and never store peonies in sealed plastic in humid conditions.

Quick Reference Summary

For rapid variety selection by vase life category, the following framework provides a practical starting point for procurement and event planning decisions.

For multi-day corporate installations and destination weddings where blooms must perform for a week or more, prioritise Itoh hybrids — particularly Bartzella and Cora Louise — alongside double herbaceous varieties such as Red Charm, Bowl of Cream, Karl Rosenfield, Pillow Talk, and Festiva Maxima.

For standard one-to-three-day events and retail bouquets, the broad range of Category Two varieties provides excellent choice across all colour families, from the salmon warmth of Pink Hawaiian Coral to the deep carmine of Felix Crousse.

For same-day and next-day high-impact work where visual drama outweighs longevity, Category Three and Four varieties — particularly tree peonies, Coral Charm, Do Tell, and Chocolate Soldier — offer aesthetic rewards unavailable from longer-lasting alternatives, provided timing and client expectations are carefully managed.

Matching peony variety to vase life requirement is one of the clearest demonstrations of professional floristry knowledge. Clients who receive blooms that perform exactly as promised — and who are educated about why — become the most loyal and trusting advocates for a florist's expertise. In the peony world, that expertise begins with understanding that not all beautiful blooms are created equal in their endurance.