peonies

So, you fancy yourself a peony picker? Excellent choice. There is something deeply satisfying about wading into a field that looks like a pastel explosion, scissors in hand, and selecting the fluffiest, most magnificent blooms yourself. Several farms across the Netherlands open their gates for this exact purpose from late May to early July, and it’s the perfect outing for a sunny afternoon with friends, a chaotic family adventure, or a blissful solo mission.

Let’s talk strategy. Walk slowly. You want a bud that is round, showing colour and soft to the touch—like a marshmallow that’s been left out for an hour—but not fully open. A hard green bud is too early; a flower that’s already drooping or browning is past its prime. Look for the ones with a little give, where you can gently press the petals and feel a spongy resistance. That’s the Goldilocks zone. Pick in the early morning or late evening, when the blooms are cool and full of water. Bring a bucket with a little water and sharp scissors, and cut the stem at an angle, leaving 10–15 cm of stem on the flower. Leave the foliage on the plant: peonies are perennials and need their leaves for next year’s flowers.

Once home, your mission is to keep them happy. Trim the stems again under running water and remove any leaves that would sit below the waterline. Put them in a clean vase, and watch them open over the next few days. They go from bashful to full-on ballroom in about 48 hours. Change the water daily, recut the stems every two to three days, and keep them away from direct sun and fruit bowls (bananas age them fast); open blooms last about 5–7 days in the vase. Peonies are toxic to cats and dogs, so keep them out of reach of pets.

How to use them now that you have a small forest of peonies:

Peonies are the queens of the dining table. For a simple, stunning centerpiece, put a generous bunch in a wide, low ceramic vase. Bonus points if you float a few single heads in shallow glass bowls of water—instant elegance. For a more playful look, snip the heads short and cluster them in mismatched vintage jars down the length of a picnic table. You can also dry them: hang them upside down in a dark, dry spot for two to three weeks. They’ll turn into crisp, papery ghosts of their former selves, perfect for a winter wreath or a forever bouquet pinned to your wall. One more trick: pluck individual petals and scatter them down the center of a dinner table for a romantic, messy, magical look.

And here is a tea to sip while you admire your handiwork:

Peony Petal Tea (herbal, caffeine-free) Use only the petals, never the stamens. Gently rinse a handful of petals and dry them. Place the dried petals in a teapot. Pour boiling water over them, cover, and let steep for 5–7 minutes. Strain, add a teaspoon of honey, and enjoy a delicate, lightly floral sip. It’s especially nice iced on a warm day.

Pluktuin ut ouw goed

fruit, vegetables, flowers, berries, nuts

noord-brabant

Pluktuin Ut Ouw Goed in De Moer is a pick-your-own flower and fruit farm set on the site of a former tree nursery. The farm grows a wide variety of flowers, including peonies, lavender, anemones, marguerites, lupins and sunflowers, as well as field and dried flowers. You can pick your own bouquet for €5 or more. The flower fields are tended by Fien van Laarhoven, one of the owners. The farm also has a food forest with apples, pears, apricots, nectarines, peaches, persimmons, cherries, raspberries, redcurrants, blueberries, grapes and blackberries, along with nut trees. The fruit season runs from early summer to autumn, depending on the crop.

FrankenFruit

fruit, vegetables, flowers, herbs, berries

noord-brabant

FrankenFruit in Bergen op Zoom is a pick-your-own farm where visitors can harvest fruit, vegetables and flowers from mid-June to mid-November. The farm grows over a dozen varieties of apples, including Elstar, Jonagold, Pinova and Santana, as well as pears, plums, cherries, blackberries, redcurrants and gooseberries. Vegetables include pumpkins, courgettes, sugar maize, runner beans, beetroot, kale, tomatoes and white onions. The flower field offers dahlias, zinnias, sunflowers, cosmos, sweet peas and dried flowers, with prices per stem or bunch.

Pluktuin de Bosrand

fruit, vegetables, flowers, herbs, berries

gelderland

Pluktuin de Bosrand in Wageningen is a pick-your-own farm where you can harvest flowers, small fruit, and herbs from late May to early November. The selection changes through the season: in summer, you can pick peonies, dahlias, cosmos, zinnias, sunflowers, and globe thistles, along with raspberries, blackberries (thornless), plums, apples, pears, and various berries. Later in the season, chrysanthemums, grasses, and late fruit such as peren and apple berries are available. The farm also grows edible flowers and herbs for tea, including different types of mint, chamomile, and nettle.

Pluktuin Amstelveen

flowers

noord-holland

Pluktuin Amstelveen is a pick-your-own flower farm in Nes aan de Amstel, just outside Amstelveen. It grows seasonal flowers from March to October, including daffodils, tulips, peonies, dahlias and sunflowers, as well as herbs and dried flowers. Visitors pick their own bouquets straight from the field. You pay €12.50 for a bucket of about 15 stems, with extra stems charged at a higher rate. The farm also sells individual stems of specialty flowers year-round.