What to look for in peonies
The middle of an open head
A peony that has opened shows a crowd of short, crumpled inner petals around a visible centre — sometimes stamens, sometimes a tight green eye. The common fake is a solid ball with nothing in the middle at all, which reads as a pompom the moment you look down into it rather than across at it.
Petals like tissue, not felt
Peony petals are large, thin and creased, with edges that tear and ripple rather than curve cleanly. Run your eye along the outline: it should be irregular the whole way round. A stamped edge on a flower this size is impossible to miss once you have seen it.
Buds are doing half the work
A stem with one open head, one half-open and one tight bud reads as a plant. Three fully open heads read as a display. If you are buying several stems, mix the stages rather than buying the fullest version of everything, and the group will look grown rather than bought.