Impacts of carbohydrate pulses and short-term sub-zero temperatures on vase life and quality of cut Paeonia lactiflora Pall. hybrids

•Bud time of ‘Karl Rosenfield’ was reduced by >2 d after 5 h of -4 °C.•Carbohydrate pulses did not improve total vase life of any peony cultivar.•No freeze injury was observed when stems were kept dry prior to cold treatment.•Infrared video depicted supercooling and freezing within 2–5 h at -4 °C.