Let me tell you a few thing about peonies:

• History and origins
• Variety and colours for the garden
• Peonies from the florist: Sarah Bernhardt
• My favourite peony: Coral Charm</li>
• Bouquet suggestions
• Care for your peonies at home

History and Origins

Peonies originated in China and were introduces in Europe around the 1870s. In Asia the root of the flower was used for medicinal purposes. The botanical name for this flower, Paeonia, dates back to the ancient Greeks. Paieon was the physician of the Olympian gods.

Varieties and colours, peonies for your garden

Peonies are available in about 30 different varieties. They are a beloved garden plant and grow to about a meter in height and will bloom in late May and June. They like sunny spots in the garden and bushes need to be pruned regularly. As a gardener you have a big variety of peonies to choose from, ranging from single to double flowering blooms, in shades ranging from whites, yellows, pinks, purples and reds. Have a look at this list, if you want to know more. These are the 20 prettiest peonies on Monty Don’s list of favourites. https://www.gardenersworld.com/plants/10-beautiful-peonies-to-grow

Peonies from your florist: Peony Sarah Bernhardt

Florists favourite peony is the lush pink Sarah Bernhardt, which is available throughout April, May and June. This is one of the biggest blooming peonies and it comes with all the bells and whistles: a double bloom, frilled edges and a lovely scent. Sarah Bernhardt comes in light and darker shades of pink and is named after the famous French actress of Dutch descent (just like me).

My favourite: Peony Coral Charm

As an independent florist I too have my favourite variety of peonies, the lovely Peony Coral Charm. They are one of the biggest peonies available. They start out as perfect round hot pink buds. As they open they gradually shift in colour, starting in a beautiful coral shade which slowly fades into a salmon and ends in an off white colour. It’s like magic in a vase, with this variety your bouquet will display a different pallet on a daily basis.

Bouquet suggestions

Make sure not to put too many peonies in one vase. Because some of the flowers can grow out to more than 12 centimetres in width. I have created a lovely peony bouquet, especially for these last months of spring. Just look at those amazing pastel colours.

Care for your peonies

If you buy peonies from your local florist, make sure to pick one that have slightly opened. That way you are sure they will come to full bloom. Cut at least 1,5 centimetre of the stems of your flowers and put them in fresh water. Make sure to clean your vases on a regular basis. Peonies will bloom for about a week, if you buy the flowers fresh. You can prolong this time a tiny bit more by adding flower food to the water and by keeping the flowers away from your fruit bowl. Ripe fruit produces a gas called ethylene, which can shorten the lifespan of all your flowers.

We have more Peony bouquets on our website.

The Peony bouquet in White and the Peony bouquet Vintage are the best sellers this month. If you would like to add Peonies to a bespoke order, funeral flowers or wedding flowers please get in touch.

The post One of my favourite flowers available in May and June: peonies appeared first on .

I have plenty of bumblebees that fly in mid morning for ‘breakfast’. They fly in to feast on the flower inside the studio and it gives me great joy to watch them buzz around. And that got me thinking. Why do flowers smell so nice?

Flowers have sex

Flowers give off a scent when their pollen is ripe and ready to be taken to neighbouring flower to be fertilised in order for these flowers to produce seed. The pollen is collected and delivered by insects who in return get to eat the sweet nectar the flower produces as a reward.

Different flowers have different techniques for fertilisation. Some flowers use the wind to pollinate. Some use vibrant colours or even trap an insect to do the pollinating while it tries to escape. Nature is a most wondrous thing. And as a florist I am in awe of what nature has to offer. Especially when it comes tot those lovely shapes, colours and scents.

Scents and stinks

Not all flowers smell nice to humans, some even stink, such as Gypsophelia and Astrantia. But insects love them anyway. Other flowers smell very good indeed and there are a few scents that are my absolute fave that are available now.

• The scented stock
• the Sweetpea
• Lily of the valley
• Peonies

Most cut flowers have lost their scent

Not all commercially grown flowers have a scent. Most flower growers have focussed the breeding and cultivation of flowers to focus on appearance and longevity. In this proces a lot of flowers have lost their natural scent.

Scented flowers have a shorter vase life

It takes a lot of energy for a flower to produce scent so unfortunately most cut flowers that smell nice don’t have a long vase life. Sweetpeas and Lily of the Valley may only last for three to four days and scented stock and peonies last for five to six days. But the joy you get from these flowers definitely makes up for the loss of shelf life, in my opinion.

Lilies and Freesia

Exceptions to the scent rule are Lilies and Freesia, they have a strong smell and last for ages. But they are not everyones favourites.

Scent is back

Scented flowers are becoming more popular and there is a trend among flower growers to reintroduce cut flowers that smell nice. Especially roses grown for the wedding industry are becoming more fragrant. Take a look at the top ten best scented roses from the Perfume Flower Company. I especially like the White O’Hara and Yves Piaget.

The 10 Best Scented Roses For 2021

Scented Spring bouquet

We have created a scented bouquet with scented stock and sweetpeas for this months news letter. So order now and invite the bumble bees to fly in through your kitchen window! ( or maybe not…)

We are offering free delivery of the scented bouquet and all peony bouquets  to TW1.

This Special offer has free delivery until 15-6-21

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