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.

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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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 Some flowers are very precious to me, especially the scented Narcissi. These delicate flowers are stunning to look at, come in loads of varieties, they smell amazing and are only available in a short season. But the best part of these Narcissi is their heritage. They have been growing mainly on the lovely Isles of Scilly since the 19th century.

As a florist it’s really hard to choose a favourite flower. We florists love all flowers, it’s like having to choose a favourite amongst your children. But with the changing of the seasons there are some flowers you really look forward to seeing cropping up at the market. There are Daffodils, and there are Scented Narcissi. Once you smell the latter, they’ll be your favourite too!

Available from November till April

Scented Narcissi are available from November till April. Come springtime, it is nearing the end of the season for these English grown beauties, so grab yourself a bunch before the disappear!

Flower farms on the Isles of Scilly

Scented Narcissi are grown mainly in the Isles of Scilly, which lies off the Cornish coast. The temperate climate of the Islands in winter and early spring make perfect growing conditions for these delicate flowers. There are lots of varieties of scented Narcissi ranging from pure white such as ‘Paperwhites’ to creams like ‘Bridal Crown’, lemon varieties such as ‘Avalanche’ and ‘Yellow Cheer’ through to rich yellows and oranges of ‘Hugh Town’ and ‘Soleil D’Or’.

The Legend of the Dutch Merchant

There is a nice legend about the scented Narcissi of the Isles of Scilly. The first Narcissi were brought over to the islands by a Dutch merchant captain and were offered as a present to the Govenor’s wife, who lived at Star Castle. Thinking the bulbs were onions, she tried to boil and eat them. But they tasted horrible, so she threw them out the window into the moat. Some time later the flowers began to flourish on the banks of the moat and the fields beyond.

Off to Covent Garden Market

In 1879, a local farmer called William Trevellick, started collecting these wonderful flowers growing amongst the island. He sent a box of Scented Narcissi to Covent Garden Market in London. The scented Narcissi were an overnight sensation and soon the first flower farmers on the Scilly Island began growing even more bulbs. Find more information about these farmer here.

Lush Spring Bouquet with Scented Narcissi

In this lush spring bouquet we have used these colourful, pale yellow scented Narcissi, a variety called ‘Yellow Cheer’. The spring bouquet contains more of our favourites such as ‘Kahala’ Roses, peach Lisi and Mimosa. The spring bouquet will only be available for another week or so until the supply of scented Narcissi and Mimosa runs out, by the first weeks of April.

Scented Narcissi in Wedding Bouquets

We at Rose and Mary, an independent flower studio in Twickenham, have used Scented Narcissi in wedding bouquets. Here you see three different combination with other spring flowers. We love the white and cream varieties of Narcissi in spring wedding bouquets. Here you see the variety ‘Daymark’ (on the right), with large creme coloured petals and bold orange cups, combined with white Lilacs, green Viburnum ‘Snowballs’ and eucalyptus.  Scented narcissi, such as the creme coloured ‘Erlicheer’,  (middle) make for a lovely combination with other spring flowers, such as blue Muscari and bright yellow Ranonculus. If you would like to inquire about flowers for a spring wedding in 2022/23 please give us a call.

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Remember the good old days when Easter was just an excuse to have time to ski down a mountain or seek out the sun somewhere far away to escape the cold days of early spring? This year we will be at home, going nowhere…. So here are some ideas for flowery Easter decorations; What about a wreath with living Narcissus bulbs, or a beautiful bouquets in soft pastel, springlike colours or a mini-spring-flowery-landscape in a apothecary vase.

Floral Easter decorations and gifts

These floral Easter decorations will surely brighten up your house. They also make a great gift to cheer up someone else’s house! As most of us cannot visit our loved ones just yet, a floral Easter gift is a great way to show your friends and family that you are thinking of them. We can deliver your floral Easter gift to Twickenham, Richmond, Teddington, Chiswick, Putney and beyond.

1: The spring wreath

The spring wreath is hand-made by Rose and Mary, an independent florist in St Margarets, South West London. The wreath is covered in Moss, with added Catkins, yellow Mimosa, Foliages such as Eucalyptus and Olive and real mini Daffodil bulbs and that will grow and flowers the wreath. This wreath can be hung on the front door, a garden fence, placed on an out door table or adorn a grave or remembrance garden.

Maintenance and longevity

The Spring Wreath is a living wreath, in lovely shades of green and yellow, that will grow and flower. The moss has to be kept moist, and will give off moisture to the bulbs and flowers. The wreath will last up to  tree to six weeks, depending on the weather and the exposure to wind and sunlight. You can extent the life of the Spring Wreath by lightly misting the wreath with water on a weekly basis. The wreath comes in 3 sizes:

Small with a circumference of 35-40 centimeters, Medium 45-50cm and Large 55-60cm

You can order your Spring wreath here

2: The Easter Bouquet

The Easter Bouquet is the perfect bunch of flowers to welcome in the Easter period. The Easter Bouquet is filled with spring flowers in soft pastel tones and contains flowers such as Snapdragon, Guelderose and Lisianthus. The flowers are mixed with seasonal foliage and bright yellow roses. The Easter Bouquet is gift wrapped and send in a water source to ensure it arrives in perfect condition to your home or the home of your loved one. This bouquet is hand-tide by Rose and Mary, an independent florist from West-London, and can be delivered in Twickenham, Richmond, Teddington, Chiswick, Putney and beyond.

Pick your colours

If you want to swap the roses for pink, peach or white ones just let us know and we can sort that out for you. Pictured is the pastel version in a Large. The Easter Bouquet is also available is a blush version with softer pastels or an all white variety. The Easter bouquet is available in four sizes S,M,L, XL and XXL (pictured is the Large). For more ideas this Easter have a look at our selection of bouquets  or call us on 07958293130 to discuss your wishes.

3: The Apothecary vase with bridal crown narcissi bulbs

This vase will make a lovely centrepiece on your dinner or garden table. It’s is also a lovely gift for your loved ones, since the vase is re-usable for bouquets, large flowers, a collection of shells or fairy lights. This lovely apothecary vase is filled with scented white Bridal Crown Narcissi, covered in moss. The Narcissi bulbs will flower inside the vase and depending on the ambient temperature will last up to 3 to 6 weeks. The Narcissi terrarium can be placed in or outdoors.

Next years surprise

The apothecary vase is 19x19cm in size and is filled with a minimum of 9 bulbs. After the Narcissi have finished flowering the bulbs can be planted in the garden to flower next year and the apocathery vase can be washed and used for flowers, other plants or decorations. We can deliver the Narcissi terrarium to Twickenham, Richmond and beyond.

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Hand Made Spring Wreath

The wreath is hand-made by Rose and Mary, an independent florist in St Margarets, South West London. The wreath is covered in Moss, with added Catkins, yellow Mimosa, foliages and real mini Daffodil bulbs and that will grow and flower. The Wreath can be hung on the front door, a garden fence, placed on an out door table or adorn a grave or remembrance garden.

Maintenance and longevity

The Spring Wreath is a living wreath, in lovely shades of green and yellow. The  Spring wreath is covered with Moss, Mimosa, foliages and real Daffodil bulbs and that will grow and flower. The moss has to be kept moist, and will give off moisture to the bulbs and flowers. The wreath will last up to  tree to six weeks, depending on the weather and the exposure to wind and sunlight. You can extent the life of the Wreath by lightly misting the wreath with water on a weekly basis.

Spring Wreath is available now

The Wreath is available in January, February and March and is a perfect gift for Mothers Day or Easter. The tete-a-tete daffodil bulbs will flower on your door. After the daffodils have stopped flowering, you can plant the bulbs in your garden.

Home Delivery

We can deliver the wreath to West and South West London or we can post one out to you anywhere in the UK, please ring us on 07958293130 to arrange delivery. You can oder the spring wreath online in our flower shop.

Customer review:

“I like to keep a door wreath up all year, changing it with the seasons and for the last few years have been getting my spring one from Leonoor from Rose & Mary. It always amazes me that the narcissi sprout and survive in a door wreath with roots open to the elements. The wreath lasts for ages and lifts my mood every time I come in the door. Thank you Leonoor!” – Keri Shanks

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