As I watch the rain falling outside, I imagine the trees, grass, flowers, etc. joyfully drinking up the cool rain drops. The plants look refreshed in the steady rain, especially after several days of sunny, warm weather. However, I see a large peony bush, which yesterday was full of large, perfect peony blooms, now lying against the ground, the blooms beaten and bruised by the heavy rain. This sight reminds me of the problem with peonies.
As our state flower, peonies are a very popular flower in Indiana. Over the last couple of years, I have seen an increased popularity of peonies in wedding celebrations. Peonies are large, fragrant blooms, which lend themselves to simple, yet elegant bouquets for the bride and her bridesmaids. So, what’s the problem? Peonies have an extremely short season of availability. Local peonies are only available for about 3-4 weeks a year, depending on the weather. With the heavy rain today and with more heavy rain expected over the weekend, the season will be coming to an abrupt close for the local crops. Local growers keep a close eye on the weather forecast to try and preserve as much of their crops for as long as possible. If heavy rain is forecasted, the growers will harvest the peonies a little early. They can then place them in water with floral preservative, and store them in a refrigerator, cooler or very cool environment, until they sell the blooms to a local florist.
Peak season for the local peonies this year is now (late May). Last year, the peak season was in April! This is because in March, we had steady temperatures in the mid 80’s. This year, our weather remained cooler than normal for April and even the beginning of May. Generally speaking, the peak of our local peony season is around Mother’s Day. Last year, the peak occurred early and this year the peak occurred late. Therefore, another problem with peonies is trying to include them in an event (such as a wedding), not knowing if they will be available at the time of the event.
Before you scrap peonies from you wedding plan altogether, here are some tips that I share with brides when I learn of their interest in peonies for their wedding.
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Plan the date of your wedding to coincide with peony season. If you really wish to include fresh cut peonies in your wedding, plan your wedding early in the spring. Peonies are not available in the summer and fall months. Peonies are available from other countries in the late winter, which increases the probability of their availability. Keep in mind, however, imported flowers are much more expensive due to the packaging and cost of shipping.
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Have an alternative plan in place. If weather affects the availability of the peony for your planned event, be sure to have another option ready to go, just in case. I suggest garden roses (large headed, fragrant roses) or hydrangea.
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Source some “silk” (fake) peonies. The silks that are produced now are very high quality compared to silks 20 years ago. There are even times when I suggest silk flowers over fresh flowers if a particular color of flower is not available in nature. On a number of occasions, I have designed fresh bouquets with silk accents to achieve the desired color or texture.
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Cold storage. Have the peonies on hand a week or two before you need them and keep them in water and cold storage. We store flowers in our 500 square foot cooler at a chilly 34-36 degrees to keep them fresh for days.
Mother Nature does not always cooperate with our plans. However, with a little planning, the problem with peonies can be minimized.
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