On your next visit to your florist in NYC, ask to see their selection of peonies.
Surprisingly enough there many people who still shy away from this wonderful flower. I, on my part, try to introduce people to flowers they might have seen, but never purchased. Peonies is one of those flowers that once I encourage a client to deviate from his usual “bouquet of roses for girlfriend,” and instead take a bouquet of peonies, he always come back for more.
NYC city florists are lucky because most imported flowers from Holland first land in one of New York’s airports. This fact alone allows florist to pay less for imported flowers and thus pass the saving on to their clients.
If you happen to live in NYC, it will be a good idea to know what flowers are in season at any particular time of the year.
Just because your New York florist has a huge selection of flowers at any given time, that does not mean that all those flowers you see are in season. In fact – many of them are there because your florist paid higher prices for them just so he or she can have a larger selection in the store.
Flowers that are there, but not are in their natural season cost way much more than flowers that are in season and, therefore, abundant.
This holds true to all flowers, but especially to the peony; while a stem of a good quality Peony can cost $2 – $4 in season, that price can triple when out of season.
If you have not done so before, try to purchase peonies in the season (April to June). You will love to watch how this tight ball opens into a huge flower that resembles a jumbo rose, but with petals that are silky and way much more delicate.
Here are some interesting facts about Peonies.
Name: Peonies
Native to: Asian, Southern Europe and Western North America
Availability – April through June
Longevity – Seasonal (may last from April till June).
Dries well – Yes!
Varieties – The Bartzella, Blaze and Border Charm make up the over 230 varieties of peonies.
