Peonies are one of the true delights of the floral world, and when they bloom, and until they blow, offer everything that one could wish for in a flower: An abundance of billowy petals that unfurl from the calyx to create a substantial bloom, a pleasing fragrance, and available in a romantic palette of colors. Peonies have great longevity, can be used as the focal flower in an arrangement, or simply displayed on their own, and offer exceptional value to the florist.
They are one of the few flowers left that are still truly seasonal, only flowering in late spring; although we do get them twice a year now, as we benefit from late spring in the southern hemisphere, as well as our own.
The peony generally grown for commercial cut-flower purposes is of the herbaceous kind, generally a cross between paeonia lactiflora and paeonia officinalis , with some minor component of species peonies, and of the fully double type. Classic examples of these include:
Felix Crousse, a deep hot pink, double flowers Festiva Maxima, a large, delicious double white with flecks of crimson Karl Rosenfeld a strawberry red doubleRed Charm, a stunning, deep burgundy double peony Sarah Bernhardt, the ultimate pink, with large, double flowers and a strong fragrance Shirley Temple, a double peony of cream infused with blush pink. continued......
