Dear Petal’s Edge,
I’ve met with a couple different florists for my wedding, and most of them are telling me that it’s not likely I will be able to get peonies for my September wedding. I know that peonies are a spring flower in the garden, but I thought that with modern technology and greenhouses that as long as I was willing to pay a high price for them, we can get them from somewhere in the world. What gives? Why are some flowers just not available at some times of the year?
– Allison W.
Dear Allison,
I am sorry to say that what you are hearing from the florists you met with is true: regardless of how much you may be willing to pay for them, peonies are typically not available anywhere in the world in September. It’s not only the case for peonies – it is also true for tulips, ranunculus, anemones and other flowers that we typically see growing in our northern gardens in springtime. It’s also true in the reverse; dahlias, a prized fall flower, is typically not available until late spring or summer.
Why is this? Well, while it is true that there are many things that modern technology can do, there is only so much we can do to fight nature. And to complicate matters further, when we can fight nature, there is the not-so simple matter of economics – does the cost to create the necessary environment in a greenhouse to get flowers to bloom out of season balance out with how much the customer is willing to pay for them?
Some flowers require very precise growing conditions to bloom. For example, spring bulb flowers like tulips need to lay dormant as bulbs in cold weather (or a cooler) for many weeks before they can be planted and forced to bloom. Other flowers and plants need daylight to be a specific length for a specific period of time before they can bloom. (You should see what they have to do in northern greenhouses in the time leading up to Christmas to get the pointsettias to all bloom in time!). Some flowers, like peonies, have a very short flowering season or simply cannot be grown in certain parts of the world because of the climate. And while some of this can be overcome with the creative use of thermostats, freezers, grow lights and greenhouses, some of it simply cannot be overcome due to the nature of the flower or the profitability, as that extra energy is very expensive.
However, in the years we’ve been in business, we have definitely seen the period of time that some of these flowers are available has significantly lengthened. That most likely means that as the flower industry becomes more global, and the customer base gets larger, that it has become more economical to produce these crops out of season (we can leave the environmental impact debate that brings up for other posts!). Don’t forget that when it is winter in the northern hemisphere, it is summer in the south – those springtime flowers do start to come back into availability in the late fall.
The good news for you is that there are tons of beautiful flowers (like dahlias) available in September, and your wedding flowers are going to be beautiful without peonies, I assure you!
I hope that helps! Best wishes with your wedding!
Do you have a question about flowers or wedding planning? Send us your question in the comment field or by email (to info@petalsedge.com, subject line “Ask the Florist”), and we’ll include it in a future round of Ask the Florist!
