Any way to get bloomed peonies in October?
 

My fiancee and I are getting married this October. She had her heart
set (as brides often do) on having beautiful peonies in the wedding --
even if it was super-expensive peonies from New Zealand in her
bouquet. However, today she learned from her florist (a fairly large
one here in Seattle) that they are unable to get peonies from any of
their wholesalers at this time.

Any help would be appreciated. I'm eternally optimistic, but I
sincerely doubt that I could get my peony plants to bloom in four
weeks, no matter how I controlled their environment. If you know of
any way to order these from anywhere in the world, I (and my
bride-to-be) would be extremely grateful.

Thanks for the consideration..

-ryan

"Ryan Hicks" wrote in message
om...
My fiancee and I are getting married this October. She had her heart
set (as brides often do) on having beautiful peonies in the wedding --
even if it was super-expensive peonies from New Zealand in her
bouquet. However, today she learned from her florist (a fairly large
one here in Seattle) that they are unable to get peonies from any of
their wholesalers at this time.

Any help would be appreciated. I'm eternally optimistic, but I
sincerely doubt that I could get my peony plants to bloom in four
weeks, no matter how I controlled their environment. If you know of
any way to order these from anywhere in the world, I (and my
bride-to-be) would be extremely grateful.

Thanks for the consideration..

-ryan

I'm not sure if anyone can be of much help. You can successfully hold peony
buds in cold storage for months at a time (and have blooming peonies in
December, for example), but it requires planning ahead. And it's a little
late in the game now. A large florist in a large metropolitan area like
Seattle should have access to pretty much anything that is available to the
trade, regardless of origin. If you have a business license or know someone
that does (perhaps your caterer?), contact Evergreen Wholesale Florist
(206/624-9111) or Seattle Wholesale Floral (206/285-2425). If they can't get
them, then you may have to make other plans.

pam - gardengal

Peonies are definitely out of season. However, this is the very peak of
Dahlia blooming season, and a few varieties have the same flower-form as
peonies. (I think they are sometimes even called peony-flowering). It
woulnd't be an exact match, and wouldn't have the nice fragrance of peonies,
but as far as appearance goes, it would make much the same impression. I'll
see if I can find any links to peony-flowered dahlia types.

"Ryan Hicks" wrote in message
om...
My fiancee and I are getting married this October. She had her heart
set (as brides often do) on having beautiful peonies in the wedding --
even if it was super-expensive peonies from New Zealand in her
bouquet. However, today she learned from her florist (a fairly large
one here in Seattle) that they are unable to get peonies from any of
their wholesalers at this time.

Any help would be appreciated. I'm eternally optimistic, but I
sincerely doubt that I could get my peony plants to bloom in four
weeks, no matter how I controlled their environment. If you know of
any way to order these from anywhere in the world, I (and my
bride-to-be) would be extremely grateful.

Thanks for the consideration..

-ryan

Pam - gardengal wrote:
You can successfully hold peony
buds in cold storage for months at a time (and have blooming peonies in
December, for example), but it requires planning ahead. And it's a little
late in the game now.

Can you do this in a regular refrigerator, and how do you do this, just
cut the bud and put it in water? I love peonies and would like to be
able to extend the time that I could have fresh peonies in the house.

Sheila

"Sheila" wrote in message
...


Pam - gardengal wrote:
You can successfully hold peony
buds in cold storage for months at a time (and have blooming peonies in
December, for example), but it requires planning ahead. And it's a
little
late in the game now.

Can you do this in a regular refrigerator, and how do you do this, just
cut the bud and put it in water? I love peonies and would like to be
able to extend the time that I could have fresh peonies in the house.

Sheila

Cut when in bud, wrap loosely and gently in a barely moistened paper towel
and store in the refrigerator crisper in an open plastic bag. Be sure not
keep anything else in the frig that can emit ethylene gas - any kind of
fruit, even tomatoes. This will cause the flowers to rot. Once they are
removed, recut the stems and place in a tall container of lukewarm water.
They should open within a day.

I have to say I've never tried this myself, but I saw it on an episode of
"The Perennial Gardener" and I was pretty impressed - they had blooming
peonies for a Christmas bouquet.

pam - gardengal

Thanks Pam,

Next year, I'll try this.