The Peony

The peony has a large, full head, strong perfume, and bright color. But despite this outward showiness, the flower acquired the Victorian meaning "bashfulness." Cultivated in Asia for more than a thousand years and developed further by the French, the peony is available in two main types, the herbaceous and the tree peony (the latter's flowers do not last as long when cut). A bouquet made solely of peonies can be gorgeous; the flower can also be used to create beautiful centerpieces and arrangements. Grown in single- and double-flower styles, this expensive bloom is seasonally available from late spring to early summer but can be imported in the fall.

As some of you may know we love Peonies. To me they are one of the most beautiful, detailed flowers. The White with hints of pink in the middle are just amazing and a beautiful miracle.


In doing research on flowers we came across this great article courtesy of www.oncewed.com and wanted to share with you all! This totally inspired me to create these beautiful centerpieces for an upcoming event.


Inspired by French flower markets, galvanized tins were filled with fresh peonies and lined them up for a centerpiece. Anyone (including those with zero floral experience) can put this centerpiece together in minutes, a day or two before your event.

You will need:
-15 stems of Peonies
-3 6″ galvanized tins (can be found with numbers already attached, or you can stencil them on with a hardware stencil)
-Clippers (clean and sharp)
-Buckets of water

Step # 1
Choose peonies in three shades, pale pink, coral and pale yellow. It's recommended to buy them 2 days before and let them open up to full bloom while sitting in deep, lukewarm water. If you have trouble getting your flowers to open up, place them in a 70 degree, bright room. Do not place them in full sun. You may want to include a few budded or partially opened flowers if you are creating these the day before, as they will open up further overnight.

Step # 2
Fill your galvanized buckets over half way.

Step # 3
Each bucket will take 5 flowers. Hold one peony stem next to a bucket with the large flower head just above the rim. Do this to gage how long your stem should be. Clip the stem a little above where it meets the bottom of the bucket. Place your flower in the bucket and make sure the flower head rests on the rim of the bucket. If it is too tall, take it out and clip it again.

Step # 4
Fill one side of the bucket with blooms and work your way around the arrangement until the bucket is full.

Step # 5
Line them up down the center of the table (or group them together on a round table. for a 45″ round table, just one will do). You can place the numbered bucket in the center so guests can clearly find their table.

This flower was outside of a possible new studio so I had to take it home with me. It's a daily reminder/inspiration that all things are meant to be and I'm truly blessed that I am able to do what I love and hopefully we can begin a new journey.


xoxo...