Flower of the month: peonies

For June, let's honor peonies! This time of year, I see them everywhere--neighbors' gardens, farmers' markets, flower shops and grocery stores. They make an exceptional cut flower. They're quite simple to arrange and really make a florist's job easy. Their large blossoms and sturdy stems make an excellent addition to any bouquet. Just a single stem in a small vase is gorgeous. Some brides purposely select a wedding date in May or June so they're able to use peonies in their wedding, and I don't blame them. They're so feminine and full of beauty. I'm also in love with their sweet scent. Unfortunately, they are expensive as their bloom time is only a few weeks.

As for tips, here are a few:
1. They drink a lot of water, which makes it especially important to refresh the vase daily with clean water.
2. Ideally, they should be cut or purchased in bud stage (about the size of a tennis ball), but the bud should not be too tight as it may be a sign that the flower was picked prematurely.
3. If harvesting from your own garden (lucky you!), clip them early in the morning or late in the evening when they are most hydrated.

 peony arrangement with daffodils, snapdragons, and lilac 

a simple arrangement of pink peonies. photo taken towards the end of the flowers' life span. still so beautiful.

at the Chicago Botanic Garden, where they have millions of peonies in bloom right now

more peonies at the Chicago Botanic Garden 

yup, peonies at the Chicago Botanic Garden 

my pug, Manny, in front of peony plants near our house (he was very excited to take this picture as you can tell) 

a bouquet of white peonies with another one of my favorite, mock orange. this arrangement smelled like paradise.

Florist tips and tricks

Learning new floral design tips and tricks is the best. I love attending design workshops, reading floral design books and asking other floral designers for their trade secrets. In my new “Tips and Tricks” series, I’ll be writing about some effective tricks of the trade that I have learned. And if you have an even better technique than what I am showcasing, please leave me a comment!

From left to right:
1. Lazy Susans are helpful when preparing a multi-sided flower arrangement. Place the arrangement on the Lazy Susan and easily spin it around to ensure all sides of the arrangement are perfect.

2. When working with a shallow and/or wide vase, it's a challenge to get your flowers to stay put where you want them. But making a grid using waterproof floral tape makes it very easy.

3. Lilies are quite beautiful, but the yellow pollen contained in their anthers can stain surfaces, clothes and skin. Plus, their presence means a shorter life for the blooms if the pollen gets on the flower petals. To ensure that your lilies remain fresh for a longer period of time, carefully remove the pollen from each of the stamens.

Flower of the month: tulips

This month’s flower is the tulip, which to me, just symbolizes May like no other flower. In my opinion,  a Mother’s Day arrangement would not be complete without them. I’ve been loving seeing tulips all over--in neighbors' yards, at markets, at public gardens, etc.

These flowers have been cultivated in Holland for so long that most of the world is under the mistaken impression that the tulip is a Dutch native. In reality, they originated around the area of central Asia (now Turkey) and were brought to The Netherlands in the 1500s.

They come in all colors except blue.

Vase life is about five days. The French variety will last seven days or longer.

As for an arranging tip, tulips continue to grow after they’ve been cut. So it’s a must to leave enough room for them in the vessel to grow.

Photos I took last week of tulips at the Lilacia Park in Lombard, IL.