Peonies in Beijing

Peony delivery in Beijing: the "king of flowers", the wedding season and the marshmallow-bud rule

In China the peony is more than a pretty flower — it is almost a national emblem. The tree peony (牡丹, mudan) is called the "king of flowers" and a sign of wealth and honour; it is painted on porcelain and scrolls and admired in Beijing's parks in late April. But the one that goes into a vase is a different plant: the herbaceous peony (芍药, shaoyao), the true cut flower. Full, fragrant and lavish without trying, it has become the star of Beijing weddings and spring gifts.

This category covers single-flower bouquets, mixed compositions with roses and eucalyptus, hat boxes and large baskets for celebrations. The main season is late spring, when the Chinese crop arrives from Yunnan and the provinces of Shandong and Gansu. Off-season, lots from the southern hemisphere take over, keeping the peony in the catalogue almost all year.

Main varieties in the catalogue

Each peony variety has its own job — from a wedding arch to an intimate "thinking of you". They differ in bud shape, shade, scent and vase life.

• Sarah Bernhardt — pastel-pink double bud up to 18 cm, a honeyed scent with a note of vanilla. A 1906 classic that works in any context: wedding, birthday, business gift.
• Karl Rosenfield — a dense dark-red peony. Its saturated colour reads as luck and celebration, ideal for festive compositions.
• Festiva Maxima — white with a crimson "drop" at the heart. One of the most photogenic varieties, a favourite of wedding photographers.
• Coral Charm — shifts from coral-orange as it opens to creamy peach in full bloom. A trend variety of recent years.
• Duchesse de Nemours — soft white with a cream centre and a light vanilla scent. For refined romance.
• Itoh hybrids (Bartzella, Cora Louise) — a cross of herbaceous and tree peony. Larger, longer-flowering, lasting 10–12 days. For premium gifts and wedding design.

The cut stage and why it matters

The key rule when buying peonies is the "marshmallow" stage. A coloured but still soft bud: squeeze it between your fingers and it springs back like a marshmallow. Such a bud opens in one to two days and lasts seven to nine. A hard green one may never open; a fully open one lasts two to three days at most.

Every one of our lots is hand-sorted to this rule: only marshmallow buds go out. For a recipient in Beijing that means the full flowering cycle, not the final fading stage — which matters all the more on hot June days, when buds open faster.

Seasonality and logistics

A fresh peony is brought into Beijing: the capital has no commercial fields of its own. The Chinese cutting season runs from late April through June, and that is the best time for the peony. The main flow comes from Yunnan through the Dounan market near Kunming (斗南), with part from Shandong and Gansu. From July to March, lots from the southern hemisphere (Chile, New Zealand) take over: the price is 1.5 to 2 times higher, but durability and quality hold.

The Yunnan crop arrives fast — by plane or refrigerated truck — and for weddings and anniversaries we align the delivery date with the expected moment of opening. A peony at a celebration should greet the guests in full bloom, not as a closed bud.

"The Chinese love the peony especially — it's our flower of wealth and luck. But cut shaoyao is temperamental: in summer heat a closed bud opens in a day. Want a striking bouquet for a wedding — order three or four days ahead and let the bud open in the cool. And in winter we watch the opposite: in frost a peony can't stand outside for even a minute."

— Zhang Wei, wedding florist, Beijing (Dongcheng), 13 years in the trade

Delivery specifics in Beijing

Beijing's climate is sharply continental: hot humid summers at +30 to +35 °C and dry cold winters with night frosts down to −10 °C. For the peony the best season is spring, its natural time. In summer bouquets travel in chilled thermal boxes, we schedule delivery for morning or evening, and we ask the recipient to move the flowers into the cool at once. In winter the peony travels in insulated boxes so the bud isn't nipped by the cold.

We deliver peonies across all districts of Beijing: Dongcheng, Xicheng, Chaoyang, Haidian, Fengtai, Shijingshan, as well as Tongzhou, Shunyi, Changping and Daxing. Payment is in yuan (¥, CNY). Peak dates: 20 May (520), Mother's Day, Qixi and the late-spring wedding season. Peonies sell out especially fast around Mother's Day — order seven to ten days ahead.

Home care

After delivery, re-cut the stems at 45°, strip the leaves below the waterline and place them in a tall vase with cool water. Change the water daily. Keep them away from fruit, direct sun and heat — ethylene and warmth halve a peony's life.

In Beijing's heat a peony opens fast, so keep the bouquet in the coolest part of the home, under air conditioning. In winter keep the vase away from the radiator: the dry hot air of the heating ages the bud as much as summer's blaze. The fragrant varieties (Sarah Bernhardt, Duchesse de Nemours) open best at a moderate +18 to +20 °C — the scent comes through more clearly. To slow the opening, move the bouquet to a cool room overnight.