Peonies in Boston

Peony delivery in Boston: a short June window, Alaska's summer crop and year-round imports

Peonies are the flower Bostonians count down to. New England's outdoor season is brief and cool — roughly late May through June — and for those few weeks the farm stands and markets around the city fill with them. The timing is almost too perfect: it lands right on top of wedding season and the city's enormous run of graduations.

This category covers peonies as single-variety bunches, in mixed bouquets with roses or ranunculus, and as the centerpiece of wedding and event work. Because the local window is so short, the trick to offering peonies the rest of the year is knowing the import calendar — and one quirk of American geography that keeps them coming through the summer.

The season and where they come from

Local Massachusetts and New England field peonies open from late May. Before and after that window, supply rotates through a handful of regions — including one that gives Boston a rare summer option.

• Late May–June — New England and Dutch field peonies. Peak quality, widest choice, best value.
• July–August — Alaska-grown peonies. The far-north summer means Alaska flowers when almost nowhere else in the hemisphere can, bridging the gap for late-summer weddings.
• November–January — imports from Chile and New Zealand, where it is late spring south of the equator.
• Varieties — Sarah Bernhardt (soft pink, the classic), Coral Charm (coral fading to peach), Red Charm (deep crimson), Duchesse de Nemours (white).

Why peonies command a premium

A peony is volume and softness in a single stem — one open bloom does the work of a whole handful of other flowers. The pastel range, from white and blush to deep coral, slips easily into a wedding palette or a Mother's Day gift. Boston's restrained, New England eye values peonies precisely because they look generous without shouting.

The catch is the short local season and the import logistics, which keep peonies at the higher end of the price range for much of the year. In the late-May-to-June window the price drops and the quality peaks — that's the moment to order them in volume for a wedding or a big celebration.

"Peonies are the one flower people will book a month ahead for. Couples plan their whole June wedding around the Sarah Bernhardt window, and when that closes, Alaska keeps us going into August. Nothing else has that pull here."

— Megan Walsh, florist, 10 years in the trade, Boston

Getting them to open and last

Peonies often arrive as tight, almost spherical buds — and that's exactly how you want them. They open over two to five days indoors. To help them along, keep them in a warm room and gently wipe any sticky sap from the bud with a damp cloth.

Cut the stems on arrival, change the water every two days, and keep them out of direct sun. Boston's humid summer heat opens them fast, so if you need them for a specific date, buy them closed and keep them cool. A bud held back in the fridge can wait two or three extra days.

Delivery and occasions in Boston

We deliver peonies across Boston — Beacon Hill, Back Bay, the South End, Charlestown, the Seaport, Dorchester and Jamaica Plain, plus Cambridge, Somerville and Brookline — priced in US dollars ($, USD). In the late-spring season they're the natural pick for weddings, graduations and Mother's Day. Out of season they arrive as a considered, slightly luxurious gift — a way to mark a birthday or anniversary with something that isn't, that month, easy to find.

Order three to five days ahead in peak season, and up to a week ahead if you need a specific variety like Coral Charm or a large volume for an event. Message our team and we'll tell you exactly what's arriving in Boston that week.