Peonies in Chicago

Peony delivery in Chicago: a short June window, the Alaska summer crop and year-round imports

Peonies are a flower Chicago counts down to. The Midwest field season is short and cool — roughly late May into June — and for those few weeks the farm stands and markets fill with them. The timing is almost perfect: it lands right on the start of the city's wedding season and the long run of graduations.

This category covers single-variety peony bunches, mixed bouquets with roses or ranunculus, and peonies 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 supply going even in summer.

Season and where they come from

Field peonies from Illinois and the wider Midwest open from late May. Before and after that window, supply comes from several regions — including one that gives Chicago a rare summer option.

• Late May – June — Midwest and Dutch field peonies. Peak quality, widest choice, best price.
• July – August — Alaska peonies. The far-north summer means Alaska flowers when almost nowhere else in the hemisphere can, covering 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 dark red), Duchesse de Nemours (white).

Why peonies cost more

A peony is volume and softness in a single stem: one open bloom does the work of a handful of other flowers. The pastel range — from white and blush to deep coral — drops easily into a wedding palette or a Mother's Day gift. They photograph beautifully, which is part of why Chicago couples build whole June weddings around them.

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

"Peonies are the one flower people book a month out. Couples plan a whole June wedding around the Sarah Bernhardt window, and when it closes, Alaska carries us through August. Nothing else here has that kind of pull."

— Eleanor Voss, florist, 11 years in the trade, Chicago

How to open them and make them last

Peonies often arrive as tight, almost spherical buds — and that is exactly what you want. Indoors they open over two to five days. To help them along, keep them in a warm room and gently wipe any sticky sap off the bud with a damp cloth.

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

Delivery and occasions in Chicago

We deliver peonies across Chicago — the Loop, River North, Streeterville, the Gold Coast, Lincoln Park, Lakeview, Wicker Park, Logan Square and Hyde Park, plus Evanston, Oak Park and Naperville — with prices in US dollars ($, USD). In late spring they are 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 hard to find that month.

In peak season order three to five days ahead, and a week ahead if you need a specific variety like Coral Charm or volume for an event. Message our team and we'll tell you exactly what is arriving in Chicago this week.