Graduation in Chicago

Graduation in Chicago: peonies for late May, roses and lilies for June

Graduation in Chicago starts with high-school ceremonies at the end of May, while grade schools hold theirs in June — the same weeks the Midwest peony season runs, from late May into early June. Which bouquet to choose comes down to who is walking across the stage and which of those weeks it happens to be.

Peonies in season for Chicago's first graduations

CPS high schools hold their commencements at the end of May, when peonies are in season for the first ceremonies.

The season is easy to see around the city. The Chicago Flower Market sells cut flowers grown on farms across the Midwest from May through October, and on Wednesdays and Saturdays Green City Market in Lincoln Park has cut flowers among its stalls. Neither market supplies a JFLOO bouquet; they are simply a sign the season has arrived.

By the time grade schools hold their ceremonies in June, that season is closing. Peony-shaped roses stand in instead, most of them bred by David Austin, with the same dense, many-petalled head as a peony.

A peony is cut while still tightly closed, at what growers call the marshmallow stage, and opens fully within a day or two in warm water and good light. Handed over at the ceremony, it is still unfurling by the time it reaches the mantelpiece at home.

A smaller gesture suits a grade-schooler graduating in June: a compact bunch of lavender spray roses, several small blooms on each stem rather than one large head, is easy for a child to carry home. It lasts about a week in a vase.

For a high-school senior, a mono bouquet of lilies works well. The one thing worth knowing before handing lilies to someone in a cap and gown is the pollen: it stains fabric and is hard to lift out once it sets. Florists remove the anthers once a lily has opened, and if pollen does land on a gown or a dress, lifting it off with sticky tape works far better than rubbing.

Lilies are also worth skipping if the graduate has a cat waiting at home: the flower is toxic to cats.

Graduation flower delivery in Chicago: a box for home, a bunch in hand

For a family gathering around the table afterwards, a box of mixed roses can stand on the table as it is.

A balloon is an easy thing to add alongside either gift: a latex balloon lasts about half a day, a foil one holds for several days, long enough to still be in the room for an evening party. A balloon or sweets can be added to any bouquet at checkout.

Delivery is booked for a chosen date and time slot, and most orders reach the recipient on the day they are placed; a photo of the finished bouquet goes out before the courier sets off. Delivery to the city centre is free, while the rest of the delivery zones carry a flat rate. Sending a bouquet to a restaurant or a hall for the party afterwards works the same way: the delivery time is agreed with the venue manager, and the flowers arrive on cue.

Sending flowers to Chicago from abroad works the same way as a local order.

Peonies suit a ceremony in the last days of May, and roses take over once June arrives and peony season closes. Mono bouquets of lilies suit a senior leaving the stage, and flowers in boxes suit the table set for family afterwards.