Peonies in Paris

Peonies in Paris: French-grown from February, and how to choose them

Peonies in Paris can be French well before the usual spring rush. France, together with Israel and Italy, fills the peony's off-season from February to April, ahead of the country's own main cut from late April to June. Once that calendar is clear, the rest of the choice follows: how many stems, which shade, and whether the flowers travel in paper, in a box or in a basket.

February to June: the months a Paris peony can be French

From February to April, French, Israeli and Italian growers between them keep peonies on offer before the main French cut starts. From late April into June the home harvest takes over, so a bunch bought in Paris in those weeks has a real chance of a French origin, though no single bouquet can be promised one grower over another.

Outside that window the flower still arrives, just from further away. Roughly eight in ten cut flowers sold in France are imported, and most of that traffic passes through the Dutch hub before reaching a French wholesaler, since the Netherlands grows more cut peonies than any other country. Paris florists buy their stems from wholesalers at the Rungis cut-flower pavilion, and at JFLOO the flowers for an order are bought only once payment has gone through.

The timing works in the sender's favour, too: Fête des mères falls inside the French peony weeks, and the fuller calendar sits on the flowers in Paris page.

White or pink, a handful or an armful: peonies for a Paris recipient

Scale is the simplest place to start. Five stems in airy wrapping suit a quick, personal gesture, while a basket built around fifteen stems reads as a fuller, more deliberate gift; between the two, peonies by stem count lines up the options by size.

Shade is the next decision, and the by-colour pages sort it out, from soft pink through to white; eleven white peonies paired with eucalyptus is one way the white end of the range is sold. Whether a bouquet stays a single flower or picks up company is a separate question again: several arrangements in the peony bouquets set the flower beside matthiola, eucalyptus or a peony-shaped rose, and bouquets with peonies is where that mix lives. In France the stems in a bunch are kept to an odd number, a custom covered on the flowers in Paris page.

Peony delivery in Paris: stems for a vase or a box that stands alone

Stems wrapped in paper still need a vase once they arrive: cut the ends on a slant, change the water every day or two, and keep the vase away from a radiator, direct sun and any bowl of fruit nearby.

A box or a basket skips that step, since the stems already sit in wet foam that holds its own water. The foam wants a light daily watering over its whole surface rather than a single pour in one spot; the "Double Flower" peony box is one way that format is sold, alongside the wider peony boxes and a basket of peonies selections. A florist photographs the finished bouquet before the courier sets off, the card is free, and most orders reach their recipient the same day they are placed; the exact timing for a given bouquet shows in its own listing.

If no one is in to take the delivery, the courier leaves it with the concierge or a neighbour, but only once the sender has agreed to that beforehand. Zones and the rest of the handover are set out on the delivery page.

Deciding where to start is easier by what the peonies are for: peonies by stem count for the right scale, bouquets with peonies for a fuller mix, or peony boxes for an address with nowhere to put a vase.