Peony Garden Roses in Shanghai: stem counts, handbags and how to choose
Four of the section's first twenty items are handbag bouquets — Duo, Azure Coast, Lunar Rainbow and Gentle — sitting beside plain bouquets of peony garden roses in Shanghai running from seven to fifty-one stems. Boxes and a basket sit close by too, so the first question is form, not size. Once the shape is settled, the count follows easily.
What peony garden roses are, and how they differ from peonies
Peony garden roses are not peonies. They are roses bred to look like one, mostly English varieties from David Austin and similar breeders, and the catalogue lists them among spray roses in the rose section rather than on their own. The cupped, many-petalled bloom is what gives them the name.
Real peonies have a season. In the Netherlands, France, Germany and Britain it runs from late April to June; outside that window the flower is flown in from further afield, so it is on sale for most of the year but not every week of it. Anyone after the true flower rather than the rose that resembles it should look at peonies instead.
If a particular shade or variety is out of stock, the florist substitutes a close match in colour and price. A photo goes out before the courier leaves, so the substitution is visible before the bouquet is on its way.
The plain bouquets come in five stem counts: seven, nine, fifteen, twenty-five and fifty-one roses. Fifteen stems come in two designs, so it is worth checking the second before assuming there is only one.
The handbag bouquets — Duo, Azure Coast, Lunar Rainbow and Gentle — carry the roses inside a small bag-shaped holder with a handle rather than wrapped paper, which changes how the bouquet is carried more than how it looks. For a sturdier option, flowers in boxes hold the same roses inside a hat box, and this section has three: Blue Neva, Bij and Lake. A woven basket, Basket No. 5, and a ceramic planter, Gentle, give the roses a container that stands on its own without a vase.
Several arrangements mix these roses into a wider composition rather than keeping them alone: the Wedding bouquet, the Ballet Waltz composition and the Senyora bouquet all pair peony garden roses with other flowers. Anyone who cannot see quite the right size or design can describe the occasion and the budget in the chat; a manager sends back options with photos and prices before anything is paid.
Peony garden roses delivery in Shanghai: photo, card and vase life
Every bouquet is put together to order rather than pulled ready-made off a shelf. A photo of the finished result is sent before the courier sets off, and there is still time to ask for a change while the bouquet is still with the florist.
The card is free and can be signed or left anonymous. Delivery to the centre costs nothing, and while the exact timing shows in the bouquet's own listing, most orders reach the recipient the same day they are placed; the delivery page has the detail.
A peony garden rose lasts around a week in water, sometimes closer to ten days. The stems should be recut at an angle, the water changed every day or two, and the vase kept away from radiators, direct sun and fruit bowls. Where the roses sit in floral foam rather than water, the whole surface of the foam needs watering daily to keep it from drying out.
Anyone starting from scratch might look at the plain rose bouquets by the stem for a simple count, at boxes for something sturdier to carry, or at real peonies if the season is right and it is the actual flower that is wanted.