Peonies in Washington

Peony delivery in Washington: a short June window, Virginia and Maryland farms, Alaska's summer crop and year-round imports

Peonies are the flower Washington counts down to. The Mid-Atlantic's outdoor season is brief — roughly late May through June — and for those few weeks the farmers-market stands, from Dupont Circle to Eastern Market on Capitol Hill, fill with them. The timing is almost too perfect: it lands right on top of wedding season, spring galas and Mother's Day.

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

Field peonies from Northern Virginia, Loudoun County and Maryland farms open from late May, and Washington — with its taste for the seasonal — takes them first. Before and after that window, supply rotates through a handful of regions, including one that gives the city a rare summer option.

• Late May–June — Virginia, Maryland 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. The capital's receptions and official dinners value peonies because they look generous and restrained at once, with none of the gloss.

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. In Washington people are especially pleased when you can tell the peonies are local — from a farm out in Virginia, an hour away."

— Marcus Reed, florist, 10 years in the trade, Washington

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. Washington'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 Washington

We deliver peonies across Washington — Georgetown, Dupont Circle, Capitol Hill, Logan Circle, Shaw, Adams Morgan, Foggy Bottom, Penn Quarter, Navy Yard, Petworth, Columbia Heights and Kalorama — priced in US dollars ($, USD). In the late-spring season they're the natural pick for weddings, spring receptions 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 Washington that week.