Peony

Where does the meaning of peonies come from?

The peony takes its name from Paeon, physician to the Greek gods, and has been cultivated in China for well over a thousand years, where it is honoured as the king of flowers. In the language of flowers it stands for romance, prosperity and a happy marriage, one reason it remains the most requested wedding flower we know. Its British season is short, running roughly from late April to June, which only adds to the sense of occasion.

What does each colour of peonies mean?

The studio buys peonies in coral, blush and deep pink, and at the bench each colour is read for its own meaning, a shade of the whole: romance, prosperity and a happy marriage.

• Coralwarmth and good fortune
• Blushbashful romance
• Deep pinkhonour and prosperity

When are peonies in season?

Peonies are in season May to July; they are not in the studio in October, and a bunch asked for them then is offered the nearest stem instead.

In the studio's bunches it is a focal flower: the one a bunch is built around, with the others chosen to frame it.

When should you give peonies?

Peonies carry love, joy and new beginnings, and the studio's guide to occasions lists them for weddings, anniversaries, romance and congratulations. Each of those pages shows the other stems that say the same thing, and the bunches made for the day.

• Weddingslisted beside garden rose, spray rose and ranunculus
• Anniversarieslisted beside garden rose, dahlia and oriental lily
• Romancelisted beside garden rose, tulip and ranunculus
• Congratulationslisted beside dahlia, sunflower and gerbera

Which other flowers mean the same as peonies?

The studio's guide to the meaning of flowers files every stem by what it says. These say the same as peonies, so a bunch can carry the message in another season or another colour:

• Lovegarden rose, tulip, anemone and stocks
• Joyranunculus, gerbera, stocks and delphinium
• New beginningstulip, anemone, gypsophila and waxflower

What goes well with peonies in a bouquet?

Pairings follow the florist's rule: one voice leads and the others frame it, so a bunch has a focal flower, a secondary one, texture and green. Peonies are a focal flower, and in the studio's pairings they sit with these, each with a meaning of its own:

• Sweet Peaa secondary flower, which means blissful pleasure and gracious thanks
• Astilbea secondary flower, which means patience and devotion: 'I will still be waiting'
• Ammitexture, which means sanctuary and delicate beauty
• Eucalyptusfoliage, which means protection and healing
• Waxflowertexture, which means enduring love and patience
• Stocksa secondary flower, which means lasting beauty and a happy life

How do I look after peonies in a vase?

The studio's care card for a hand-tied bunch says: Your bunch is tied so it stands on its own. The string is part of the arrangement, so leave it on. Cut a couple of centimetres off every stem at an angle with sharp scissors. A fresh cut drinks; a dry one seals over. Stand them in a clean vase of fresh, cool water with the flower food we sent. Top it up daily and change it every two or three days. Strip any leaves that would sit below the waterline, because leaves in water go slimy and spoil the water. Keep them out of direct sun and away from radiators, and never next to the fruit bowl: ripening fruit gives off a gas that ages flowers. A cool room overnight does them good. If the house is warm, a north-facing windowsill or a hallway is kinder than the kitchen. Take out anything that goes over before the rest. One tired stem makes the whole bunch look tired, and it hurries the others along. Every flower keeps its own pace: tulips go on growing in the vase, lilies open a bud at a time, and the softest stems are over first. How long they go on depends on the stems and the room they are in.