Paeonia

Peony

“romance, prosperity and a happy marriage”

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.

In season, and in the studio

Peony is in season May to July; it is not in the studio in September, and a bunch asked for it 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. The studio buys it in coral, blush and deep pink, and at the bench each colour is read for its own meaning.