Peonies are a favorite for most people in late spring! The showy blossoms emit the sweetest, rarest fragrance, and the fleeting time period they are available makes peonies all the more desireable. Stunning on their own or mixed in with textured, seasonal stems, peonies offer a happy, pastel note to any room.
I made this arrangement with:
peony
reflexed roses
mustard flowers
climbing roses
peony greens
rose greens
honeysuckle
privet
scented geranium
Privet is such an underrated filler! I loved mixing it in here. The Cecile Brunner climbing roses were cast-offs from a local landscaper. They have a very unruly, unkept look about them which contrasts so beautifully with the perfectly formed peonies. The climbers add a wild note to the arrangement to keep it from being overly sweet.
Be sure to conditon peonies properly and refresh water for the ultimate long-lasting peony arrangement.
Try these tips for peony arrangements:
Try using peony greens for the base of your arrangement or for accent.
If one or two peonies in the bunch is too old and falling apart, remove all the petals and use just the center of the flower for texture and interest in your arrangement.
Keep peonies away from bright sun if you want them to have a longer vase life. They are very sensitive to warmth and light.
Take a look at the full peony arrangement video here:
If you would like to get a wholesale floral license, you need to go through an application process. Shopping your local wholesale flower market to buy flowers in bulk is an important option to have as a florist. You need to know about the application process for your local market and if you are eligible to shop there. The requirements vary city to city and country to country, but this video gives you an overview of how to go about getting access to your market.
Research your local wholesale floral market
Some wholesale markets are open to the public at certain hours and others are strictly open to the trade. Many markets have early morning hours just for the trade and later hours for the public.First, do a Google search to understand where your market is and how they operate. Try to visit to see first hand what they offer and what the process is for applying. Most wholesale floral markets are centered around people buying for the trade: meaning florists shopping for flowers in bulk or even adjacent jobs like interior designers who might use flowers as part of their product. There might be different passes for different uses. If you want to shop for the trade, during the first hours of the morning, for the best selection, you will need to go through an application process.
What if I just want to have access but I am not a florist?
Wholesale floral markets are meant for florists or people who are using flowers to sell a product. If you are not a florist or in an adjacent career, and your market does not have public hours, it is best that you source from other places (examples here). If you can meet minimums, and the application process you can shop at your local wholesale market, but keep in mind that florists are their priority customers. If your city has public shopping hours, you can take advantage of those as a home florist.
How to apply to a wholesale flower market
The application process involves showing that you have your floral business registered and set up. Some states require an agriculture license on top of business registrations. Some markets even require a trial period to prove that you will be shopping regularly and can meet their minimums.
Local vs imported flowers
Most flower markets have several large wholesalers who trade a mix of imported and nationally and conventionally grown flowers like Mayesh. Many cities also have a local flower growers association that has a place inside the market. This is a fantastic place to find seasonal, extremely fresh flowers grown from smaller, local farmers. When I shop at the market this is always my priority source. The flowers will be fresher, and often more sustainable as they have not traveled as many miles. The flowers will also often be seasonally accurate for your climate and location. In season flowers are fresher, last longer, and are more environmentally kind. In addition, they connect the consumer back to the natural world in a truthful way. Many local markets even have some foragers that sell foliage and locally foraged flowers.
Why shop at a wholesale market
If you dream of being a florist or floral designer, having your wholesale license is important. Even if you choose to shop online or directly through farms, many of them will want the same information from you in order to shop their products. In addition, you should have as many sourcing options as possible when you operate a flower business. Having access to bulk amounts of flowers, enables you to buy flowers at a lower price, and account for the mark up you need to make, in order to be a profitable business.
How do I source my flowers?
I share all of my own sourcing secrets in this free workshop! I am a teacher, stylist, and author so my sourcing needs are a bit different from a traditional florist but I walk you through all of my sourcing practices past and present in this workshop. Sign up for the workshop here.
Sometimes I need to remind myself to take my own advice. Playing with flowers is important, even as a professional. To keep the passion alive, to come up with new ideas, and tune into flowers for joy, not just as a product. This weekend, I allowed myself some time and space to play as I was testing some of our new tech for our livestreams and new offerings.
My relationship with tech is complicated. I love creating photography, films, and online classes, but I would prefer the tech details get left to someone else. I want my hands on the flower stems, not on the keyboard! I do love that tech allows me to share the passion and joy of flowers with anyone in the world! And similar to flowers, I embrace imperfection and impulse over the premeditated or perfectly executed pieces.
Here I am embracing all my Portuguese flora even though I sometimes miss my gorgeous PNW ingredients this time of year that can only be grown with the copious amounts of rain! Embrace where you are. Share the ingredients close to you. Most everything I use is found on a short walk from my home. On foot. Foraged. Slow. Here’s to some flower play this week! Share your pics with me on email!
This process is key to keeping woody stemmed flowers from wilting! Use this for lilacs,viburnum, scotch broom (shown), and other thick-stemmed flowers. I hope you find this flower cut demo helpful!
