You know it is peonies season when you start to see your Instagram feed blow up with photos of beautiful blooms. Peonies (as well as Magnolias) are my favorite flower. I always seem to forget these beautiful blooms are not available year round. Peony season usually runs from April until June and your blooms will typically last around ten days. Last year when I was planning our wedding I knew I wanted Peonies to be the main flower. In the back of my mind, I knew there was a certain time of the year the flowers were available and I just knew our wedding date in September was not going to fit that time frame. Fortunately, we had a wonderful florist for our special day who helped me get the look I was after with large garden roses in white. I found the large roses gave off a look of peonies, so if you find yourself in a pickle like I did, you will find the roses to be a great alternative.
Now that peony season is here I thought it would be great to show y'all how I made three large arrangements with three different color peonies for under $25. You will find the blooms in many stores including Whole Foods, Fresh Market and Costco (yes, I said Costco!) However, my favorite spot to hit up is Trader Joe's Trader Joe's has the best bang for your buck and I find the blooms last the longest. Typically they offer multiple colors and you will get 5 steams for under $7 a bundle. They import their peonies direct from Canada where as a lot of the other stores import them from further locations which makes me feel they are not as fresh. I try to grab at least one bundle of each color available to help make my arrangements. To keep the cost low I always put my flowers in mason jars. I prefer the look of mason jars over typical vases and I personally find they are easies to clean and store.
Once I get the blooms home, I cut the stems and extra leaves. Peonies are filled with large leaves throughout the steam which can make it harder for the blooms to fit in whichever jar you are trying to fill up. From the selection that I picked up on my last trip, I was able to make three arrangements in three large, wide mouthed mason jars. I fill each vase 3/4 full of water. If I notice they are running low throughout the week it is okay to add more as needed. These arrangements are great for placing all around your house, outdoor patio and even to take over to a girlfriends place as a gift.
Trader Joes here in Sarasota never misses a step and is always so great to the customers. It always makes for a nice Saturday morning trip! I try to go over early to miss the crowds and pick up my groceries for lunch for the week. We even picked up a gorgeous white orchid with 15 blooms for under $17. My mom is an avid orchid collector so this was nice to add to her garden.
I have linked the Trader Joe's location here to help y'all find the closest store to you!
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