National Peony Day

In celebration of the growing popularity of the Peony in the UK, we are uniting people’s passion for peonies by declaring Saturday 18th May 2024 as National Peony Day. The seemingly once overlooked flower, whose season runs from April to June, used to play second, third or even fourth fiddle to more traditional flowers such as the rose, carnation or lily. Not anymore, the peony looks to stay as one of the UK’s most popular blooms.

Shop all

Why are Peonies so popular?

People are seemingly mesmerised by their unique beauty, their structural complexity and their delicate, sweet fragrance. They are truly one of Mother Nature’s true masterpieces. There are around 40 species of peonies with around 6,500 cultivars and hybrids. At Arena Flowers, we have narrowed our selection to our favourites that deliver maximum impact and vase life. Our bouquets include Alertie, Coral Charm, Coral Sunset, Flame, Dr. Alexander Fleming, Duchesse de Nemours, Gardenia, Monsieur Jules Elie, Red Charm, Pecher, Mothers Choice, Red Sarah Bernhardt, Pink Sarah Bernhardt

Did you know?

Peonies symbolise prosperity, good luck, love and honour and are therefore a favourite bloom in wedding bouquets as well as the symbol for a 12th Wedding Anniversary

The peony comes in an abundance of colours but is never blue

A peony’s vase life is up to a whopping 10 days

Peony flowers can reach up to 10 inches wide

In China, the peony represents strength and positive virtues such as bravery, honour, respect, nobility, good fortune and prosperity

Some types of peonies have single flowers, which make them very popular with bees as their pollen is visible, and other peony flowers are known as double flowers because of their layered look and their delicately ruffled petals

Where do our Peonies come from?

We support peony farmers in the UK as a priority. When demand exceeds the growing capabilities of the UK weather or before the UK season, we work directly with growers further afield to bring you beautiful, ethically sourced flowers.

What bouquets can I choose from?

This year we will be offering peonies across our Luxury Bouquet range, Letterbox Flowers and also within our Subscription Boxes.

Caring for your Peonies

We all want our favourite blooms to look their loveliest for longer so here are Arena Flowers handy hints for keeping peonies in tip top condition:
- Always place your peonies in a clean vase filled with fresh water, preferably at room temperature
- Cut approx. 2-3cm at a 45° angle from the base of each stem
- Cutting the stems at an angle creates a larger surface area for your flowers to drink from so they will stay more hydrated
- Remove any leaves that may fall below the waterline in the vase
- Display your flowers somewhere away from draughts, direct sunlight, heat sources and ripening fruit – all of these factors affect how long your flowers will last
- Re-cut the stems every three days and change the water

Why buy Peonies from Arena Flowers?

Arena Flowers has a long history of ethical practices and has scored a perfect 100/100 score from the independent Ethical Index - a score we’ve maintained for the last four years. In March 2022 we extended our ethical credentials by announcing our commitment to plant two trees for every order we receive; one planted on behalf of the customer who sends the flowers and one planted for the recipient. More than one million trees have been planted to date and we are committed to doubling that number by the end of 2022.

Read our sustainability report