Peony Inspires Mother’s Day Gifts

By Jill Brooke

Peonies are the go-to favorites for Mother’s Day arrangements.

For this year,  reports reveal that U.S. consumers planned to spend about $3.2 billion U.S. dollars on flowers. The average Mother’s Day spending will be $259 per individual. With three-fourths of consumers including flowers as part of gift giving, beautiful blooms remain the most popular way of saying how much you appreciate Mom.

Gifts that are thoughtful in nature also remain a priority for shoppers, according to the  National Retail Federation.

Wanting to find an item that creates a special memory is also a focus. Flowers are all about triggering memories and creating them.

“Even though consumers continue to gravitate toward classic Mother’s Day gifts like flowers, almost one-third plan to give a gift of an experience this year,” says Phil Rist, NRF VP of Strategy.

That can include taking a flower arranging class together, visiting a botanical garden or even having a lunch or dinner in a flower friendly environment.

According to florists, peonies continue to be the most popular flower.

“We’ve never had so many trucks delivering peonies to all parts of the United States,” says David Kaplan, CEO of  Above All Flowers. “Peonies become more popular every year.”

Here are some beautiful peony arrangements from Gotham Florist in NY, Jennifer Design Events in Philadelphia, Flower Diva in North Carolina and Ashley Fox in Minnesota as far as arrangements.

But like in basketball parlance, why not have a slam dunk?  Give the beauty of a bouquet and then add something thoughtful that will last a long time.

We’ve found a wonderful peony-infused candle from Gibson & Dehn, a company that produces candles for big brand names and now have ventured on their own. Such quality. And who doesn’t love candles?

“At Gibson & Dehn we focus on “Sight to Scent” – meaning that we like to combine visual design or beauty with fragrance,” says owner Michael Dehn Breault. “I can’t think of a flower that combines beauty and fragrance in a better way. The buds and blooms are unmatched and the fragrance of a peony or hyacinth will fill any home.”

And maybe pair both the flowers and candle with a bottle of peony vodka.

Over in Boston, Cass School of Floral Design is having special Mother’s Day inspired classes. In the past, they have had a special peony class called “Peony Perfection – Power of a Flower” which will focus on single blooms to teach the latest floral design trends and construction techniques. Flower classes are the best Mother’s Day gifts and create an experience shared together.

In the language of flowers, peonies generally mean good luck, love and honor.

Originally imported from China, they are referred to as “the king of flowers” but for Mother’s Day we are renaming them the “Queen of Flowers.” Prior to 1929, they were China’s national flower until replaced by the plum tree. They were planted at the Imperial Palaces during the Sui and Tang dynasties and therefore grew as a symbol of wealth and prestige. In fact, the Chinese city of Luoyang is known as the “City of Peony” because it houses the National Peony Garden, which has over 100 different breeds of peonies and has a national peony festival.

Like mothers, peonies root deep. They don’t like to be moved and are a fabulous plant – if you choose not to buy flowers for a bouquet.  They require little maintenance as long as they have full sun. And they last forever. My peony plants are 50 years old and am very grateful that they were planted here in Bedford by radio and TV star Gertrude Berg who once owned our property.

In fact, flowerpowerdaily’s logo is a peony. It just oozes happiness and fun.

Jill Brooke is a former CNN correspondent, Post columnist and editor-in-chief of Avenue and Travel Savvy magazine. She is an author and the editorial director of FPD and floral editor for aspire design and home magazine