Peony Inspires Mother’s Day Gifts

By Jill Brooke

Seems like peonies are the go-to flower people are using now for their Mother’s Day flowers along with garden roses. Florists from around the country have been sharing their bouquets which we are happy to share.

For this year,  reports reveal that U.S. consumers planned to spend about 2.66 billion U.S. dollars on flowers.

Furthermore, the  National Retail Federation published an updated holiday spending forecast that says gifters are going to spend an average of $220.48 on Mother’s Day presents. That estimate is $15.48 more than what the federation predicted for last year, and is $23.48 more than what was predicted in 2019.

Here are some beautiful peony arrangments 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 a special Mother’s Day class on Saturday and a special peony class called “Peony Perfection – Power of a Flower” on May 19th, which will focus on a single bloom to teach the latest floral design trends and construction techniques.

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