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It's coming to the end of peony season, so you haven't got long left to invest in some of these stunning blooms. This flower's beautiful rounded petals, pillowy shapes and pleasing pastel colouring makes it an all-round favourite. Originally native to China, the word 'peony' means 'beautiful' in Chinese and we happen to agree. These petals pack a punch, unfurling from their golf ball-sized buds into puffy showstoppers up to three times the size when in bloom. Decoration Faux Anthurium
Unfortunately for Instagrammers, where #peonies has nearly 3.5million tags, the season is very short. You can only buy a bouquet from late April through to mid-June, so it's important to snap up some of these marshmallowy blooms while you can.
Due to the short season and subsequent exclusive nature, peonies are one of the more expensive flowers to buy. You can save by investing in a smaller bunch – M&S does a lovely 10-stem bouquet for just £35 – or by going for a mixed arrangement punctuated by just two or three of these luxe blooms; like this Flying Flowers number, which is also under £40. We've included a selection for all budgets here in our round-up.
According to Flying Flowers, peonies are generally considered to symbolise bashfulness or good luck. In their native China, they represent wealth, honour and fortune. Oh, and if you had a May to June wedding? You should give them as a gift for your 12-year anniversary.
We've rounded up a selection of our favourite peony bouquets to buy from our best flower delivery services and our letterbox tests – along with a few other choice recommendations from the Good Housekeeping team. See our picks for the fleeting summer 2023 season below. Enjoy!
Bloom & Wild consistently come out in the top spots for both our letterbox flower and bouquet delivery service tests, so it's only fair it gets pride of place here too. The brand has one of the biggest selections of peony bunches on offer, with 14 gorgeous options, both handtied and those that slot through the door. We love this stunning bouquet, but there are others that come with chocolates, and even a gift set.
Next up is everyone's favourite – a bunch of classic blush pink peonies. M&S's bouquet has a not-too-shabby 10 stems for £25, making it the cheapest option in our list. The brand offers free next-day delivery, as a perk, making these a failsafe gift for when you've left it a little too late!
This is my favourite brand on the list; every bunch of flowers I've ever had from Appleyard has been stunning. This year, they've really upped their peony selection, offering 12 bouquets in an array of sorbet shades. This peachy hand-tied option is our pick, but there are more classic pink and purple offerings to buy too. In fact, the brand has some of the largest bunches we've found available – this one, with a solid 35 stems, is on offer with a £5 discount right now.
Flying Flowers has increased the number of peony bouquets on offer for 2023, with a choice selection of four now to choose from. As well as a classic bunch of single-stem coral peonies, there are two pastel pink and purple mixed numbers, as well as this joyful colourful bunch, punctuated with vibrant pinks, yellows, greens and purples. It makes something a little different – and you can add some free chocolates to your order with the code FREECHOCS, as a bonus.
Moonpig, one of our favourite letterbox flower purveyors, has delivered on the peony front with this pretty bunch of fluffy pink blooms interspersed with romantic red roses. When we tried this brand for the above test, we were grateful for the plastic-free packaging and found our bunch's longevity impressive – something all the more appreciated when peony season is so short!
Earning its place as GH's best supermarket flower shop, Waitrose's perfectly pink peony bouquet is more expensive than its M&S counterpart, but you get a generous 15 stems in comparison to Marks's 10. These are also scented, which is unusual, and home-grown here on British soil.
You'll know Freddie's as the subscription box service that delivers you a lovely box of fresh flowers every week, ready for you to arrange carefully yourself. We couldn't be happier with what was dropped on our doorstep – and we're proud of our newfound floristry skills, thanks to the in-depth included instructions. Order from next week and the brand's peony bouquets will be ready to deliver, all with next day delivery as long as you order before 8pm.
Floom champions local florists on its sleek, easy-to-use website. It means that, depending on your postcode, not every bouquet will be available to buy. However, you can filter by location and it means you'll be supporting a small business when you do make a purchase – and your recipient will be getting something more exclusive. In our GHI flower tests, one panellist said their Floom bunch was the best they'd ever received, so we've high hopes for its peony selection this year!
Marking the brand with the largest bunches on offer in our list is ultra-chic online florist Bloom. The florist has six single-stem peony bouquets to choose from, ranging from 10 up to 50 stem arrangements. They're not the cheapest; the 50-flower bunch will set you back £225, but they're committed to wasting zero flowers each year, which is something we like to see. Our pick? This decidedly Barbiecore hot pink number, of course.
And to finish the round-up, our last suggestion for under £40. Blossoming Gifts has three peony bouquets to choose from (two are currently on sale, as an fyi) and each comes in a choice of two sizes. We like this arrangement, featuring three pretty shades, the best. It comes with nine peonies and three Bupleurum stems to bulk it out, whereas for an extra £20 you're bumped up to 20 peonies with five additional stems.
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