Peonies
as a wonderful gift. The warm spring sunshine has been shining for some time and that can only mean one thing; peony season is about to start again! The lush, full blooms of the peony are a sure sign that spring is in full swing. Greenflor, one of the Flourishing Partners of Van der Plas, went on a trip to various growers to find the most beautiful peonies.
Searching for perfection
At Van der Plas and at our Flourishing Partner Greenflor, we understand that you want to offer your customers only the most beautiful flowers. Of course, the beautiful peony is no exception. Therefore, every year Greenflor searches for the most beautiful varieties of peonies of the highest quality. Bert van der Kroft, sourcing expert at Greenflor, takes us on this journey. "Within our search, the quality of the flowers is obviously leading, but we also value close cooperation with the grower. We want the process from harvesting to processing the flowers to run as smoothly as possible. We found the cooperation that meets these requirements with a grower in Romania."
Practical Tips
The cooperation with the grower in Romania is a special story. "Originally, the owners of the nursery had little experience growing flowers," Bert explains. "They had grown up in arable farming, but were interested in growing peonies. After the initial contact at a trade show, we supported them with our peony expertise from Greenflor. Five years ago the first cuttings went into the ground and three years later they harvested the first peonies. I helped the owners with practical tips, for example, the best time to harvest and the best way to refrigerate the flowers to keep them as fresh as possible during transport."
Closed chain
Bert's advice soon paid off. So, in recent years, not only has the number of varieties of peonies and the quantity of peonies grown by the nursery increased significantly, but great strides have also been made in processing the flowers. "After harvesting, peonies are now going directly through a refrigerated trailer into a vacuum cooler. The heart of the flower is then at a temperature of 3°C within 20 minutes. This causes the peony to "stand still," in its growth, preserving freshness. In this way we have created a closed chain together with the grower in Romania. As a result, the peonies purchased by florists in Van der Plas' webshop are of high quality and last a long time."
Launch
Because of Greenflor's close cooperation with the Romanian grower, as a florist you buy the most beautiful peonies through Van der Plas' webshop. But which varieties of peonies are best to choose if you want to surprise your customer? Bert himself recommends definitely adding the Flame, Odile and Sarah Bernard to the digital shopping cart. "The Flame is a very beautiful, single peony with a hard pink color and yellow stamens. Because this variety is available early, it is like the starting shot of the peony season. The Flame is an affordable peony that paves the way for the other varieties that become available later in the season."
Popular peonies
Another flower Bert recommends is the Odile. "The Odile has not been on the market for very long, but is rapidly gaining popularity. This peony has a firm and well-filled white flower with a soft purple center. This makes the Odile very suitable for weddings. This also applies to the classic Sarah Bernhardt. This double pink peony is so well known and popular that some customers often associate the peony with this variety. So the Sarah Bernhardt should definitely not be missing from your assortment."
Application
Now that you know which varieties of peonies should not be missing from your flower store, the question remains as to the best way to use the full peony in your bouquets and floral arrangements. Kees Schuitemaker, owner of Pracht Bloemen, uses the peony in a variety of ways. The florist has been making floral creations for various occasions since 2005, often using the peony as a solitary flower. "The peony is a large and present flower when it opens. That's why I often use the peony as the only flower in a bouquet. But you can also perfectly use the full flowers of the peony in a field bouquet, where they then form a real eye-catcher. You can also use the flower in floral arrangements in groups."
Tender flower
Kees says he enjoys working with peonies. "The peony is a flower that exudes a kind of softness. Because of this, the flower is very suitable for Mother's Day, for example. From many women that I speak to, the peony is their favorite flower. So for Mothers' Day, I would always offer bunches of peonies with a long stem. You can also choose to make a mix of different types of peonies combined with cut greens. My personal favorite is the Coral Sunset, which changes color as it opens. That gradient in color is truly something special."
Positive surprise
With the full and robust flowers of the peony, you bring a fresh and cheerful ambiance to your store. Stimulate your customers' senses with the beautiful Romanian peonies in Van der Plas' webshop. With their sweet fragrance and lush appearance, Greenflor's peonies are sure to surprise your customers in a positive way!
Check out the peonies in our webshop!