PAPAVER SOMNIFERUM VAR. PAEONIFLORUM
peony poppy
the floral foam arrangement
FOR MUCH OF THE NINETIES AND EARLY NOUGHTIES, massed flowers were all the rage. Tight domes of head-to-head blooms, usually all the same variety, too – masses of white ‘Avalanche’ roses within a vase, or tight posies of pristine calla lilies (Zantedeschia aethiopica ‘Colombe de la Paix’) for stylish brides to hold walking down the aisle. We rebelled from 2010 onwards – there was a looser, more romantic style afoot; the more haphazard, the better.
Today, I’m seeing a certain creativity within floral design, one not satisfied with following the rules of tight domes, var. , commonly known as peony poppies. Available for just a few weeks in June, their appearance is a highlight of the garden calendar; an armful of them a dashing swathe of endless papery ruffles, and solid, linear stems. While mindblowingly beautiful, it’s worth noting that peony poppies have heavy stems and require a lot of support, especially if you wish to arrange them dynamically in a smaller vase to really emphasise this fabulous flower.
