Why Are Peonies So Expensive? [Top 14 Reasons]

If you’re like me, then you’ve probably wondered why peonies are so expensive. After all, they’re just flowers, right? Well, it turns out that there’s a lot more to peonies than meets the eye.

In this blog post, we’ll take a closer look at why these flowers are so popular and why they can be such a pricey addition to your garden. So, without further ado, let’s get started!

Why Are Peonies so Expensive

Why Are Peonies So Expensive?

Peonies are expensive because of a number of reasons. You are paying for the product, shipping, handling, and the time it takes to grow and cultivate them. Peonies are also delicate flowers that need to be refrigerated, which adds to the cost. Furthermore, they are rare to find and have a lot of symbolism and demand. Celebrities love peonies, which also contributes to their high cost. Lastly, the size of the bloom is another factor that determines the price. All of these reasons combined make peonies one of the most expensive flowers on the market.

Let’s look at the reasons behind Why Are Peonies  So Expensive in further detail.

You are Paying for the Product and Service

Growing peonies takes a lot of time and work until they bloom. Also, there is a shipping, storage, supplies, and packaging process involved before they get to a florist shop, and all these get included in the ultimate pricing.

When buying peonies, you pay for the florist to buy and make designs that you’d like.

So when you buy peonies, you are paying for the flowers and the labor involved to come up with the final product.

Celebrities Love Peonies

Celebrities play a significant role in any business. It is because they create awareness and a desire to make people get attracted to the product. This factor increases the prices of the products.

For instance, if you spot your favorite celebrity with peonies, you will make sure that you purchase them too.  It is because you want to feel like them because you idolize them.

Some of the Celebrities that have been spotted using peonies include Hilary Druff, Drew Barrymore, and Gweneth Paltrow.

They can be used for medicinal purposes

In the past, people used peonies as a medicine to treat illnesses by the Chinese. Some of the illnesses they treat are headaches, convulsions, liver and asthma.

Also, studies have revealed that peonies come with immune and mood-boosting properties. And they can get used to cure inflammations, blood clots and general body pain.

Also, they get used in European countries as herbal medicine to treat bladder and kidneys. The medicinal properties of peonies play a considerable role in the pricing of peonies.

Peonies Have A Lot of Symbolism

Apart from the nice fragrance of cut flowers, most brides prefer peonies because of their symbolic factor.

They represent love and romance, and most people believe they have a good omen for marriage. For example, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle who used peonies as part of flowers for their wedding day.

 Also, peonies get used as a traditional flower during the 12th  wedding anniversaries. But during the Victorian era, they were used as a symbol of shyness and shame.

Also, when you visit countries like China and Japan, these flowers stand for bravery, honor, respect, nobility, good luck, and prosperity. These factors contribute to the high stickers because florists know that people who believe in them will pay any amount.

They Have a High Demand.

A supermarket study shows that the demand for peonies has increased by almost 100% over the past three years. They are spring flowers, and they last for a few months.

Their demand and popularity have increased because of their use at weddings. However, the supply of peonies could not meet the demand.

For example, in the United Kingdom, peonies season lasts for just one month. It is also a gifting season and increases the demand and popularity.

So, most florists increase price tags because they have limited stock, and people are willing to pay the exceptions prices.

Shipping

Another factor that makes peonies to be expensive is the shipping process. On top of buying the cost of the flowers, you must consider the shipping.

The cost of perishable shipping products is high compared to that of non-perishable. In some cases, you might find the price of shipping peonies is the same as that of buying them.

For peonies to get to their destination when they are still fresh and in good shape, you must ensure they are handled well during shipping.

So you need suitable packaging materials that are equally costly and lead to an increase in the price tag of peonies. Also, they are shipped in a rush, which is more expensive than regular shipping.

The shipping cost also varies with the distance they are getting shipped. For example, if you relieve in areas where peonies natively grow, you are likely to pay less than someone outside these areas.

Peonies Take A Lot of Time to Arrange, Process, and Handle

There is a lot of work involved in preparing, handling, and processing pennies after harvesting. It might take a couple of hours to create a single bouquet, and it is one of the main reasons behind peonies’ premium prices.

After harvesting, flowers arrive in bulk and are not very attractive since they are packed tightly and arranged on top of the others. It is different from the ultimate product we find in a florist shop.

Peonies need to be processed. So they have to get cleaned, stripped, and preceded even before handling and designing them.

Also, all foliage and leaves get trimmed on all stems. The stems also have to be cut and placed in a gallon of water to absorb as much water as they can. Other flowers need to be processed for several days to reach their peak point.

There is a labor-intensive process involved before getting the peonies’ final product. And when these costs are added to the cost of peonies, the price stickers are increased.

Peonies are Long-lasting

Another reason peonies are expensive is that they are long-lasting and have a good shelf life for both the grower and the buyer. These flowers may look fragile, but they grow well in frigid areas.

For growers, peonies can bloom for over 100 years. And for buyers, a peony bloom can last for around 7- 10 days after buying. However, they might take a more extended period of even one month if you take good care of them. Compared to other types of flowers, which wither within a short period.

Expert florists can keep peonies for up to three months, but they should have coolers to survive. The fact that they are long-lasting makes them costly.

They are Delicate

Peonies are delicate. When they get moved from the farm to the storage area and the end-user. There is a likelihood of them breaking in the process. So they need utmost care for them to arrive when they are in good shape.

But no matter how any florist may take care of peonies, many of them don’t make it. So when the florist considers the damaged flowers, the price of the peonies increases.

Peonies need to be Refrigerated

For peonies to survive for an extended period, they need to be stored in a cooler. Coolers are expensive to buy and run. But having a good and functional one is necessary for any floral shop.

If a florist doesn’t have a good cooler, they will have a grocery flowers shop that can not last for more than two days. When you purchase peonies from your florist or any flower shop, they should last for more than one week.

When a florist ensures the flowers are well-preserved, they give you value for your money by selling high-quality peonies. So when the cost of refrigeration is added up, the price of peonies goes up.

Peonies are Rare to Find

Unlike other flowers, peonies are hard to find. They are only available during the spring season between April and July.

Also, they don’t do well in all areas, but they natively grow in countries like Asia, North and Western America, and Southern Europe. Seasonal flowers are expensive, especially when you buy them out of season.

Growing

Peonies need to be planted first. And various weathers favor them. Also, it would be best to plant them in an area with soil, temperature, climate, and thirst that is favorable to them.

Growing peonies requires loads of work. It would be best if you did pruning, watering, and weeding daily. Also, peonies may take up to two years for peonies to start blooming.

After the peonies mature, they are cut and sent to florists around the globe. Peonies are perishable. So the farmers harvest them and do overnight shipping to the designated destinations.

When you consider the work it involves planting peonies and the shipping cost, you will realize why they are so costly.

Size Of the Bloom

The size of the bloom is also a factor that makes the price of peonies high. They need to be harvested at a particular time. It might be challenging to cut them at the right time because of the bloom size.

Peonies need to have the correct bloom size before harvesting.

The seasons may differ, and if the weather is not favorable, the peonies may be too small, and the buyers reject them. So growers put extra effort into watering and putting fertilizer to ensure that they are of the accepted size in the market.

Planting commercial peonies is a skill that growers learn with time. If the peonies don’t bloom correctly, they are not marketable, and the grower loses time and money. So when they get the acceptable bloom size, they charge premium price tags.

Middlemen

When you order people, there is a middleman involved in most cases. If you order online, people work with the local florist around your country. Their work is to convince you and take your order, but they don’t have any peonies.

They take your order and get paid, but the florists, the partner who fulfills the order, are the florists. When there are other people involved in a business, the product’s price goes up to cover the cost of paying the middle ones.

Final Thoughts on Why are Peonies so Expensive?

In conclusion, peonies are expensive because of their rarity, the work that goes into growing and shipping them, and the middlemen involved.

Also, when you buy peonies, you are not only paying for the flower but also for the service.

Peonies require a lot of care to ensure they last long. So when you consider all these factors, it is no wonder that peonies are so expensive.

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