Peonies are frequent guests in gardens and summer cottages. Many of their lush flowers and delicate aromas are associated with exams and the last bell at school. Short flowering once a year is perhaps the main drawback of this beautiful flower. Because of this, he also creates difficulties for florists: many brides want to see a peony in their wedding bouquet, and to do this in autumn or winter is almost impossible or very expensive.
But this situation is not hopeless. Peony flowers come to the aid of esthetician gardeners and charming brides. You will find out what these plants are called and what they look like later in the article.
Beautiful double
Most often, ranunculus is chosen as an alternative to peony. This is a plant from the family of buttercups, to be more precise, it is an Asian buttercup. Unlike your field relative, whom you met on the lawns outside the city, he has lush buds that come in different shades - from delicate pastel to dramatic purplish-violet. This flower, similar to a peony and a rose, blossoms from June to August, some species bloom even until October and early November. Many brides also like the white ranunculus, which blooms in early spring.
The size of the bud is smaller than the peony, lush, thin petals are arranged in a circle and often open green or black stamens, which give a beautiful contrast to the overall gamut of the flower.
Many-Faced Beauties
It would seem that everyone knows what a peony and a rose look like. Nothing in common, right? But no. Among the roses there are flowers similar to peonies. These are such varieties:
- Sweet Juliet - a flower with this gentle name has a very magnificent multilayer bud, and its smell is simply divine. It blooms throughout the summer and early autumn.
- Eden Rose is a variety with large double flowers, a light aroma and a very long flowering.
- May rose (Rose de Mai) - a kind of wild rose with a terrific aroma, from which rose oil is made. This flower, similar to a peony, has a very large bud with a mass of petals, most often it is pale pink, but there are also red-violet shades.
- Rose Austin or English Rose - despite the fact that its size is almost three times smaller than a peony, they are often confused. In fact, there are many subspecies of this flower, and the flowering period is very wide. Their smell is bright and saturated, because the breeder in the first place put the shape and aroma of the plant. Moreover, a characteristic feature of the “Austin” is two flowering periods per year.
Many roses grow beautifully in greenhouses, so they are by and large a year-round alternative to peonies. The listed varieties are only part of the species with flowers similar to peonies. In fact, there are many more.
Not only on March 8
Traditionally, tulips are associated with women's day. But such a flower, similar to a peony, can decorate a bride’s bouquet.
Terry tulips come in different shades and splendor. Two groups of flowers are distinguished among them, depending on the flowering period. The early ones differ in buds up to 8 cm in diameter and pointed petals, while the later ones have a bud up to 12 cm in diameter with rounded petals. The height of the flower is also different - the first grow up to 40 cm, and the second - up to 60 cm.
Unconventional choice
There are even more exotic options. For example, an eustoma has a flower similar to a peony, but the shape of the bud is somewhat different - in the form of a bell, and it is much smaller in size. In the bouquet, she looks gentle and romantic. On the stem can be several flowers that stand in the vase for a long time - up to 2 weeks. Fully bloomed, the eustoma is very similar to small peonies. Its flowering begins in June and continues until early autumn.
Terry peony-shaped poppy specially bred to mimic a peony. Unlike a field relative, he has a lot of delicate thin petals.
White terry carnations can also play this role. By themselves, they are too small, but a few buds, interconnected, give a flower that looks like a peony.
Some varieties of chrysanthemums are not similar in shape to the petals, but in no way inferior in splendor and volume. They begin to bloom at the end of summer and until the first frosts delight us with their beauty. A flower similar to a peony can be found in Antonov, Shamrock, Regina White, and Korean White varieties.
A lush bud can be found among camellias. There are even special varieties similar to peonies.
The dahlia also has subspecies with lush terry inflorescences, rounded petals and pale pink color.