Welcome to the popupblooms May 2019 Blog

April seemed to go by in a whoosh of busyness and May is here already and the halfway mark. May is a month of lovely new, fresh leaves on the plants and trees. It is a month where the late spring flowers fade and the early summer ones are starting to flower, or in bud promising us a beautiful display later in the month.

Childhood memories of May are of my sister and I, many moons ago when we were in single figures, belonging to the Downe May Queen in Kent. We would go to practice sessions – half the time I wasn’t quite sure what was going on and what I was expected to do - and then when the big day came we would dress up in our little white dresses, with sashes, and flower crowns in our hair and dance around the May pole. It is lovely looking back and remembering this. 

May is also a very exciting month in the flower world as it heralds the start of the British peony season – I have seen many posts on social media with the excitement building over the last month or so with the imported peonies starting off the season and we are now into the early UK season. 

The British peony season is short, and very busy and full on for the growers, and so dependent on what the British weather decides to throw at them. So far it has been high winds – at least twice - and hail stones! Along with the usual up and downs of the good old British weather.

Did you know that the Peony takes its name from the mythological Greek character Paeon, who studied with the god of medicine known as Asclepius. Zeus had to transform the student into a beautiful flower when he showed more promise than his teacher and incurred his wrath.

Look out for British grown peonies in your local florists and shops