Nothing Says Happy Mother’s Day Like Flowers—Peonies To Be Exact (Win!)

Giving flowers on Mother’s Day is a time-honoured tradition. A bright, spring-inspired bouquet remains a thoughtful way to show appreciation and love for mothers, grandmothers, aunties and special caregivers. The popularity of gifting flowers means one thing though: busy florists! We chatted with Genevieve Blondin, owner of Garden Party Flowers in Vancouver, to find out what goes into the perfect Mother’s Day bouquet, if she takes the day off and what’s the big deal about peonies anyways? —Jenn Wint

We have to know. What’s with all the hype around peonies? 

Peonies are serious fan favourites! We start getting requests for them as soon as the Christmas decorations are put away and we’re inundated right through spring! They’re quite rare and only bloom for a short period from April to June which makes them highly sought after flowers. Peonies are great to design with. They’re stunning and add dimension to any bouquet. They also have a delicious sweet smell and come in vibrant spring colours. This year we have them in pink, red, orange, yellow, and white. For Mother’s Day, we will be including peonies as part of a larger bouquet or in a bunch of around 6-12 stems paired with complimentary greenery. Peonies are also very popular for weddings as they symbolise romance and luck. The peony obsession is real but I get it, they’re gorgeous! 

What are some of the best local flowers available in B.C. around Mother’s Day? 

April and May in BC bring some of the most beautiful local blooms! We are so spoiled for choice when it comes to designing arrangements for Mother’s Day. Many of the spring flowers have short blooming seasons which makes them even more special. Some of my favourites from the local growers around Vancouver are lilacs, ranunculus, narcissus and of course, peonies. Combining vibrant pink peonies with delicate roses and deep purple lilacs makes a beautiful, abundant, long lasting spring arrangement. Ranunculus stems with lush eucalyptus also make an incredibly elegant arrangement. These flowers come with light, fresh scents bringing the best of spring into your home.

We’ve heard Mother’s Day is the biggest day of the year for florists. Is this true? 

Mother’s Day is a pretty close race with Valentine’s Day! My favourite time in the studio is in the lead up to big floral holidays like Mother’s Day or Valentine’s Day as our studio is FULL of flowers. I think with Mother’s Day we see a lot more variety in the types of flowers we’re buying so it’s a lot more fun to design for. Around Valentine’s Day everyone wants roses so it’s a lot of the same styles and we sometimes don’t get to be as creative. In the spring we bring in some unique varieties to have fun with. I think Mother’s Day feels busier as it leads us straight into wedding season which is always crazy! 

What makes Garden Party Flowers different from other Vancouver florists? 

Vancouver has so many wonderful floral studios. I think what sets us apart is our designers. Our team is made up of five floral experts who are truly artists when it comes to designing and arranging florals. Some of the work they do, especially for weddings or events, blows my mind. Our most popular order is a designer’s choice bouquet although to be honest, all arrangements are designer’s choice. They alway choose the freshest, most suited flowers for the occasion and every bouquet is unique. We also like to purchase most of our blooms locally which leads us to discovering unique varieties and some special flowers you may not find everywhere. Lastly, we really are a bunch of flower geeks.. Floral design is a lifestyle for my team. We are constantly researching and learning about different flower types and how to arrange them in new and interesting ways. There’s never a dull moment in our studio! 

What is your ideal Mother’s Day bouquet? 

I discovered ranunculus when my own mom gifted me some in a bouquet many years back and fell in love instantly. We usually have to import them in the winter but throughout spring  ranunculus are in season and many local growers are offering some really unique varieties. My favourite at the moment is the hanoi variety which are a beautiful blush pink and bloom as big as a peony. Also, a tip if you really want to impress your mom this Mother’s Day, send her an arrangement in a vase and save her the hassle of cutting the stems and fussing to arrange her bouquet. 

How do you celebrate Mother’s Day? Are you sick of flowers by the time Mother’s Day comes around?

I have an 18 month old year old daughter so Mother’s Day has a whole new meaning for me these days. As the owner of a flower studio and with my own mom living out of town, I unfortunately don’t get to spend Mother’s Day with my family at home. Our designers have a busy weekend and our driver Jack is the busiest guy in town on Mother’s Day delivering everyone’s bouquets and arrangements. As for being sick of flowers, that absolutely never happens and never will but, since I’m able to gift those to myself, I’d love to celebrate by being taken somewhere special for Mother’s Day brunch, maybe a nice walk and then ideally, a well deserved nap! 

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Win! A $150 Mother’s Day Bouquet From Garden Party Flowers!

Congrats Danica M. of Port Coquitlam, BC, who will receive a $150 designer’s choice Mother’s Day bouquet from Garden Party Flowers designed using mostly local seasonal blooms. A light and bright design with a variety of fragrant flowers in spring tones including some highly sought out peonies! Please note: if you are the winner, you will receive a DM (direct message) in Instagram directly from @vitadaily.ca. Please be wary of fake accounts, which often use similar handles with an extra or missing letter, number or symbol. We will never ask for a payment or for your credit card number, and we will never ask you to click through a link. If you are unsure whether you have been contacted, via Instagram, by us or a fake account, email us before responding.