The peony season is in full swing and so far, it has been a pleasing one. The early season, the timing of the holidays, the flower as a gift item and the lack of roses on the market increased the demand as well as the prices of this flower. This is explained by Marty Star, owner of MyPeony Society, a platform that distributes peonies from 40 growers out of 6 countries.
Good season
The COVID-19 crisis does not seem to have hit the peony sales. "Flowers are a great product to maintain your social contacts. When people cannot visit each other they still want to send a present for birthdays, illness or whatever. On top of that, as many are at home, they try to brighten up their homes with flowers, and it seems the peony is a popular product." This combined with a season that started early and the beneficial timing of the holidays this year. and the lower amount of roses on the market, due to the logistical challenges, resulted in a pleasing demand.
Prices: Higher for standard assortment, lower for luxurious assortment
According to Star, the prices for the flowers depend on type and color. "The standard assortment receives higher prices, while the prices for the more luxurious peonies are lower, which is mainly caused by the lack of events and weddings. And as white is often used for weddings, the price for the peony in this color lags behind as well." For MyPeony, the prices for most of their products are quite stable, as they sell ahead 50% of their products. However, also for them, as they sell many special varieties, they see it in their average price. "Currently it is 1.3 percent higher, but the special varieties are the ones pushing down the average. But as we sell ahead these percentages can be different in the market."
Quality of the crop
The South European peony season is over, but the Dutch season is in full swing. Looking at the quality of the crop, Star says it is not as high as last year, due to this year's climate conditions. "The winter was wet, which results in water damage, resulting in some plants producing less flowers. Spring, in contrast, was dry, which inhibited growth. On the positive side, there was almost no disease or botrytis in the flowers, due to the drought.
Peak season
The peak season runs till mid-June, but the entire season runs till August. The majority of MyPeony Society's flowers go to the UK, Germany, France, Russia, the USA and Scandinavia.
Expectations coming weeks
"The demand for Pentecost, last Monday, was good, and the same goes for coming Sunday, French Mother's Day. From then on, it is difficult to predict. So far, the season has been very pleasing and many peonies are sold out, so there is definitely now oversupply. If the demand continues like this, the coming weeks look promising."
For more information 
My Peony Society
Miriam Star
Email: miriam.star@mypeonysociety.com
www.mypeonysociety.com