May Flowers UK: Peonies, Sweet Williams and the Big Month Begins

May is the month when everything I have been waiting for since last autumn finally arrives at once. The polytunnels are still pumping out stems, the outdoor beds burst into flower, and suddenly my buckets are overflowing with peonies, sweet williams, alliums and a hundred other beauties. If you buy British flowers, May is when you see what we have really been working towards all year. The variety, the colours, the scent: it all peaks now, and it happens fast.

Why May is the biggest month for British flowers

May is when British flower farms hit full production. We have been planting, pinching, weeding and waiting since the dark days of winter, and now the outdoor beds catch up with the polytunnels to deliver an explosion of volume and variety that simply does not exist in any other month. You get roses, peonies, campanula, orlaya, sweet williams, foxgloves, alliums, cornflowers, ammi and nigella all flowering at the same time. It is overwhelming in the best possible way.

The weather can still surprise us. A late frost in early May can wipe out tender new growth, and I have learned the hard way never to put out dahlias or cosmos before the middle of the month, sometimes later. But once we are clear of frost, everything takes off. Temperatures climb into the high teens, the days stretch long, and flowers respond by growing faster than I can cut them.

This is also when my polytunnels and outdoor beds overlap perfectly. The polytunnel sweet peas and early roses are still going strong, while outside the hardy annuals like orlaya and ammi are just hitting their stride. I get the benefit of protected early crops and the abundance of outdoor seasonal flowers all in one glorious, chaotic month.

Peonies: the stars of May

Peonies are the flowers everyone waits for, and in the UK they typically flower from mid to late May depending on the weather. If we have a warm April, they can start in the second week of May. A cold spring pushes them back to the final week or even early June. But when they arrive, nothing else compares. The blooms are huge, the petals are silk, and the scent is intoxicating.

I grow Sarah Bernhardt, the classic blowsy pink double that every bride asks for. Duchesse de Nemours is my favourite white, with a creamy centre and the most incredible fragrance. Coral Charm opens coral and fades to peach and cream, and it is one of the first to flower. I also have a few plants of Festiva Maxima, white with crimson flecks, and Bowl of Beauty, a pink single with a golden centre. Each variety has its own flowering window, usually staggered by a week or so, which helps spread the season.

But the peony season is short. Three to four weeks maximum, sometimes less if we get a hot spell that pushes everything open at once. I cut them in bud when the first petal is just loosening, and they open beautifully in the vase over three to five days. If you want British peonies, you need to order in May or you miss them entirely. They do not store, they do not wait, and they are worth every penny.

Sweet williams and other scented favourites

Sweet williams are one of my absolute favourite May flowers. They peak right now with an intense clove scent that fills the polytunnel and the buckets and every room they are brought into. I grow the tall Auricula Eyed mix and the deep crimson Sooty, both biennial varieties sown the previous summer. The colours range from deep burgundy to bright magenta, pink and white, often with darker eyes and patterns. They are cottage garden classics, and they last well in the vase.

May is also when scent becomes as important as colour in my arrangements. Nigella, with its feathery foliage and sky blue or white flowers, has a faint sweet scent and incredible seedpods that follow. Orlaya, like a finer Queen Anne's lace, is frothy and elegant. Ammi majus, taller and more structured than orlaya, fills space and softens everything around it. Foxgloves, mostly in shades of pink, apricot and white, bring height and drama. All of these are in full swing in May, and they transform what I can offer in mixed seasonal bunches.

I talk about these flowers often on The Cut Flower Podcast, especially when guests ask what defines a British May bouquet. It is the scent, the seasonal mix, the fact that everything is fresh cut and only available for a few weeks. You cannot replicate this with imported flowers. The seasonality is the whole point.

Late spring flowers for May weddings

May weddings get the best variety of the year, hands down. Brides who book May dates have access to peonies, garden roses, sweet peas, alliums, campanula, sweet williams, orlaya, ammi, foxgloves, nigella and more, all British grown and all at their absolute peak. It is the dream month for seasonal wedding flowers, and my diary fills up months in advance.

Peonies are the most requested flower, but I also use a lot of roses in May. The first flush is just beginning, and varieties like Koko Loco, Quicksand and Cafe Latte are opening in the polytunnel. Alliums add structure and a contemporary edge, especially Purple Sensation and the later white Mount Everest. Campanula, in soft blues and whites, is perfect for romantic, loose designs. Everything is abundant, everything is in season, and the colour palette is rich without being heavy.

If you are planning a May wedding and want British flowers, you need to book early. Most flower farmers, including me, take limited wedding bookings because we are also managing subscriptions, shop orders and the sheer workload of peak season. But if you secure a May date, you get the best of everything. For more on how I work with couples, visit my weddings page.

What to expect from your British flower farmer in May

In May, expect full buckets and mixed seasonal bunches that change week by week. I cut to order, so what goes into your bunch depends on what is at its best on the day I cut. One week it might be heavy on peonies and sweet williams. The next week, orlaya and foxgloves dominate. The variety is the joy, but it also means no two bunches are identical.

Subscriptions reflect the abundance. My regular customers know that May bunches are bigger, more varied and more colourful than anything I send in March or April. The stems are longer, the blooms are fuller, and the vase life is excellent because everything is growing fast in warm weather. I include scented stems wherever possible, and I always try to get at least one or two peonies into every bunch while they last.

Flower colours shift in May from the soft pastels of early spring to deeper, richer tones. Burgundy sweet williams, coral peonies, deep purple alliums and intense blue nigella all appear now. The palette becomes more saturated, more dramatic, while still feeling soft and seasonal. If you want to see what is available each week, visit my flower shop where I update seasonal bunches and subscriptions regularly.

If you grow your own, May is also when you learn what works and what does not. I cover this in detail in my Seed to Vase course, but the short version is this: plant more than you think you need, succession sow where you can, and cut everything before it goes over. May teaches you to be ruthless with your secateurs and generous with your vases. For variety ideas and planting tips, read my post on the best flowers to grow for cutting.

If you want May flowers UK grown with care and cut fresh to order, visit my flower shop for seasonal bunches and subscriptions delivered across Buckinghamshire and beyond. For May wedding flowers, peonies and bespoke designs, see my weddings page. And if you love learning about seasonal flowers and what is happening on British farms right now, listen to The Cut Flower Podcast where I talk to growers, florists and flower lovers every week.