By Tim McVey, Director of Floral Design — Perennial Gardens Bedford
The most consequential wedding floral decision most couples make is also the one they think about least: when the wedding is. The month determines what flowers will actually be at their peak — and what will have to be flown in from another hemisphere, downgraded, or substituted. Seasonal honesty is a brand pillar at Perennial Gardens, and it's also the single most practical framework for designing a wedding that looks its best. Our floral design workshop has done weddings across all twelve months in Westchester and the surrounding region, and after eighty years of observing what's actually at peak when, we've learned that the flowers you want often arrive naturally in the month you're getting married — if you let the season lead.
How Regional Sourcing Shapes This List
Westchester sits in USDA hardiness zone 6b–7a, depending on microclimate. The regional sourcing chain we buy from — Hudson Valley cutting farms, Long Island bulb growers, New Jersey greenhouses for shoulder-season material — operates in the same climate band. The practical implication: what's in bloom at regional farms is what arrives at our Bedford workshop that week. Cornell Cooperative Extension of Westchester County tracks local bloom timing that closely mirrors our wholesale supply rhythm.
Anything grown outside this regional band — peonies in October, tulips in August, dahlias in March — has traveled thousands of miles by air freight. It's been sized down, forced-bloomed, and handled by multiple intermediaries. It costs more. It looks different from what it does in season. And vase life is shorter.
The month-by-month list below covers what we actually use in peak seasonal weddings. For detailed horticultural context on specific cultivars, the Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder is a deep reference.
Month-by-Month Wedding Flower Calendar
January
Sculptural direction. Florals lean on forced branches (quince, cherry, magnolia), amaryllis, paperwhites, and imported ranunculus and anemones from California or Holland greenhouses. Architectural arrangements read better than attempts at lush florals. Character: crisp, formal, minimalist.
Available: Amaryllis, paperwhites, anemones (imported), ranunculus (imported), forced branches, eucalyptus, magnolia leaves.
Wedding aesthetic that works: Minimalist, white-and-green, architectural, candle-forward with limited floral. Winter estate weddings with cold-weather elegance.
February
Similar to January, with more ranunculus and anemones coming into reliable supply. Early forced tulips appear from Dutch growers. Camellia is possible if hardy varieties cooperate. Lily-of-the-valley from greenhouse forcing for Valentine's-adjacent weddings.
Available: Ranunculus, anemones, tulips (forced), amaryllis, lily-of-the-valley (forced), hellebores (limited).
Wedding aesthetic that works: Romantic minimalism, ivory-and-blush palettes, indoor venues with layered lighting.
March
The beginning of shoulder season. Tulips expand into reliable supply from Long Island growers. Hellebores appear from regional hardy gardens. Forced peonies from New Zealand and Chile arrive, though we generally recommend against imported peonies on principle. Late winter branches still available.
Available: Tulips, hellebores, ranunculus, anemones, forsythia branches, early daffodils.
Wedding aesthetic that works: Transitional spring — early bloom palettes, yellow-forsythia accents for later in the month, ivory-and-green for earlier weddings.
April
Spring opens up meaningfully. Tulips, ranunculus, and anemones peak. Lilac appears mid-to-late April from warmer microclimates. Hyacinths, daffodils, early alliums. First regional peonies begin in warm pockets late in the month for weddings in the last week.
Available: Tulips (full range), ranunculus, hyacinths, lilac, daffodils, early alliums, sweet peas, early scabiosa.
Wedding aesthetic that works: Spring palettes in full color — peach, coral, lilac, soft yellow. Garden-inspired arrangements that reference what's blooming outside the venue.
May
The first fully regional-sourced wedding month. Lilac, early peonies, full ranunculus, sweet peas, delphinium, clematis vine. Spring color palette at its most abundant. First regional roses appear toward end of month.
Available: Peonies (early), lilac, sweet peas, ranunculus, delphinium, anemones, alliums, clematis, early garden roses.
Wedding aesthetic that works: Garden-to-vase aesthetic, loose arrangements that reference cottage-garden character, generous use of greenery.
June
Peony month. The single most-requested wedding flower and the only month it's actually in regional season. Garden roses, sweet peas, delphinium, early hydrangea. Cornflower, scabiosa, Queen Anne's lace for textured garden compositions.
Available: Peonies (peak — Coral Charm, Sarah Bernhardt, Bowl of Cream, Festiva Maxima), garden roses (David Austin varieties from regional growers), sweet peas, delphinium, hydrangea (early), cornflower, scabiosa.
Wedding aesthetic that works: Lush, romantic, garden-forward. Arrangements can afford to be generous — the flowers are doing the work, not the structure.
July
Summer heat changes the palette. Peonies done. Zinnias, lisianthus, snapdragons, early dahlias, rudbeckia, sunflowers. Lots of structural greenery — eucalyptus, herbs (mint, basil, rosemary) as accents.
Available: Zinnias (all sizes), lisianthus, snapdragons, dahlias (early), rudbeckia, sunflowers, herbs, hydrangea (full), scabiosa.
Wedding aesthetic that works: Warm-palette summer — coral, gold, terra cotta, with green and herbaceous elements. Tent weddings benefit from this palette.
August
Dahlia season begins in earnest. Zinnias and lisianthus continue. Late-summer perennials — echinacea, rudbeckia, amaranth, grasses. Hot weather means arrangements need to be more heat-resilient, which influences stem selection.
Available: Dahlias (expanding), zinnias, lisianthus, echinacea, amaranth, grasses, sunflowers, late-summer hydrangea.
Wedding aesthetic that works: Relaxed, abundant, warm. Late-summer weddings benefit from loose arrangements that reference the end-of-summer meadow character.
September
One of the strongest months for wedding florals. Dahlias at peak. Full roses, ranunculus returning from fall greenhouses, celosia, amaranth, ornamental grasses. The warmest palette of the year — rust, burgundy, terra cotta, gold.
Available: Dahlias (peak — café au lait, Karma, Ball varieties), roses, ranunculus (fall), celosia, amaranth, grasses, chrysanthemums, anemones (fall).
Wedding aesthetic that works: Warm-palette autumn, garden-maximalist, rich textural compositions. Very strong for estate weddings where the property's own fall color provides backdrop.
October
Dahlias continue. Chrysanthemums (spider, disbudded, button varieties) expand. Ornamental kale and cabbage for textural elements. Last of the open-field roses. Decorative seedheads and pods.
Available: Dahlias (late), chrysanthemums (full range), ornamental kale, rose hips, seedheads, late ranunculus, anemones.
Wedding aesthetic that works: Deep autumn — moody palettes with burgundy, plum, rust, cream. Candlelight pairs well.
November
The transition month. Dahlias largely done. Chrysanthemums, garden roses (greenhouse), amaryllis starting, ornamental branches returning. The sculptural register begins.
Available: Chrysanthemums, garden roses (greenhouse), amaryllis, forced branches, ornamental kale, evergreens for structural greenery.
Wedding aesthetic that works: Late-autumn formal, pre-holiday weddings with warm jewel-tone palettes.
December
Winter weddings. Forced branches, amaryllis, paperwhites. Evergreens — spruce, cedar, pine — as structural material rather than accent. Hellebores from late-month forcing.
Available: Amaryllis, paperwhites, forced branches (quince, cherry), evergreens, hellebores (late), occasional forced peonies (imported).
Wedding aesthetic that works: Holiday-adjacent elegance, candlelight, all-evergreen-and-berry palettes, architectural compositions.
How to Use This List When Planning
If your wedding date is already set: use this list to understand what will actually be at peak that month. Design palettes around what's in season rather than fighting for imported alternatives.
If you're still setting a date: consider centering the date on a specific flower if one is non-negotiable. Peony wedding? June. Dahlia wedding? September or early October. Tulip wedding? Late March through April. The flower decides the month as easily as the month decides the flower.
For broader considerations when choosing a wedding florist, see Choosing a Wedding Florist in Westchester. For venue-specific context at Hedgerow Pound Ridge, see the Hedgerow wedding guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I have peonies at a September wedding?
You can, but we'd rather propose alternatives first. September peonies are flown in from South America, sized down in bloom, and open less reliably than a dahlia arrangement at its actual peak that week. We've found that couples who start out wanting peonies-in-September often end up happier with the dahlia-and-garden-rose palette we propose instead — because the flowers are fresher, fuller, and feel appropriate to the season.
What if my wedding is during an off-season month?
Off-season doesn't mean thin palettes. Winter weddings work beautifully with architectural, sculptural design — forced branches, amaryllis, evergreens, candlelight. The framework shifts from floral mass to floral structure, which is a distinct aesthetic rather than a compromise.
Do you source internationally for specific flower requests?
Reluctantly and selectively. Some varieties that don't grow domestically are worth sourcing internationally (specific orchid varieties, protea from South Africa, certain greens from Italy). But for staple wedding flowers — peonies, dahlias, garden roses — we strongly prefer regional seasonal sourcing for quality and vase life reasons.
Can you build a palette around what's available rather than what I've pinned on Pinterest?
Yes — this is actually the conversation we most want to have at an initial consultation. See our wedding floral practice for how we approach scope. Our contact page is the starting point.
For a wedding florist that designs around what's actually at seasonal peak — and has done so for three generations in Westchester and the Hudson Valley — Perennial Gardens is where to start. The weddings page outlines our scope, and our floral design work shows the broader practice.
