What's in season in New Zealand, month by month

Imported flowers exist year-round, which is why everyone forgets seasons exist. But a local stem picked last week will always beat an imported stem that spent five days in a plane — it lasts longer, opens better, and costs less. Here's what's doing what across the NZ year.

Spring (Sep–Nov): the good stuff arrives

• Ranunculus — peak September–October, the best value flower of the year
• Tulips — all spring, cheap and cheerful
• Sweet peas — October onwards, smell like actual spring
• Blossom branches — September, fleeting and worth it
• Peonies — late October–December, the two-month window everyone waits for

Summer (Dec–Feb): abundance season

• Dahlias — start in December, run to autumn
• Sunflowers — January–February, obvious but great
• Hydrangeas — local ones from December
• Cornflowers & cosmos — summer annuals at their cheapest
• Christmas bush & pōhutukawa — December, for the proper NZ festive table

Autumn (Mar–May): the deep colours

• Dahlias — best quality of the year right before they finish
• Rudbeckia & marigolds — autumn warmth
• Berries & rosehips — texture season begins
• Chrysanthemums — autumn backbone, lasts forever in the vase

Winter (Jun–Aug): structure over blooms

• Anemones — winter's bright spot
• Hellebores — delicate-looking, tougher than they seem
• Proteas & banksias — winter natives that dry themselves
• Dried & preserved — honestly, winter is when our dried flower class makes the most sense

The rules we buy by

Buy what the market has the most of — that's what's peaking this week. Imported out-of-season stems are for weddings with a fixed palette, not for the kitchen table. And when in doubt, ask the grower when it was cut: 'yesterday morning' is the answer you're buying.

Every class at the studio uses exactly this logic — the centrepiece class changes stems every season because that's the whole point.