What Flowers Are in Season in the UK? A Month-by-Month Guide
British cut-flower seasons move month by month — tulips in spring, peonies in early summer, dahlias into autumn. This guide separates UK-grown peaks from what florists can still source.
In the UK, cut-flower seasons roughly follow the garden: bulbs and blossom in spring, peonies and garden roses in early summer, dahlias and cosmos through late summer into autumn, then chrysanthemums, evergreens and forced stems in winter. Florists can also buy imported flowers year-round — useful, but not the same as a British peak.
How to read this calendar
Each month below lists flowers that are typically strong in British growing seasons, then stems florists can often still find through markets and imports. The photographs are from our studio. Where we already have a flower page in the bibliothèque, the name links through — including dahlia and cosmos.
Illustrative studio selections. British field peaks and wider florist availability are listed separately.
October
October is when the studio leans into darker stems and sharper silhouettes.
- British peakDahlia, Chrysanthemum, Cosmos (late)
- Also available to floristsAnemone, Hydrangea, Calla lily
- PaletteBronze, wine, charcoal
- Vase lifeLate dahlias still shine if nights stay mild; keep them away from fruit bowls.
A note from the studio
I do not chase every imported flower just because it exists. When British dahlias are good, I want them on the table. When October turns darker, I am happier with chocolate cosmos, bronze chrysanthemums and a sharper silhouette than with a forced summer look.
Combinations I return to: peach dahlias with pale cosmos in a low silver bowl; tall gladiolus cutting through a denser centre; one dark calla when the room needs a single line rather than a full bunch. The season suggests the palette. The room decides the scale.
Vase life, briefly
- Recut stems and start with a clean vase.
- Change water when it clouds — often every two days in a warm kitchen.
- Keep arrangements away from direct sun, heaters and ripening fruit.
- Check individual care notes in the bibliothèque when a flower page exists — for example dahlia and calla lily.
Prefer the season chosen for you? Weekly and fortnightly arrangements follow what is looking best, then land in the rooms they were made for.