Seasonal Flower Availability in New Zealand
A month-by-month guide from your Cambridge florists
Planning a wedding, an event, or just wondering whether you can get peonies in July? This guide shows when 75 of New Zealand’s most popular flowers are typically available at the flower markets we buy from.
Please treat it as a guide rather than a guarantee. Growing seasons shift with the weather, and a cold spring or a wet summer can move availability by several weeks in either direction. If you are planning around specific blooms, talk to our florists and we will tell you what is realistically achievable for your date.
What’s in Season Now
Spring (September to November) is the most abundant time of year in New Zealand. Tulips, ranunculus, daffodils, freesias, stock and irises are all at their best, and peonies make their brief appearance from November. It is a wonderful season for weddings because choice is wide and prices are reasonable.
Summer (December to February) brings hydrangeas, dahlias, sunflowers, delphiniums, larkspur, gladioli and zinnias. Heat can shorten vase life, so summer arrangements benefit from cooler positioning at home and a venue out of direct sun.
Autumn (March to May) is the season for chrysanthemums, nerines, celosia, proteas and orchids. Cymbidium orchids start becoming available in March and run right through winter, which makes them a reliable autumn and winter choice.
Winter (June to August) is quieter but far from bare. Anemones, ranunculus, tulips, daffodils, cymbidium orchids, proteas, phyllica and stock all come into their own. Winter weddings often end up with a more sculptural, textural look, which many couples now specifically want.
Available year-round: roses, alstroemeria, chrysanthemums, carnations, gerberas, gypsophila, lilium asiatic, sunflowers, leucadendron and imported dendrobium orchids. If you need certainty, build around these.
Flower Availability Chart
Usually available
- Summer
- Autumn
- Winter
- Spring
| Flower Month-by-month guide | Jan Summer | Feb Summer | Mar Autumn | Apr Autumn | May Autumn | Jun Winter | Jul Winter | Aug Winter | Sep Spring | Oct Spring | Nov Spring | Dec Summer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agapanthus Mini | ✦ | ✦ | · | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ |
| Alstroemeria | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ |
| Amaranthus | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
| Anemones | · | · | · | · | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | · | · | · |
| Anthurium | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | · | ✦ |
| Asparagus Fern | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | · | · | · | · | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ |
| Aster | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | · | · | · | · | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ |
| Bluebells | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | ✦ | ✦ | · | · |
| Calla Lilies (Zantedeschia) | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | · | · | · | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ |
| Calla Lily Childsiana (White) | · | · | · | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | · | · | · |
| Carnation (Spray) | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ |
| Carnation (Standard) | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ |
| Caspia (Limonium) | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | · | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ |
| Celosia (Brain and Plume) | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
| Chrysanthemums | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ |
| Cornflower | · | · | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | · | · | · | · | · |
| Daffodil | · | · | · | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | · | · |
| Dahlia | ✦ | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
| Delphinium | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | · | · | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ |
| Delphinium Belladonna | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | · | · | · | · | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ |
| Earlicheer | · | · | · | · | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | · | · | · | · |
| Frangipani | ✦ | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
| Freesia | · | · | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ |
| Gardenia | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | ✦ |
| Gentian | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
| Gerbera | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ |
| Gerbera Mini | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | · | · | · | · | · | ✦ | ✦ |
| Gladioli | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | ✦ |
| Gypsophila | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ |
| Hyacinths | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | ✦ | · | · | · |
| Hydrangea | · | ✦ | ✦ | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
| Iris | · | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | · |
| Ivy (Trailing) | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ |
| Larkspur | ✦ | ✦ | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | ✦ |
| Leucadendron (varieties) | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ |
| Liatris | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | ✦ | ✦ |
| Lily of the Valley | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | ✦ | · | · |
| Lilium Asiatic | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ |
| Lilium Casablanca | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | · | · | · | · | ✦ | ✦ |
| Lilium Longiflorum | ✦ | ✦ | · | ✦ | · | ✦ | · | · | · | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ |
| Lilium Stargazer | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | · | ✦ | ✦ | · | ✦ | ✦ |
| Lilium Vallota | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
| Lisianthus | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | · | · | · | ✦ | ✦ |
| Marigold | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
| Nerine | · | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
| Orchid, Cymbidium | · | · | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | · | · |
| Orchid, Polymin (Mini Cymbidium) | · | · | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | · |
| Orchid, Paphiopedilum (Slipper) | · | · | · | · | · | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | · | · |
| Orchid, Phalaenopsis (Moth) | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | · | ✦ | ✦ | · | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ |
| Orchid, Dendrobium (imported) | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ |
| Paper Whites | · | · | · | · | ✦ | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
| Peony (Paeony) | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | ✦ | ✦ |
| Phylica | · | · | · | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | · | · |
| Poppy | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | ✦ |
| Protea, King | · | · | · | · | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | · | · | · |
| Protea (other varieties) | · | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | · | ✦ | · | ✦ | ✦ | · | · |
| Pussy Willow | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | ✦ | · | · | · | · |
| Queen Anne’s Lace | · | ✦ | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | ✦ | ✦ |
| Ranunculus | · | · | · | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | · | · |
| Roses | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ |
| Rose (Miniature) | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | · | · | · | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ |
| Scabiosa | · | · | ✦ | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
| Sea Holly (Eryngium) | · | ✦ | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | ✦ | ✦ |
| Snapdragon | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | · | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ |
| Sol d’Or | · | · | · | · | · | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | · | · | · | · |
| Statice | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | · | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ |
| Stephanotis | ✦ | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | ✦ | ✦ |
| Stock | · | · | · | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | · |
| Strelitzia (Bird of Paradise) | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | ✦ | · |
| Sunflower | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ |
| Thryptomene | · | · | · | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | · | · | · |
| Trachelium | ✦ | ✦ | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | ✦ |
| Tuberose | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | · | ✦ | ✦ | · | · | · | · |
| Tulip | · | · | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | · |
| Water Lily | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
| Zinnia | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
Planning Wedding Flowers Around the Seasons
A few things worth knowing before you fall in love with a particular bloom.
Seasonal flowers cost less and last longer. A flower picked at its natural peak is stronger, fresher and cheaper than the same flower forced or imported out of season. Building your palette around what is naturally available at your date is the single easiest way to make a floral budget go further.
Peonies are the classic trap. Every second couple wants them, and in New Zealand they are available for roughly six weeks in November and December. If your wedding is in March, we can suggest alternatives with a similar full, romantic shape.
Have a second choice ready. Even in-season flowers occasionally fail to arrive. A weather event in a growing region can wipe out a week’s supply. Good florists always plan a substitution, and knowing yours in advance means the decision is made calmly rather than the day before.
Book early for peak periods. Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day and the summer wedding season all put pressure on supply. The earlier we know what you want, the better our chance of securing it.
If you are planning a wedding, get in touch and we will work through your date, palette and budget with you.
Frequently Asked Questions
What flowers are in season in New Zealand right now?
Use the chart above for the current month. As a rule, spring brings tulips, ranunculus and freesias, summer brings hydrangeas and sunflowers, autumn brings chrysanthemums and orchids, and winter brings anemones, ranunculus and cymbidium orchids.
Which flowers are available all year round?
Roses, alstroemeria, chrysanthemums, carnations, gerberas, gypsophila and sunflowers are available every month, along with imported dendrobium orchids.
When are peonies available in New Zealand?
November and December only. It is a short season, so order early.
Can I get out-of-season flowers?
Sometimes, through importers, but expect higher prices, shorter vase life and no guarantee of supply. We will always tell you honestly whether it is worth it.
Does this chart apply to the whole country?
It reflects what reaches the North Island flower markets we buy from, so it is most accurate for Waikato, Cambridge and Hamilton.
Order Fresh Flowers
Browse our fresh flowers, including seasonal blooms, bouquets, roses and plants, with delivery across Cambridge, Hamilton and Te Awamutu. Once your flowers arrive, our fresh flower care guide will help you get the most out of them.
Or call our Cambridge florists on 07 823 0119.