The lovely pink flowers of the peach tree are the perfect state flower of Delaware, the Peach State. In the late 1800’s, Delaware was the nation’s largest peach grower exporting 6,000,000 baskets of peaches in 1875. The huge number of peaches grown in the state gave Delaware the nickname, the Peach State, and prompted the people of Delaware to name the peach blossom as the state’s floral emblem.

The name was not official, however, until it was recommended that the state’s most common wildflower, the goldenrod, be named the state floral emblem of Delaware, commonly known as the Peach State. There was a significant petition against the goldenrod and on March 9, 1895, the pink and purple hues of the peach blossom were named the state floral emblem. The peach blossom was made the official state flower in 1953.

The State Flower of Delaware

The peach blossoms grow in the early spring on the otherwise bare branches of the peach trees. The bright pink blooms are striking against the dark wood as the trees and surrounding vegetation comes back to life. The peach trees produce fruit between June and September, effectively ending the flowering season for the trees, but providing beauty in their own way.

The pink flowers of a peach tree are small and grow in clusters. The color of the flowers is a bright pink, but can be pale and even lean a bit toward purple or lilac. The peach trees grow in areas with a chilly winter and dry hot summer making Delaware the perfect location for the trees and the industry. Today Delaware does not have such a booming peach industry, however, following trouble on peach farms in the last years of the nineteenth century.

Growing Peach Blossoms

To grow peach blossoms, you’ll need a peach tree planted in an area with a chilly winter and a dry, hot summer. The peach trees are planted as saplings usually, but can be grown from seed. Leave room for the plants as standard size peach trees reach up two 25 feet in height, but can be pruned to grow closer to 12 or 15 feet if maintained. The peach tree starts producing blossoms and fruit after 3-4 years of growth and is self pollinating in most varieties. Dwarf peach trees might be a better option for a small garden space than a larger flowering peach tree.