Pansies and Anemones for Winter and Spring Bouquets

 

Pansies are the brilliant jewels of the winter garden.

 

 You'll see them holding up their bright faces throughout December, January and February- anytime there is stretch of several days with temperatures above freezing. And they will keep on blooming and thriving until May.
This year I am especially interested in pansies as wedding flowers. You see, Jordan is getting married in early March, and pansies would fit perfectly with her English garden theme.

So now is the time to practice incorporating them into bouquets and centerpiece designs. Here they are in a dainty bouquet with blue and white anemones, fragrant Winter Daphne, and hellebore.

It's such a lovely combination! I can't wait to try them in Jordan's wedding flowers!

Vibrant Colors for Teresa and Ben's Fall Wedding

 

It's so exciting to have that first meeting with my bride. I can't wait to hear about her fiancé and how they met, to see pictures of her wedding gown and the bridesmaids' dresses, and talk and talk about wedding flowers.

 I met Teresa last April- she and Ben were planning an October wedding- late October when autumn leaves are vibrant. Teresa wanted the colors for her wedding flowers to be vibrant too!  Saturated hues of orange, plum and burgundy to play against the bridesmaids' dresses of rich plum. And for her bouquet- a flirty ostrich feather collar to match the ostrich feather embellishments on her gorgeous gown and birdcage veil.

   And of course she looked absolutely stunning!

Table centerpieces were collections of vintage vases and bottles and jars that Teresa had gathered and decorated with burlap and lace. Each filled with a posy of flowers and herbs. 

Ben wanted something different for the boutonnieres for the men in the wedding party. So we went with purple gomphrena and horsetail reeds, and for his bout- an ostrich feather to match Teresa's gown.

It was a joyful celebration.

And now it's time for happily ever after. Praying God's blessing for you newlyweds!!!
PS
Be sure to check out more great pictures of this wonderful wedding at Windy Peak Photography

Sunny Yellows for Springtime Weddings

Yellow flowers are always cheery no matter what the season.

  From  soft creamy hues to deep rich golden shades, yellow  is a color that commands attention.
 Some favorite yellow flowers for springtime weddings are trumpet daffodils (narcissi), tulips and ranunculus. Below are some pictures of bouquets from last spring's garden beds.

Daffodils (Narcissi) just shout spring! They are absolutely gorgeous gathered as a bouquet of a single variety or mixed with other forms as this bouquet below of large yellow trumpet daffodils, dainty paperwhites and orange-cupped Barrett Browning.
Narcissi also look great combined with other flowers such as spirea, pussy willow and roses.

 Daffodils and other forms of narcissi are bulbs that are planted in the fall for springtime blooms. Some varieties will start blooming as early as mid January or February, other forms will bloom in March and April.Care should be taken when placing them together with other flowers in bouquets- be sure to cut the stems of narcissi, and let them condition separately in a container of water for eight-ten hours before mixing with other flowers.
Tulips come in several forms such as the classic single type or double (more petals), fringed, parrot (scalloped petals) and peony (an even fuller petal type). A favorite at Springwell Gardens is the double form called Monte Carlo.

 It's featured in the bouquet below with single white tulips and blue muscari (grape hyacinth)

and another bouquet white snap dragons and white ranunculus.

Ranunculus are flowers just chocked full of delicate petals. The yellow ranunculus and tulips flash against the different shades of pink and the chartreuse leaves of spirea in the design below.

New bouquets of yellow springtime flowers will be coming soon!

Tuberose- A Seductive Fragrance for Summer Bouquets

Looking for fragrance in your summer bridal bouquet?... Check out Tuberose.

These glistening white tubular flowers are a favorite for southern gardens. And no wonder... one or two stems can fill a room with the most wonderful fragrance.!
Not only do they smell great, they are also a lovely to look at. Tuberose have a sweet cottage garden appeal that is perfect for informal bouquets such as this one of soft coral dahlias and garden roses

and another one designed with zinnias, feather celosia, blue salvia and Love-In-A-Puff. 

Last year was the first year for growing them at Springwell Gardens, and I have to say I was charmed! So they will definitely be back this summer as well, both in the garden, and in a few bridal bouquets too!