Zinnias for Summer Weddings

We're seven weeks from our last frost date, and I'm in the midst of seed planting for summer wedding flowers- Black-eyed Susan, gomphrena, pincushion flowers, feverfew and one of my favorites- Zinnias!

 Zinnias will be playing some type of role in several of my late spring, summer and fall weddings. I'm growing coral colored zinnias for Taylor and Grant's wedding at Snipes Farm in May.

 And yellow zinnias to play a support role in Courtney and Patrick's wedding flowers in June, and a larger role in the flowers for Elizabeth and Chris's late July wedding.

There will even be white ones in September for Hilary and Gordon.

 Zinnias remind me of a cross between dahlias and Gerber daisies. They are such cheerful flowers and are fairly easy to grow. I often use them mixed bouquets and centerpiece work. At Springwell Gardens I grow coral, white, pink, wine and orange, and sometimes red.

The first batch of seedlings is a little over a month old- they should be ready for cutting by mid May.
Next week I will do a quick primer on growing your own zinnias from seed. Once you see how easy they are to grow, they may become one of your favorite flowers too!!!

Late Winter and Springtime Weddings and Daffodils

Daffodils are just perfect for February and March weddings in the South.

  In Raleigh, NC, you can spot some varieties of daffodils blooming as early as January. Ice Follies and February Gold usually make an appearance in February. 

 The picture above features Ice Follies and early trumpet daffodils picked last week just in time for a February snow picture. The picture below (from 2011) also features Ice Follies and early yellow trumpet daffodils with white hydrangea and yellow ranunculus.

March brings on many more daffodil and narcissus blooms. In my gardens I grow the orange cupped Barrett Browning, the cream colored White Lion, the fragrant double flowered Bridal Crown, and  the large trumpet King Alfred.

The bouquets above (from 2012) feature Paperwhite narcissi, Barrett Browning, and King Alfred daffodils. .
Good sources for daffodil and narcissi are Eden Brothers and John Scheepers. Bulbs should be purchased in the fall and planted in November through December.
Why grow your own??? Daffodils and other narcissi are very low maintenance and will come back year after year. You have a wide selection of flowers to choose from. And....
 for your anniversary in the years to come you will be able to enjoy your special flowers again and again!!!

Daffodil and Pansy Bouquet for Winter and Spring

The daffodils have started blooming at Springwell Gardens. Just a scattering for now, but more are on the way.

So here's a bouquet that features Ice Follies Daffodils and an unnamed  yellow trumpet variety along with some beautiful purple and yellow pansies nestled in a white hydrangea.

These flowers are truly the harbingers of spring!!!!

They exude such a lovely fragrance, especially the pansies.

 Vase life for this bouquet is just a few days... just enough time for your wedding day!!!

So how can you have daffodils for your springtime (or winter in the South) wedding... I'll explore that in the next post.

Pansies and Winter Daphne for Winter Centerpiece

Pansies have been delightful this winter.

This week I worked them into a winter centerpiece design with some other garden gatherings such as...

 

 Winter Daphne (wonderful fragrance!!!),  Hellebore, Stonecrop, and a collection of a collection of "Nature" finds gathered while walking our dog.

Perfect for a winter bridal shower or luncheon....