Blue Forget-Me-Nots for Spring Weddings

Now is the time to start sowing more cool season annuals for spring and early summer weddings. And a favorite for blue flowers is Chinese Forget-Me-Not or cynoglossum.

This will be the third year of growing them at Springwell Gardens, and I am finally getting a lot of the kinks worked out. One of my biggest problems has been germination. I have worked with two different types- Chill Out which is a white and blue mix, and Blue Showers which is a taller variety with uniform blue flowers. The germination rate with Blue Showers has been excellent, and there should be an abundance of plants this year.

While the flowers are dainty, they make a big statement in design work. Last year I used them only sparingly since most of my wedding work did not include blue.

But this spring I will be using them in several weddings in May and June, as well as offering extra plants for sale to folks interested in including them in a spring cutting garden.

Plants from an earlier sowing are already plumping up and some even have buds. I hope to have cynoglossum blooming from March through mid June!

Color and Texture for great Christmas Wreaths

It was so exciting to see some great designss happen when my daughters and daughter-in-laws got together to decorate wreaths for their homes.

We purchased standard wreaths from the wholesaler and yes, the grocery stores, and embellished them with fresh gatherings from the garden and nature walks,  and came up with some great designs!

There are so many foliage plants that look stunning in winter designs. Here are a few from the beds at Springwell Gardens- fresh nandina, Goshiki False Holly, blue cypress, Threadleaf False Cypress and Gold Crippsii Chamaecyparis. There were also some nandina and holly berries as were as nature gatherings. Gingko leaves both natural and gilded are a favorite of mine this time of year and so are the cotton bolls that Wilson was able to pick on a farm site he visits. Red chili peppers went into a wreath for my Mom's door and a centerpiece design for my mother-in-law.

And here are the fabulous results!!!

My favorite part is the time spent together with them all.  Natalie had a conflict so we got together later to do hers, and that was good too!

I am looking forward to making this a yearly tradition!!!