Seasonal Blooms for Winter Weddings

With a little planning, couples may be able to have locally sourced, seasonal blooms for their wedding day even in winter. Some of the choices include paperwhite narcissus, and a wonderfully fragrant flowering shrub called Winter Daphne.

Anemones may also be available. Here at Springwell Gardens, we grow anemones in hoop tunnels that provide some protection from the winter weather. A new plant for us is flowering kale. This ornamental version of kale actually looks like a flower. We offer it in white and purple shades.

Other elements include evergreens such as Blue Cypress and everlasting flowers such as celosia and gomphrena that are dried for winter designs.

It's a time to be creative, and this is just what we are striving to do at Springwell Gardens!  We are looking forward to offering these beautiful blooms and textures and even more for winter weddings!

Ranunculus and Anemones for Spring Weddings

This will be a busy month! In a addition to some upcoming, lovely weddings, there are of course, garden chores.

Yesterday my shipment of ranunculus and anemone corms came in. These flowers are breathtakingly lovely, and are a favorite of brides! I plan to get the first batch of corms into the garden beds later in the month. I hope to have some Carmel white anemones with dark eyes ready for Kaitlin's December wedding.

The plantings will be staggered a bit. Most of the corms should be in by mid October, but I am still experimenting with putting in a small batch for later springtime blooms. Anemones will start blooming as early as December, and will continue slowly through January. The pace will begin to pick up by late February and continue to gain speed through April.
If the temperatures for winter are normal in 2015, I expect to see the ranunculus blooming by early March.

There will also be other lovely flowers to join them- Hellebore, Winter Honeysuckle and Winter Daphne will begin to bloom in January. And I plan to set aside some protected garden space for lots of pansies. All of these flowers are absolutely fabulous for winter and early springtime bouquets.

Lantern Centerpiece for Winter and Spring

Last post about lantern centerpiece designs featured this lantern and this box with summertime flowers.

But lanerns are great for any season. For late winter and early spring, the wooden tray can be filled with cool season flowers such as pansies, hellebore, Winter Daphne, daffodils and anemones. These flowers are available (depending on the weather in the South) from mid February through April.

And for year round interest consider using lanterns with flower strewn wreaths.

This wreath was created with loosely woven of curly willow branches, then twined with mixed foliage such as Love-in-a-Puff vine, Dusty Miller, and a light scattering of peach colored spray roses. Other material can be used according to the seasons.

I love how versatile lanterns are, and so do many of my brides!

Paperwhites For Weddings

Paperwhite narcissus bulbs usually come to mind at Christmas time and during the early months of winter.

 

They are bulbs that are easy to force inside the home, with fragrant white blooms that bring a bit of springtime cheer to the winter months.
But with a little careful planning they can also be used for winter and early springtime weddings. Are you interested in trying them? Here's a quick primer then:
The best time to buy paperwhites is in the fall. You can keep them chilled in the vegetable drawer of the refrigerator until about five to six weeks before you plan to use them.
The bulbs below arrived in October and were placed in the frig until I was ready to use them in late January.

The picture above shows the freshly planted bulbs, and the picture below shows them about 2 1/2 weeks later. To keep the foliage from becoming floppy, I actually place the containers in a protected area outside on days when temps are in the 40's and 50's and bring them in when temperatures drop below 30 degrees.Paperwhites prefer the cooler temperatures. I have had potted paperwhites handle upper 20's when I forgot to bring them in, but I don't think they could go below 25 degrees!

 Below shows the containers four weeks after planting.

And the final picture shows one of the containers 4 1/2 weeks after planting. These containers were potted up to use for two consecutive Sundays at our church. Note: to keep the flowers looking fresh for both Sundays, I placed the containers in a cooler between the two Sundays.

Growing paperwhites for a particular date definitely takes some planning... So if you decide that it's worth it, (like me), what do you need to do to have paperwhites for your wedding?  
First buy more than enough paperwhites to fill your chosen container TWICE. The containers above held nine bulbs each. My FIRST choice for paperwhite bulbs is John Scheeper. Ideally you should get  your order in by August or September- these bulbs are known to sell out by October.
For containers with no drainage holes like the one above, you can line with a heavy duty garbage bag, add pebbles to cover the bottom one inch (this helps keep the roots from becoming waterlogged), then add MOIST potting soil. You want to make sure that you DON'T over-water since there is no way for the water to drain out. Nestle the bulbs into the soil with the neck sticking up, then add more pebbles or small stones to keep the bulbs in place. And LIGHTLY water each week.
BUT to be on the safe side (no waterlogged plants), I strongly suggest growing your bulbs in a separate container with drainage holes like a large plastic pot. Choose one that will fit inside of a more decorative container that fits the style of your wedding (look at images on Pinterest or Google for ideas). Make sure that it sets within the more decorative container with ease so that you won't have trouble placing it inside later.
Start the first batch of paperwhites at five-six weeks before your wedding date, and the second batch at four-five weeks before your event. Once the green tips start growing keep the bulbs in a cool room in front of a sunny window,  periodically turning the container. About half a week before your wedding, choose the best showing potted bulbs, water them well and let the pots drain. Place them in you decorative containers and enjoy! Just imagine how great they would look for your wedding on a place card or gift table, or maybe to decorate the your ceremony venue. There are so many possibilities for using them!

Winter Wedding Flowers from the Garden

In winter in the South, you can still find flowers in the garden- you just have to look a little harder though. One cold weather bloomer at Springwell Gardens is Winter Daphne. It's an evergreen shrub that breaks out into a myriad of  waxy pink blooms in January. Though not very showy, these petite flower clusters are quite charming and VERY FRAGRANT!

They're so lovely tucked into bouquets with other winter bloomers such as hellebore and pansies, and with some frost protection- we can have anemones too.

 

 Winter Daphne is also great for detail work such as corsages, boutonnieres and flower halos.

The shrubs are loaded with tight pink buds and should start blooming in the next week or two- just in time for January weddings!

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....

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!

Weddings- Megan & Paul

Winter weddings often evoke the more subtle images of beauty. Bare branched trees and evergreens, chilly sunshine and blue, blue skies, or blankets of soft gray clouds and mist, drizzle or cold rain.
For Megan and Paul there were indeed the blankets of clouds and drizzle last Saturday, but we were all thinking how appropriate for a couple who will be calling England home. And the joy of a wedding is never dampened by clouds or rain!
I have known Megan for years... Her Mom, Terry, is a very good friend of mine.
Megan is a dear, young lady with a heart for the Lord, and when she felt His call to go to England and serve in a small church there, she had NO IDEA she would find the man she would spend the rest of her life with in that place... But God did.
And last Saturday was their wedding day!
I know their story from a distance, but the parts I know are very touching. And I was delighted to join with so many others to witness this couple exchange their vows and hear Paul speak in his sweet Irish accent of "My wife..."
And of course I had a wonderful time designing the flowers that would be a part of this special day.
Megan's color palette included ivories, whites and blues. She also wanted textures and elements that would tie in with the season, yet also look forward to spring. Blue delphinium, thistle-like flowers of eryngium, pink centered waxflowers, hydrangeas, roses and seeded eucalyptus were a few of the flowers chosen for the bridesmaids' bouquets.
Boutonnieres were designed blue delphinium florets and seeded eucalyptus. Paul's boutonniere also sported a black-eyed ornithogalum floret.
Corsages were white spray roses, seeded eucalyptus and waxflower buds.
Megan's bouquet was filled with large ivory roses called Snow Blaze, ivory Majolica spray roses, blue delphinium,blue hydrangea, green hypericum berries, white stock, black-eyed ornithogalum, and seeded eucalyptus.
These flowers were also used in the ceremony designs as well as the tight pink buds of viburnum, and tall branches of fresh pussy willow stems. The centerpiece design for the refreshment table included a wonderfully twisted branch called Harry Lauder's Walking Stick (Corylus avellana 'contorta'. These branches are so interesting in the winter landscape. The trees a VERY slow growing, and the branches are not very easy to come by- so it was great to be able to cut this beauty from Megan's parents' yard.
I am so very happy for Megan and Paul. Praying for God's blessing for them as they begin their lives together!!!

Weddings- Jennifer & Christopher

I was so excited when I received an email from my friend, BJ, asking if I could do her daughter, Jennifer's, wedding flowers, but a little worried when I realized that I already had a wedding for that day. But everything worked out beautifully.
Jennifer's wedding was a late morning wedding, and she already had some wonderful family friends taking care of the decorations for the reception. So I did have the privilege of making the bouquets after all!
Jennifer's colors were soft whites and blues of winter. Her bouquet featured a creamy white rose called White Chocolate, white lisianthus (they are beautiful this time of year!), and white hydrangea.
The bridesmaids carried bouquets of blue hydrangeas studded with white spray roses. They were understated and elegant and the perfect compliment to the bridal bouquet.
I am so happy for these two who have joined their lives together as husband and wife, and I am looking forward to getting to know Christopher, who is now the new son-in-law of some very dear friends!!!