Peach Juliet Roses for a Garden-Style Wedding

Augusta loved the idea of wedding flowers that had a garden feel to them. Summer flowers in peaches and ivories and lots of greens- soft silvery greens and fresh summer greens as  

well as touches of silver and rich texture. It was great coming up with recipes that combined blooms from the garden such as peach colored dahlias and zinnias with wedding favorites such as peach and ivory spray roses and Juliet garden roses.

Vintage sewing drawer and fragrant cedar wood boxes were filled with nandina, illicium, seeded eucalyptus and Dusty Miller and layered with lots of lovely blooms.

Clear glass compotes added more interest to the reception designs.

All in all I think that my bride and her family were very pleased!

Wedding Bouquet of Summer Whites & Yellows

Looking back on this past summer, I have to say that my flower beds performed very well.
We started out hot in June and July with very little rain. But the rains did start up in late July and we only flirted a little with 100 degree temperatures, (my heart goes out to the folks in Texas who suffered through days and days of drought and above 100+ degree heat!)
This bouquet features different shades of yellow zinnias including a lemon yellow bedding zinnia. And the yellow Mexican Tulip poppies produced flowers all summer long. Feathery sprays of yellow-green Sweet Annie added a sharp spicy fragrance. Sweet Annie blooms in later August and September.
There were not as many white flowers this year, but the white David phlox was a faithful bloomer from July through mid September and in late August there was also a showing of starry clusters of garlic chive flowers. Lisianthus and white stock came from my vendor.
Other great performers in both the garden beds and containers were several different varieties of scented geranium. The softly marbled leaves in the picture below are from a variety called Snowflake Scented Geranium.
Bramblewood Gardens at the State Farmer's Market in Raleigh has one of the best selections of scented geraniums. Jeff grows over fifteen varieties and has them available from mid April until July. He also has LOTS of other offerings for the kitchen garden as well as a great selection of hydrangeas!
I can't believe summer is over... Time to start planning for next year!

Weddings- Gretchen & Jason

Last Saturday was the wedding day for Gretchen and Jason. I met Gretchen several years ago when I worked for Garden Supply Co. (a great place to work and shop!) And I was delighted that she asked me to design her wedding flowers!
And of course I loved the color palette that she chose for this time of year- creams, oranges, yellows, and greens and just a touch of brown. The flowers that look like mini sunflowers are Viking mums and are some of my favorites for fall bouquets.
Gretchen's bouquet was also designed with soft orange spray roses, orange freesia, feathery tufts of safflowers (another fall favorite), and creamy stock. The garden picks included bright orange and yellow zinnias, Love-In-A-Puff (in bottom picture) and scented geranium leaves.
For the bridesmaid bouquets I added stems of wild grasses and from the garden African Blue basil.
The picture above shows a close-up of the stem wrap of gold organza ribbon swirled with copper aluminum wire.
The toss bouquet was a round posy of zinnias, spray roses, and Viking mums nestled in an antique hydrangea head with a scented geranium leaf collar. The toss bouquet is a little gift for my brides.
This little centerpiece was designed in a cork bark container that I picked up at Garden Supply Company. They always have a great selection of vases, planters and containers!
The tables were decked out in a collection of antique tin votive holders surrounding flower filled Mason jars. These were perfect for the relaxed setting of the reception.
Now it's time for the honeymoon! Gretchen and Jason, I wish you all the best as you begin your married life!!!

Autumn Wedding Bouquet in Jewel Tones

Well Autumn is almost here... the hydrangeas in this bouquet are dressed in antique shades of green and burgundy, the tradescantia is a dark eggplant and the zinnias are a bright berry wine color.
Some of the flowers are slowing down such as the zinnias and velvety cockscomb. Other flowers such as gomphrena are still brimming over with new buds. Their magenta purple globes pair well with the zinnias.
There were even a few chartreuse heads of euphorbia that added a nice contrast to the gomphrena. It's a lovely bouquet to welcome the new season!

Summer Bouquet- Pretty In Pink!

The pink flowers of late summer are bold textured, sometimes soft to touch, like the crested celosias and wheat celosias in the bouquet below, but not what I would call delicate.These are some of the late summer flowers that are blooming now: zinnias, crested and wheat celosias, Fairy roses, Audray and Fireworks gomphrena, Autumn Joy and Motrona sedums, and chocolate-burgundy perilla.
The dark, ruffly leaves of perilla have been a part of the summer garden since late May. Now they are just starting send out pink flower spikes and in a couple weeks they will cast their seeds and be gone until next year.
I have been so pleased the the new gomphrenas. The flowerheads on Fireworks look like they came from a picture in a Dr. Seuss book. And the Audray gomphrena (the globe pink clover-like flowers) is an excellent flower for drying. I have been gathering stems and hanging them up all over the studio. They will hold their color for about two years!

Late Summer Bouquet from the Garden

I have been playing around with dahlias for several years, and I still have mixed feelings about growing them. But the blooms that are coming along as the season progresses and the days get shorter, are making me take a second look. What a gorgeous flower!!!
I wish I could tell you the name of this peach colored beauty, but I have misplaced the tag- Oh well...
This summer bouquet features zinnias, a black-eyed Susan called Indian Summers, gomphrena and celosia as well as dahlias. The zinnias are Benary Giants- Salmon Rose, and I hope to have them for Gretchen & Jason's September wedding and Katherine & Jared's October wedding. The gomphrena are a saucy orangey-red called Strawberry Fields, and the celosia is a soft yellow with just a hint of green undertones.
I also added some foliage. I think that the bronze hue of the new growth on this Japanese Cleyera (Ternostoemia gymnathera) is such a lovely accent. Whenever new plants go into our landscape, I like to make sure they can do double duty. I am always cutting stems from these shrubs for bouquets and for large scale designs. They usually hide in the background, but I thought I would let these glossy leaves peak out a little.

Summer flowers are oh so SWEET!!!

Summer Bouquet in Bright Jewel Colors for Janine

This summer bouquet is for my friend, Janine. We are calling it her practice bouquet.
She and Tim will be getting married in a couple of weeks, and hopefully the garden will provide some of the same flowers.
This bouquet has zinnias, wheat celosia, Neon dianthus, tansy, croscomia, gomphrena and scented geraniums nestled in with some antique green hydrangeas and of course a few Love-In-A-Puffs.
I am looking forward to designing the real bouquet... very soon!

Summer Bouquet- Red Zinnias from the Garden

The red zinnias are really making their presence known in the garden.

These lovely blooms are from a second planting of zinnia seeds- Yes, you can plant many different types of seeds several times in the growing season. The seeds for this second set of flowers were started in mid May. I also have some June starts and some July starts that are still in small pots. I have found that I am much more successful starting the seeds in small containers instead of ground sowing. This way I can keep them AWAY from PESTS, and move them out of the sun when the temps get really hot
The zinnias were paired with other picks from the garden such as the antique green heads of hydrangea, scented geranium leaves and several strands of Love-In-A-Puff vines.

A single flax leaf wrap adds the finishing touch!

Wedding Bouquet of Hot Summer Colors!

This sizzling bouquet says it all- it's HOT!!!!!

These are the very bold colors of summer- the burning red zinnias and the molten gold rudbeckia (Black-eyed Susans) and shimmering yellow Mexican tulip poppies.
Keep theses plants watered and they will give you beautiful blooms all summer. For its first year in my garden, the Mexican tulip poppy is holding its own- even in this kind of heat.
These blooms look wonderful nestled in with antique green hydrangeas, spires of African Blue basil and spicy scented geraniums. Perfect for the bride who is daring enough to get married in July or August!

Romance in the "Puff"

There are several flower names that conjure up images of love and romance...

"Cupid's Dart" and "Kiss Me Over the Garden Gate" or "Love In A Mist", but one of my absolute FAVORITES is Love-In-A-Puff . And the name really says it all... just look at what is inside those dainty little puffs- Hearts!!!

The botanical name is Cardiospermum halicacabym, and it is an annual vine that bears oodles of green puffs from mid summer through fall. Each bright, airy puff holds three black seeds, and each black seed is imprinted with a tiny cream colored heart. Yes, love is definitely in the puff!

And of course I think that carrying these delicate little beauties in your wedding bouquet is the epitome of ROMANCE... then save the seeds and plant your own Love-In-A-Puff vines!
They will definitely find their way into in several of my upcoming summer and autumn weddings this year!

Getting Ready for a September Wedding

Mikki and Hector will be getting married this September. I am SO EXCITED for them! I met Mikki last summer at the Southern Bridal Show & Expo, (can't believe how quickly that time has past!) She loves all things from the garden and then some, so there will be flowers from my garden beds as well as timeless favorites such as roses and freesia and lisianthus. The palette will be creams, greens, purples, and lavenders.
So one of the fun elements that will find its way into the the designs is Love-in-a-Puff. The vines are just starting up and should have plenty of "Puffs" by early September. I plan to share more about this vine later in the week.

Other flowers from the garden will be purple zinnias.

And lots of fragrance such as the scented geranium above, rosemary and spicy African Blue Basil- I just love it!!!

Last week I put together this preview design, and I believe Mikki was quite pleased.

Here's a close-up of Love-in-a-Puff, purple gomphrena and zinnias.

Corsages for the Moms will be designed as dainty nosegays. This one is sporting dried Love-in-a-Mist pods and dried dock, as well as gomphrena, stock, rosemary, black Mondo grass, dusty miller and purple tradescantia leaves. Not your typical corsage!

Boutonnieres will be fun too. Here are two that Mikki liked- one with purple gomphrena, green holly berries, horsetail and a dried poppy pod, and the other has a silky clematis pod, Fireworks gomphrena and African Blue basil stems. I hope to keep the actual groom's bout a surprise until the wedding day.
Speaking of grooms- Hector has come with Mikki to both of our floral consults, and he seems genuinely interested. And Mikki has also brought her parents and sister- the whole family seems to be so excited about this wedding! I have loved opportunity to meet with them and check out the garden beds with her Dad and such.
The wedding is less than two months away, and I am praying the garden will provide some WONDERFUL things for this very special day!!!

Summer Bouquet- Zinnias, Nigella, and More...

The nigella (the common name is Love-in-a-Mist) started blooming around early May, and in mid May was followed by zinnias (one of my Favorite flowers-see the post "My Wedding"). Then there were the calla lilies and the Fairy Roses and yarrow and the foxglove. Whew... everyday the garden has been changing. So I wanted to work up some designs that featured late spring/early summer flowers.
These sweet little flowers are called Love-in-a-Mist because of all the fern-like wisps that surround the sky blue petals. Nigella also comes in pinks and whites, but blue has been the one that reseeds in my gardens for years. The green centers of the flowers eventually turn into little fat pods with whiskers. I sometimes cut the whiskers off. And those pods are full of seeds that can be planted in mid to late September, and after that you'll have Love-in-a-Mist come back every year!
These flowers are just made for each other. Pink zinnias, foxglove, yarrow and Fairy Rose mingled with the soft blues of nigella and lavender. I would love it if they would all stay around for the summer, but here in the South, the nigella, lavender and yarrow will soon be gone. The Fairy Rose will bloom slightly during the heat, but will put on a better show in early fall. I am soooo thankful for the zinnias... keep them watered and they will bloom like crazy all summer long.
I guess I'll settle for zinnias for now. Oh yes, and the celosia and hydrangeas and gomphrena and coneflowers and the dahlias. Summer is coming FAST....