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!

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!

Daffodils and Springtime Weddings

Nothing says spring like daffodils, but did you know that there are some daffodils that begin to put on a show even before spring arrives.

Meet Ice Follies- this sweet little beauty usually starts blooming in late February. But this year with the mild temperatures, we started getting flowers even earlier. The creamy petals unfold to reveal a clear lemon yellow cup. As the flower ages, the cups mellows to a soft creamy color as well. Vase life is about five days.

Daffodils are absolutely lovely especially in white or yellow springtime wedding bouquets. The daffodil bouquet above features Ice Follies, Paperwhites and an unnamed solid yellow daffodil that blooms at the same time as Ice Follies. After Ice Follies will come trumpet daffodils- like King Alfred, then double petals like Bridal Crown Narcissus, and a new double petal that I am trying called White Lion.
This bouquet in the picture above is a mixed bouquet with pussy willow, yellow roses, Ice Follies, a touch of Bridal Wreath spirea and white hydrangea.
The wrap is made of narrow, pliable stems of curly willow that have been woven around the flower stems.
When working with daffodils, it is important to remember that they must be cut and placed in a container of water separate from other flowers for at least eight to twelve hours. They leak a slimy fluid that pollutes the water and can spoil the other flowers. When working them into designs with other flowers remember not to cut their stems again (so cut them short the first time).

Springtime Wedding Flowers- White Ranunculus

One of the most beautiful flowers for springtime weddings is white ranunculus.

It's perfect for the bride who desires an all white bouquet, but would like a mixture of flowers such as this bouquet above that features white ranunculus, calla lilies, freesia,  and from the garden- paperwhites and lily of the valley.
Or a touch of green with white as in the bouquet below designed with white ranunculus, freesia, Akito roses, lisianthus and baby green hydrangeas.
It also looks charming with blue flowers as well as in this bouquet with blue delphinium florets.
Ranunculus are delicate looking flowers with multiple layers of tissue-like petals. These layers and layers often open up to reveal golden (or dark) stamen centers. The flowers come in other colors as well- pink, salmon, red, orange, yellow and more. The flowers are usually available from mid to late February through late April in our area. This year I am growing them in a hoop house (more about that later), and hope to have them blooming by late February.
As soon as I do I will add them to more wonderful springtime designs!

Spring Wedding Flowers in White

You know it's just around the corner... the days are a little longer, the birds are more vocal, some tips of bulbs are even pushing up through the soil. Spring is coming!!! Here we are at the end of January (the longest month of the year), February, while still cold, seems to fly by, and then comes March. Here in Raleigh, NC, March is a combo month, a little bit of winter and a little bit of spring. And sooooo much starts happening in the garden- I can't wait!!!
And I have some brides who can't wait for March too! So I thought I would put together a white wedding bouquet of some flowers that just shout SPRING. This bouquet holds a dreamy selection of whites and creams- hydrangeas, Majolika roses, tulips, ranunculus and paperwhites (narcissus).The narrow band that wraps the flowers (shown in the top picture), is a type of crochet that was made by my Grandmother, called tatting.
Closeup of paperwhites and ranunculus.
Closeup of Majolika roses and ranunculus.

Closeup of tulips, Majolika roses and paperwhites.
What's not to love?
FYI- when designing with any type of narcissus or daffodil, it is important that they are conditioned separately from other flowers since the sap from these flowers can harm other flowers. They can safely be mixed with other flowers after twelve hours.

DIY Wedding Flowers: Paperwhites

Paperwhites are fragrant white flowers grown from bulbs. These bulbs can be purchased from garden centers such as one of my favorites- Garden Supply Co. in Cary, or bulbs companies such as John Scheepers, (on the internet). It is such a pleasure to plant these bulbs for their cheerful blooms in winter. They can be started in containers such as these hurricane vases pictured above. Three bulbs were were placed in each vase in pebbles about two and a half inches deep, then water was added just so that it touched the bottom of the bulbs. These were planted on November 26th, about 3 1/2 weeks ago.
The next picture show how the paperwhite bulbs quickly send out roots and green strap like leaves. This picture shows about two weeks of growth.
These next two pictures were taken today, (December 21st). These bulbs have started blooming and will continues for about two weeks.
Paperwhites often need support for their stems, but the support can be made to look quite attractive. For the cylinder containing a single bulb, I nestled in a curly willow branch with many secondary stems. These were woven around the stems and flower heads.
For the hurricane vases, I attached Oasis aluminum flat wire to the tops of the containers and swirled it around into a spiral that wraps around the leaves and stems.
These bulbs would be a great DIY for the bride who is planning a wedding late January through early March of 2011. One of the main reasons I like this project is that it can be done weeks ahead of your wedding. The bulbs should be started about 4-5 weeks before your wedding. Once they have sprouted green shoots, place them in a sunny window, that faces south or west. Keep the water level up around the roots, but make sure that it doesn't go above the bottom of the bulbs, (this will cause them to rot). Turn the vases about once a week to keep the stems straight.
Several hurricane vases set on the place card or gift table would look lovely surrounded by short pillar candles. The cylinder vases set among votive candles would add a simple elegance to some of receptions tables. They would certainly bring a cheery touch of springtime wherever they are used.
If you have any questions, please feel free to send me an email: tracy@springwellgardens.com