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!

Amaranthus for Summer and Fall Weddings

Amaranthus caudatus adds a lovely cottage charm to summer and fall wedding bouquets and designs.

I have grown the long draping ropes commonly known as Love-Lies-Bleeding for a few years, but have settled on a more compact hybrid offered by Johnny's Selected Seeds called Opopeo.

The shorter drape of the flower spikes make a lovely statement in wedding bouquets as shown in these two images by Erica Serrano Photography.

Seeds will be sown in March, and the flowers will start making their appearance from July through October. It looks great with other traditional summer flowers such as zinnias and dahlias.

I like to pinch out the topmost flower as this will produce more lateral flower stems. I am planning to use these beauties for a mid October wedding and hopefully one in August too!

Love-in-a-Puff Vine for Summer Weddings

Seeds have been sown for late spring blooming plants, and now it's time to start focusing on summer plants.

One that always has a special place at Springwell Gardens is Love-in-a-Puff- cardiospermum halicacabum, (see previous posts from past summers). It's a summer vine with LOTS of delicate tendrils and billowy little puffs that add a lovely rustic

drape and texture to centerpiece and ceremony designs.

But what is really irresistible is using Love-in-a-Puff in bridal bouquets,

for inside each of the puffs are tiny heart impressed seeds

 Love-in-a-Puff is available at Springwell Gardens from late May until frost.
 I always encourage my brides to save the dried puffs from their bouquets and remove the seeds. They make a romantic little keepsake, or can be planted later to grow your own Love-in-a-Puff vines!

Growing Ranunculus in Dreamy Colors for Springtime Weddings

 So far this has been a VERY COLD winter for Raleigh, NC. 

The last time that the temps got down to 7 degrees in Raleigh was in 2000.  Needless to say the drops in temperatures to below 10 degrees have been very unnerving- I just wasn't sure if the hoop tunnels and the frost cloth would be enough to protect all those ranunculus and anemones that are growing here at Springwell Gardens.  But the plants did GREAT!!! They came through those VERY COLD nights and are on target to start blooming in the next few weeks.
Here is the stage that the plants are at now:

 

And below is what I am looking forward to by early to mid March!

Which will be put to use in bouquets like these...

in those lovely dreamy colors that ranunculus are known for!

It's so exciting to know that spring is just around the corner, and so are LOTS of beautiful ranunculus and other spring bloomers!

Chinese Forget-Me-Nots for Late Spring and Early Summer Wedding Bouquets

The Chinese Forget-Me-Not bloomed and were gone before I hardly had a chance to work with them last year.

2013 was my first year for growing them, and because of poor germination, I only had a few plants. Also the lovely cornflower blue just wasn't in the color palette of any of my  May and June weddings.
But I was smitten with them and did manage to tuck them into a centerpiece design with poppies. 

These are actually Chinese Forget-Me-Nots, or cynoglossum. I first learned of them through Floret Flower Farm, in fact, there is a great blogpost by Erin about growing them from January 25, 2014.

My seeds were started earlier this month, and  the seedlings are emerging. Germination has been better this year, and 

I am hopeful to have them again for May and June. I am growing the blue and white varieties, and will make sure that I work them into a few floral arrangements even if I don't need them for weddings!

They are so enchanting- in the garden and definitely in wedding bouquets and designs!

Black-Eyed Susans for Summer Weddings

January is seed sowing time for Rudbeckia or Black-Eyed Susan. This sunflower look-alike is quite easy to grow,

and will reward you with several months of golden yellow blooms that can really stand up to summer heat.

I grow them for the bride who wants truly garden-inspired designs that feature rich bold colors. My favorite variety is Indian Summer, but I also grow a green-eyed variety called Prairie Sun, (there's a few in the lower right corner of the picture above).

Black-Eyed Susan commands attention in mixed color bouquets such as the one above that also features Foxglove and Zinnias.

 And it also works well in a more analogous color palette as the one above that features golden Sunflowers, Spray Roses and Gerber Daisies.
Seeds can be ordered from Johnny's Selected Seeds.
This January batch should start blooming late May to early June. I will sow seeds again in March for blooms in mid- July. If you keep the flowers cut, plants should continue to bloom for about 2 1/2 to 3 months.

Yellow for Springtime Weddings

There is nothing like the color yellow to brighten up your springtime wedding flowers!

Great flower choices for this rich saturated color are tulips, ranunculus and daffodils...

 And don't forget pansies! Yes, they have short stems, but they can be added at the last minute if given a separate water source. Small plants can be used for centerpiece designs- securely wrap the roots with some of the potting material in plastic wrap and tuck into the design.

These flowers will begin to make an appearance at Springwell Gardens starting in mid February through early April.You can go bold with oranges and hot pinks, or set them off against blues and whites. It's a color that can certainly brighten your special day!