Love In A Puff for Summer and Fall Weddings

One of the things we celebrate at weddings is LOVE! So I am always excited when I can add something tangible to the bridal bouquet that is a reminder of Love. For summer and fall weddings that tangible something has been Love In A Puff.

It's a sweet little vine, with a very cute name, and it is a delicate accent that can be used in both the bridal bouquet and as well as other designs.

The balloon puffs look enchanting in the way they dance around the design.

And the smile on a bride's face when she sees what is inside those little puffs is priceless!

Keep Those Succulents From Your Wedding Flowers

Succulents have been popular for weddings for the last several years. There are a variety that work well in both centerpiece and bouquets designs. I thought I would show you how you can keep these plants growing after the wedding.

Nicole's bouquet, pictured above, included several soft green succulents known as echeveria, and the lantern centerpiece design had several different types of sedums, "hens and chicks" Sempervivum, and graptosedum nestled among the flowers and herbs.

 

I think it's great that these little succulents can be removed after the wedding and actually rooted and grown into thriving plants.  

The picture above shows a nice variety that were plucked from some recent designs. The lower part of the stem was stripped and then pushed into moist potting soil.

There's not much else that needs to be done. Just check to make sure the soil stays moist, but not soggy and within a few weeks the stems will begin to put on roots.

Pictured above are some succulents that I saved and rooted for one of my brides. This is about seven weeks after the wedding.  

The next step is to move these plants to a larger pot or to a well drained area in the garden that receives about 4-5 hours of sunlight. In our area (Raleigh, NC), they will benefit from  a little shade during the hottest part of the day. 

I like to keep the different varieties separated because some are more vigorous than others and will overtake the pot or area where they are planted.  The echeveria will need to come indoors and be placed near a bright sunny window once the temperatures get cold since it is not winter hardy.  Be sure that all plants are provided a well drained planting area as wet soils will cause them to rot. 

Send me an email if you have any questions!

Jewel Tone Flowers for Summer and Fall Weddings

Some of the garden beds are slowing down, but there are still flowers for gathering into lovely bouquets. Lots of jewel tone colors and spiky flowers show up in late summer.

They include very fragrant African Blue Basil

Feathery soft wheat celosia,

and Black and Blue Salvia

Other flowers in this bouquet include zinnias, dahlias, sedum, crested celosia, and gomphrena. Perilla provides both flower spikes and rich aubergine foliage. These are all great choices for brides who desire locally grown flowers for their late summer and fall weddings.

This October there should also be a small showing of chrysanthemums, and for next year I am planning to have several varieties of floribunda roses to offer as well. Many will be in rich jewel tones, but I am planning to have some soft blush and peachy colors as well!

Poppies Make a Statement in Springtime Bouquets

September is the month for getting ready for next spring's flowers. Seeds have been ordered and in the next week or two I will start sowing. And poppies will be some of the first to go in. It has been great to have these flowers to offer to offer to brides for both spring bouquet and centerpiece designs.

Delicate blooms should start appearing around the second week of April.

I grow Icelandic poppies in a mixture called "Meadow Pastels". It comes in soft shades of pink, peach, yellow, ivory and white, with some of the stronger yellows and oranges as well.

They really grab your attention whether in a bouquet, or a simple arrangement for the table. And they should look stunning for the upcoming weddings in April and May.

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!

Perilla Adds Rich Dark Notes to Wedding Flowers

Looking for a unique accent for your wedding flowers? Check out perilla!

It is a staple in the flower borders at Springwell Gardens from June through October, and the frilly leaves add rich hues that vary from almost irridescent ebony to chocolate-burgundy that complement both blush and jewel tone floral palettes. 

In late September the plant is covered with pink flower spikes that quickly turn to green. These add great texture to autumn designs, and can later provide you with seeds for plants of your own. 

Garden Wedding Flowers in Peach

Peach colored flowers make a lovely statement for spring, summer and fall weddings.

Here around Raleigh, NC, in July and August,  the "go-to" flowers for that rich peach color are zinnias and dahlias. This year, I have also added a lovely peach colored celosia. The color combines well with blues and whites as in the design above that also features peach foxglove, blue forget-me-not, white cosmos and feverfew.

The design above is a monochromatic color palette of peach and orange zinnias, dahlias, celosia, and crocosmia, accented with chocolate colored perilla, and silvery leaves of Colchester White Centaurea.

And the bouquet above has peach zinnias and celosia nestled among white dahlias, pincushion flowers, cosmos and phlox. Burnished nandina leaves add a nice accent to the design. 

I am looking forward to using these blooms in wedding designs for the next couple of months!

Dahlias for Stunning Centerpiece Designs

This is the third year of growing dahlias at Springwell Gardens, and I am looking forward to creating some beautiful bouquet and centerpiece designs for my couples later this summer and fall. 

 

The Café Au Lait dahlias definitely are eye-catching with colors that vary from blush-beige to soft lavender. The summer flowers are a bit smaller than the fall blooming ones. Here they are paired with Love-in-a-Puff vine, Queen Ann's Lace, lamb's ear and the peachy-red shrimp plant.

Bride-to-Be is a charming medium white flower, and Prospero is a lovely lavender pink. Cosmos, feverfew, foxglove and vinca vine complete the design in this vintage pitcher.

The Snoho Doris dahlias are varying shades of peach with soft yellow hues. They are featured in the design above with lamb's ear, ferns, zinnias, cosmos, foxglove, and gomphrena.
Look for these beauties and more from summer through late October!

Feverfew Adds Charm to Wedding Bouquets

The first time I saw feverfew in a garden magazine (many years ago), I fell in love with its dainty appearance, and quickly found a place for it in my garden beds. Now I enjoy offering it to my brides who want the look of a wildflower bouquet for their wedding designs.

Feverfew usually starts blooming in the garden borders at Springwell by mid May, and continues through late June. 

It pairs well with garden blooms such as cosmos and zinnias, and traditional wedding flowers such as roses. 

Feverfew is also easy to grow. The single flower form will readily self seed, so I always have plenty of plants each year. And it's a great starter plant for brides who would like to later grow their own flowers!

Peonies and Astilbe for Nicole's Wedding Bouquet

The lush fragrant blooms of peonies are some of the most romantic flowers for May weddings.

And Nicole thought they would be perfect in her wedding bouquet. Feathery plumes of astilbe,  Sahara roses, Majolica spray roses and stock brought in the soft pink, blush and ivory color palette that she was looking for, and echeveria in a soft mint green added rich texture.

Echeveria and other succulents add a keepsake touch to wedding designs as they can be removed from the bouquet after the wedding,  and planted for later enjoyment.

Chantilly snapdragons from the garden added a wonderful soft pink to the bridesmaids' bouquet.

And a collar of Dusty Miller and pittosporum completed the designs.

It's always a privilege to create lovely floral designs for a couple's wedding, but one of most special aspects is getting to know the couple. Nicole and Jeff and I started this process a year ago and through emails and visits I have so enjoyed getting to know these two. I am very excited for them as they begin their married journey!!!

Locally Grown Flowers for a Springtime Wedding

Last May I had the pleasure of meeting with Bridget and Chris at an Open House at The Shady Wagon Farm. They were looking forward to a 2015 springtime wedding, and Bridget had her heart set on a garden/wildflower look for the wedding flowers.

That meeting led to some beautiful floral creations last weekend! I was so excited to be working with a couple that loved the look of garden style flowers, and I loved the opportunity to grow many of the flowers for them!

The garden beds at Springwell Gardens are really starting to wind up by mid May, and there were lots of flowers blooming that fit the soft pinks, creams and green color palette. 

Some of the flowers that were grown on site for their wedding were Chantilly snapdragons, poppies, cosmos,  Chinese Forget Me Not, and nigella blooms. I was hopeful there would be ranunculus, but the plants finished up too early. Thankfully the white anemones with black eyes  continued to hang in there!

Peach foxglove delivered some beautiful stems, and there were quite a few peonies that became part of the designs at the last minute.

I was excited to see Bridget when I delivered the flowers a few hours before the wedding. It was great to see her smile and hear her delighted approval!

I am so happy for you both as you begin this wonderful life together, and I look forward to you dropping by sometime to learn how to grow some of these beauties in your own garden some day!