Lily of the Valley for April Weddings

So many springtime flowers make a delightful appearance that lasts for only days, and then we must wait until again next year.

One of those flowers is Lily of the Valley. I have been watching for it since the end of March, even though I know it won't come until April.  Those delicate white bells finally started unfurling earlier this week and they were a joy to see.

  Lily of the Valley is a short stemmed flower that works well for petite designs, or it may be wired and added to larger bouquets. Another option is to provide a hidden water source

Then it can be worked into a larger design such as a centerpiece arrangement. Here it is featured with white anemones, pink, blush and white ranunculucs, hellebore, pieris and bleeding heart.

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!

With This Knothole...

Last week I wrote about the "Art" in nature that I find on walks, and an interesting piece of "Art" to find is a knothole. These are round pieces of weathered wood from a tree with a hole in it, (this is where a branch use to be).I use pieces like these for their woody, organic appeal. I will usually anchor the knothole to my design with pins or wire and then fill the hole in with flowers and moss.
Can you see the knothole in these two pictures? It's nestled behind the pink and orange ranunculus.
Here is a thick stumpy knothole that's about the size of my hand.
I used it for a spring time design of Lily of the Valley, Blue Bells and Bleeding Heart.
I enjoy adding finds like these to make the designs interesting. Yes, I know it's not a really big deal, and many people will overlook it. But I also know there are a few people that will spy things like knotholes and such and be enchanted.