Daffodils, Tulips and Hellebore for Spring Weddings

As August draws to a close and summer wanes, it's time to thinks about flowers for next spring.  

 Catalogs of spring flowering bulbs are enticing us with all sorts of beauty- tulips, daffodils, and hyacinths.

I have been pouring over them,  trying to figure out how much I can squeeze in for next year. These will be used for my springtime brides and couples. And some will  go to other area floral designers who also enjoy working with local sourced flowers.
Check back to see what will be going in the beds at Springwell Gardens for next year.
By the way the bouquets above are from previous springtime gatherings. The top bouquet features White Parrot Tulips, white hydrangeas, and green hellebore. The lower bouquet is a gathering of Bridal Crown Narcissi. Tulips will be available next year for March and April weddings, and the daffodils (narcissi) will be available from mid February through early April.

Zinnia and Dahlia Centerpiece In Jewel Tones

The zinnias continue to crank out. One of my all time favorites is this little beauty called Queen Red Lime. Had trouble finding seeds earlier in the season, so I don't have many  plants this year.

But I did find seed later, so there should be plenty of plants next year. .

This design, created with flowers from the garden, features zinnias in pink and wine, white and lavender summer phlox, Mountain Mint, Karma Chocolate Dahlias, wheat and crested celosia and a petite dahlia called Jitterbug.

Just add some foliage such as glossy ternstromia, lamb's ear and wisps of Love-in-a-Puff vine, and you have one very elegant centerpiece!

Sunflowers and Black Eyed Susans for Elizabeth and Chris

Elizabeth loves the look of golden yellow flowers with brown and golden centers...

 

Gerber daisies and sunflowers, Viking mums and Black-eyed Susans.
And yes, she likes other golden yellow flowers as well- Babe spray roses, golden asters and yellow button mums.
White lisianthus and a froth of white Queen Ann's Lace for her bouquet and the bridesmaids added the finishing touch.

 The yellow and white color palette was carried through to the centerpiece designs with the addition of white hydrangeas and white spray roses and old fashion Shasta daisies.

 More flowers for the gorgeous wedding cake created by Jenny's Cupcakery

No flowers here... but what a fun sushi cake for the groom!!!

I'm so happy for this newly wedded couple

Praying God's blessing for you, Elizabeth and Chris, as you begin lives together!

Summery Yellows for Sara and Christopher's mid July Wedding

If I could color the months, I would color July yellow. It's smack in the middle of summertime. Yellow like lemonade and fireflies and of course- lovely flowers.

Sara must have thought so too... Or maybe she chose yellow because it would look stunning against the royal blue of her bridesmaids' dresses.
We met in April and over the next few weeks exchanged emails about flower choices, and while some of the details for her flowers changed a little- the color never did!

 For her bridal bouquet, Sara wanted to mix in white with the yellow. She decided on white lisianthus and larkspur... And feverfew, if it was still blooming.  The whites played well against yellow spray roses, freesia and calla lilies, and yellow zinnias from the garden.

Bridesmaids carried bouquets that featured frothy clusters of bupleurum with yellow spray roses and Gerber daisies.

Boutonnieres for the men were twined wrapped Billy Balls,

And the mothers carried posies filled with white larkspur, lisianthus and white and yellow spray roses accented with fragrant leaves from mountain mint and scented geraniums.
Can't wait to see the incredible pictures I'm sure that Cole Gorman of Blest Photography has coming up!!!

Sara and Christopher, praying God's blessing as you begin your lives together as husband and wife....

Karma Dahlias for Summer and Fall Bouquets

There's a new dahlia at Springwell Gardens- "Karma Chocolate". It's a rich dark red with a chocolate-red center. And it's absolutely stunning.

It's featured in this bouquet with lavender and white summer phlox, pink zinnias and lisianthus, lavender and white foxglove, Black Knight scabiosa, and a burgundy-black collar of perilla leaves.

Karma Dahlias have been bred especially for cut flower use, and they come in an array of beautiful colors. One good source for the tubers is: Eden Brothers.
There has been plenty of rain this summer, so the plants have been performing very well.

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Vase life for these beautiful dahlias has been about 5-6 days. I am really looking forward to the fall bloom season- they should look stunning for Kelsey and Eddie's early October wedding!

Peach Dahlias and Zinnias with Black Eyed Susans for Summer Weddings

Yes, it really is summer!!! I was lulled into thinking that the weather we had been experiencing earlier in July and June was summer weather- well that was wrong- so here it is the real thing, lots of humidity and temps in the 90's.
Good thing there are flowers that can take this heat. Flowers that actually like it, like Black-eyed Susans and zinnias and gomphrena.

 Here they are in a bouquet in soft and warm peach tones, golden yellows and orange and red.  Yes, these flowers are the epitome of summer.

This centerpiece also features zinnias, dahlias and Black-eyed Susan along with yellow stems of butterfly bush, orange crocosmia and orange butterflyweed.

Garden foliage abounds in the summertime- hellebore leaves, scented geranium, ferny stems from yarrow and stonecrop..

For textural interest add brown and orange discs from Black-eyed Susans and Purple Cone flowers as well as the flower cones from Bee Balm. 

These pieces are destined for a styled shoot by Swanky Elephant Planning and Design that will be photographed by Blest Photography.
  

Wedding Flowers for Summer- Think Sun Coleus, Dahlias and Daisies

The flowers are holding their own so far at Springwell Gardens, even with all the rain that we have had these past couple of months.There are lots of yellows, peaches and bright chartreuse for weddings later this month and next month.

While zinnias are some of my favorites, there are other beauties blooming too, like dahlias, coneflowers, Black-eyed Susans and daisies. And some great foliage selections like the Sun Coleus...

Just a few of these bright colored leaves add a great contrast to the flowers in this bouquet.

Sun Coleus come in a wide variety of colors and are great for summer and fall wedding designs.