Beautiful, Bold Dahlias and Zinnias for Kelsey and Eddie

It's so exciting to see the vision for wedding flowers come to life!

When I first met with Kelsey and her mom, Ellen, I learned that the color palette would be bold- very bold. Strong reds, golden yellows, electric blues, touches of coral-peach, bright oranges, and purples that would look stunning against the royal blue bridesmaids dresses. 

The flower choices included lots of garden varieties in keeping with the rustic atmosphere of Snipes Farm. Garden picks included Love-in-a-Puff pods and vines, scented geranium, Sweet Annie, peach dahlias, Karma Chocolate dahlias, orange crested celosia and peach, yellow and red zinnias.
Blue delphinium, orange and yellow spray roses that came from my wholesaler added the finishing touches to the bouquets and the cute centerpiece designs- collections of bottles, jars and vases nestled within picture frames (Ellen's idea) on burlap runners. 

 Everything was coming together beautifully when I left. The guests were arriving and the atmosphere was exciting!!! I heard from Ellen that a great time was had by all.

Kelsey and Eddie- I am so happy for you both! Praying God's blessing as you begin your marriage!!!

Spring Snowflakes for Springtime Bouquets

The bulbs have been ordered and should be arriving next week. And Leucojums, commonly known as "Spring Snowflakes", will be in the mix!

These are such sweet little flowers- delicate bells rimmed with green speckled scallops.

Their nodding heads add a gentle movement to springtime bouquets.

They are featured in the first bouquet with red anemones, orange and white ranunculus, green viburnum and Bridal Crown narcissus. The second bouquet of all white flowers includes leucojum, anemones and ranunculus. They will be available from mid March through April at Springwell Gardens.

Poppies for May Weddings!!!

September is slipping away so quickly... Time for getting ready for the winter and spring season. Seed sowing has started and I am looking forward to having more of these...

 

Iceland Poppies. They are here for such a brief time in the south, but so worth growing. Last year they started up in late April and continued almost through the end of May.

Because the flowers are so fragile, it is best to source them locally. I'm talking them up to brides who are getting married next May- I think they will be a great hit!

Soft Blush Flowers for Hilary and Gordon's Wedding

Hilary and Gordon were married last Saturday. The day was perfect and the barn and grounds at The Little Herb House on the southeast side of Raleigh was absolutely lovely. I'm really looking forward to seeing the images captured by Brett and Jessica.

I met with Hilary and her Mom, Carol, back in February. Hilary already knew what she wanted- a soft color palette that featured creams, blush pinks,  delicate peaches, and silvery greens. She also loved textural elements such as seeded eucalyptus and  silver brunia berry. The flowers included Juliet garden roses,Senorita roses, soft pink chablis spray roses,and white lisianthus.

The designs for her bridesmaids featured white hydrangea, white lisianthus, ivory spray roses, wax flowers, seeded eucalyptus, and alstromeria that provided a bright splash of pink.

Boutonnieres for the Dads were twine wrapped baby's breath and

the groom and groomsmen wore spray roses edged with seeded eucalyptus. Gordon's boutonniere featured a sprig of sedum and brunia berries with a single Dusty Miller leaf.

Instead of wearing flowers, the Moms carried posies of white lisianthus, spray roses and scented geranium leaves.

Now it's HONEYMOON time! Hilary and Gordon, praying God's blessing for you as you begin your lives together!!!!

Daffodil Wedding Flowers

Daffodils and jonquils are such wonderful flowers for spring time weddings. One of the best ways to get the type of daffodils or jonquils that you want is to grow them yourself.

There's a large selection to choose from, and varieties that bloom from late winter through mid spring in the South. So if  you want to try your hand at growing them....
Now is the time to plan- because to have these flowers coming up next spring, you will need to plant them this fall! Two of my favorite sources for bulbs are  John Scheepers Bulbs and Eden Brothers. They offer a wide selection in a wonderful range of pastel colors.
In the South daffodils start the bloom season a month earlier than some of the cooler climates. The early varieties such as Ice Follies will start blooming by late January or early February, and others, such as my favorite- Bridal Crown (pictured below)- will normally start blooming in mid-late March.

Still other varieties such as White Lion (1st picture) will start their show in late March through mid April.
Another nice feature of growing them yourself is that they will come back each year.

You may want to plant both early and later blooming varieties to insure you have daffodils in bloom for your wedding day. Want to give it a try- just email me and I will be happy to give you some pointers!
One important note: when using them in containers with other flowers, but sure to cut and set their stems in a separate container to condition- for more info check out the Daffodils and Springtime Weddings post.

Pink Zinninas and Roses for a Late Summer Bouquet

September is here and longer shadows are being cast on the garden. Zinnias are slowing down a little, but the flowers are still beautiful. Time for a late summer bouquet.

This bouquet features lots of lovely shades of pink with a sprinkling of white. There's a new spray rose I am trying called Blush Star. No, they are not from the garden (I wish!!!)- these come from my wholesaler.

Flowers that are from the garden include feather celosia, pink and white zinnias, blush pink heads of Autumn Joy sedum, pink yarrow and lacy white flowers of garlic chive.

I love it when Judy is around and willing to hold the bouquets- makes it so much easier to envision how something like this would look as a bridal or bridesmaid bouquet....

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.