Local Flowers for Winter Bouquets

Brides who want to use local flowers for winter bouquets have to be a little creative. Here in Cary, NC, January is the most limited month for flowers, but I can still find some blooms to put together for a winter bouquet.

 

Anemones, grown with winter protection, usually start blooming by late December at Springwell Gardens and will continue through April. The primary color blooming now is a rich fuchsia. Purples and whites are starting up as well.

Foliage material with its winter hues and markings plays an important role in winter designs. Plum colored leaves of lorapetalum and nandina provide a nice contrast to silvery Dusty Miller and variegated Winter Daphne. Dried summer flowers such as pink gomphrena and fragrant blue cypress add textural interest as well. 

 As January moves into February more material will become available. Flowers to look for in February will include Winter Daphne, winter honeysuckle, daffodils, hellebore and pansies.

Leucojum- A Dainty Flower for Early Spring Wedding Bouquets

There are already some daffodil bulbs pushing up stems in the garden, and I think I even see a few leucojum (Spring Snowflake),  as well. This petite, white bell shaped flower is perfect for bridal bouquets.

Bulbs are planted in the fall and the normal bloom times in the Raleigh-Cary area are mid March through early April.

Which makes it perfect for brides who want to incorporate local flowers in their early springtime wedding flowers. It is featured in a bouquet above with pink and white ranunculus, hellebore and a fragrant variety of viburnum called Korean Spice Bush. And in an all white bouquet below with anemone and ranunculus.

I love to include flowers like these in bridal bouquets because they are just the type of flower that a bride can easily grow herself and enjoy each anniversary for years to come.

Blue Forget-Me-Nots for Spring Weddings

Now is the time to start sowing more cool season annuals for spring and early summer weddings. And a favorite for blue flowers is Chinese Forget-Me-Not or cynoglossum.

This will be the third year of growing them at Springwell Gardens, and I am finally getting a lot of the kinks worked out. One of my biggest problems has been germination. I have worked with two different types- Chill Out which is a white and blue mix, and Blue Showers which is a taller variety with uniform blue flowers. The germination rate with Blue Showers has been excellent, and there should be an abundance of plants this year.

While the flowers are dainty, they make a big statement in design work. Last year I used them only sparingly since most of my wedding work did not include blue.

But this spring I will be using them in several weddings in May and June, as well as offering extra plants for sale to folks interested in including them in a spring cutting garden.

Plants from an earlier sowing are already plumping up and some even have buds. I hope to have cynoglossum blooming from March through mid June!

Color and Texture for great Christmas Wreaths

It was so exciting to see some great designss happen when my daughters and daughter-in-laws got together to decorate wreaths for their homes.

We purchased standard wreaths from the wholesaler and yes, the grocery stores, and embellished them with fresh gatherings from the garden and nature walks,  and came up with some great designs!

There are so many foliage plants that look stunning in winter designs. Here are a few from the beds at Springwell Gardens- fresh nandina, Goshiki False Holly, blue cypress, Threadleaf False Cypress and Gold Crippsii Chamaecyparis. There were also some nandina and holly berries as were as nature gatherings. Gingko leaves both natural and gilded are a favorite of mine this time of year and so are the cotton bolls that Wilson was able to pick on a farm site he visits. Red chili peppers went into a wreath for my Mom's door and a centerpiece design for my mother-in-law.

And here are the fabulous results!!!

My favorite part is the time spent together with them all.  Natalie had a conflict so we got together later to do hers, and that was good too!

I am looking forward to making this a yearly tradition!!!

Weddings: In Search of Fabulous Fall Colors

October is the first month that comes to mind when you think of peak fall colors, but it really depends on what part of the country you live in.

Here in North Carolina, peak fall colors start around mid October in the mountains, and work their way into our area (Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, NC) a few weeks later. Which means those radiant blazes of scarlet, yellow and orange don't really show up until November. In fact the most spectacular colors for autumn for our area often occur between November 7th and November 15th.

So if you are planning a wedding in the Raleigh, Durham, or Chapel Hill area, and you really want those fabulous fall colors, think November!

Cotton Bolls and Gingko Leaves for a Lovely Fall Bouquet

Katie and Jon wanted a softer color palette for their November wedding. One that included creams, olive greens, ivories and accents of gold. 

And textural elements that would be nestled within the flowers. Katie wanted cotton bolls. I had purchased some through my wholesaler, but days before the wedding my husband came home from work with gleanings fresh from a farmer friend's field.

Other textural elements such as dried nigella pods from late spring and creamy beige stems of Sweet Everlasting gathered in September were included as well. A collar of rich, dark leaves of Fragrant Tea Olive (Osmanthus fragrans) encircled her bouquet and provided a delicate scent.

Boutonnieres for the groom and groomsmen featured versions of these elements as well as white gomphrena blooms, (picked just before our first frost).

Since gold was an accent color for the wedding,  I called Katie at the last moment to see about adding some to her flowers...

She thought that would be fine. So Gingko leaves picked earlier in the week from a nearby tree were gilded and placed into her bouquet.

Sometimes the garden gatherings are not abundant, but that makes them even more special. I would love to help Katie learn to grow some of these flowers some day... And show Jon the perfect spot to plant a Fragrant Tea Olive of their own!!!

First Frost

Our first frost has finally made its appearance. We had a close call a few weeks back, but last night it really hit.

And while it's hard to see the flower season come to a close.

I can't help but look back and be thankful. 2014 has been a great year for growing flowers and I have enjoyed it immensely!

 

And I am so thankful for each time I have been able to take those flowers and work them into wedding designs for some very special couples!