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!

Read More

Blue Flowers for Late Spring and Early Summer Weddings

Spring always slips into summer a little too quickly... It's part of living in the South I guess. While I love summer flowers, I hate to see spring flowers go.
Yesterday I pulled the Chinese Forget-Me-Not out of the garden beds. It was hard, but I need that space for other flowers. This is the second year of growing these incredibly blue flowers. I love everything about them, except they can't take the heat!

Chinese Forget-Me-Not (cynoglossum) add a vivid touch of blue to wedding flowers which looks amazing with yellows like these roses, poppies and ranunculus above. It can also make a statement with a softer color palette as in the bouquet below that include white anemones, Sahara roses, silvery lamb's ear and lavender stock

 And it's lovely nestled in with pinks and peaches too.

Seed should be started in the fall, (I was late), and plants can be overwintered in the garden beds.

This fall I plan to get it started on time, and I will make sure that I have a nice area in the garden beds too. Kate is getting married next May, and she just might want to use it in her bouquet!

Read More

Lavender Pansies and Blue Muscari Add a Special Touch for Springtime Wedding Flowers

What happened to spring!!! Last week I was picking anemones, pansies and muscari and this week we're hitting 90's!!! Not the best weather for flowers that like it cool...

Well back to muscari and pansies. Both of these flowers have been featured several times this year on the blog in some springtime designs. A few weeks back I wrote about adding three new types of muscari (also known as grape hyacinth) to the garden borders. Well this is the last of the three- Saffier. It is taller than the other varieties that I am presently growing. Some stems are about 9 inches in length, and French blue with pale green overtones is very striking. You can find these bulbs at John Scheepers .

 As the season warms up the pansies began to stretch, and by May they are also providing longer stems, so I thought this would be a good time to work them up in a design.

This elegant centerpiece also features Spanish bluebells, white and purple anemones, white ranunculus and soft green viburnum heads. 

Look for these flowers from Springwell Gardens from late March through early May!

Read More

Chinese Forget-Me-Nots for Late Spring and Early Summer Wedding Bouquets

The Chinese Forget-Me-Not bloomed and were gone before I hardly had a chance to work with them last year.

2013 was my first year for growing them, and because of poor germination, I only had a few plants. Also the lovely cornflower blue just wasn't in the color palette of any of my  May and June weddings.
But I was smitten with them and did manage to tuck them into a centerpiece design with poppies. 

These are actually Chinese Forget-Me-Nots, or cynoglossum. I first learned of them through Floret Flower Farm, in fact, there is a great blogpost by Erin about growing them from January 25, 2014.

My seeds were started earlier this month, and  the seedlings are emerging. Germination has been better this year, and 

I am hopeful to have them again for May and June. I am growing the blue and white varieties, and will make sure that I work them into a few floral arrangements even if I don't need them for weddings!

They are so enchanting- in the garden and definitely in wedding bouquets and designs!

Read More

Blue Anemones, Hellebore and Muscari for Allison and Kevin

 Spring is here and it's a joy to watch all of nature wake up from winter!

The cooler temperatures in March have made this one of the most beautiful springs in years! Really!!! And I am so happy for couples like Allison and Kevin who chose this time of year to get married!

My first meeting with Allison was January. She wanted a rich color palette for their wedding day- deep purples and plums and brightly hued greens punctuated with soft lavenders.

As April approached, it was exciting to see the garden flowers cooperating! Plum colored hellebore, dark purple muscari and blue-purple anemones, peacock blue-green cerinthe tipped with purple bells, and bright chartreuse euphorbia. These garden flowers were paired with lavender Ocean Song roses and violet stock.

The centerpiece designs made a lovely statement at Caffe Luna. Other flowers included green Jade roses, purple larkspur and lisianthus, and various shades of purple and lavender Florigene carnations with such names as Moonvista and Moonshade,

It's been a little over a week since their wedding day... and now come the days of being newlyweds!

Praying God's blessing for you two as you begin your lives together!

Read More

Beautiful Blue Anemone and Muscari for Springtime Weddings

We have been blessed with a very cool start to springtime this year, and all the spring bulb-type flowers have LOVED it. The blue muscari and anemones have been blooming for several weeks. And it has been great using them in springtime wedding designs.

The color of the anemones runs from a dark blue to a deep purple blue, and the same is true for the muscari. My pictures are a little deceiving- in real life this color has more of a purple hue. They are pictured here in a bouquet of other spring beauties- rose colored anemones,  Bridal Crown Daffodils, ranunculus,  pansies, viburnum and vinca vine.

 When the temperatures are on the cool side, each flower will put on a show in the garden that lasts for about a week. But start adding a little heat- like upper 70's and low 80's and they will melt out quickly. My advice is to pick them so you can enjoy them for five to seven days inside your home!!!

Read More

Blue Muscari and Yellow Daffodil Centerpiece for Spring

The muscari are in bloom now at Springwell Gardens. 

These charming blue flowers have a delightful "grape-like" fragrance and are so lovely for centerpiece and bouquet designs. Here they are featured with miniature daffodils called "Tete a tete", and purple and yellow face pansies.

 The first greens of the spring season include small leaves of lambs' ear, lime green Angelina sedum, Fairy rosebush sprigs and heuchera.

 The floating candles nestled among the floral elements in this wooden box complete this unique garden style centerpiece.

Read More

Something Blue for Springtime Wedding Flowers

Looking for blue flowers for your springtime wedding? Check out these sweet lovelies- Spanish Bluebells (hyacinthoides) and Grape Hyacinths (muscari). Both are fall planted bulbs (or corms) that bloom in the South from mid March through mid April.

 They pair wonderfully with other spring bloomers such as leucojum and ranunculus, and look great in bouquets and centerpiece designs. Spanish Bluebells and Grape Hyacinths also come in whites and pinks, but shades of blue are the most common color. The Grape Hyacinths also have a pleasing delicate fragrance.

An added bonus is that you can purchase your own bulbs in the fall after your wedding, and grow these as a yearly reminder of  your special day. Once they are planted they will continue to come back each spring and multiply year after year....

Read More

Getting Ready- Garden Flowers for Spring Weddings

Seems like we are skipping through November! It is hard to believe that next week will be Thanksgiving- now how did that happen so quickly?

I am trying to keep up with the garden chores, because this is the time of year to prepare beds and start planting for spring time flowers.

I just received my last shipment of spring time bulbs, and hope to start getting them in the ground soon. Springwell Gardens is a suburban garden, so I have to make EVERY inch count.
Spanish Bluebells (hyacinthoides) will be going into the front beds
Pink Angelique tulips are slated for the back garden beds as well as ranunculus and anemones. I hope to find a few more places for daffodils as well.
And a few months from now the blooms will start! There should be a nice succession of spring time flowers for my March, April and May weddings.

Read More

Summer Bouquet in Warm Coral and Cobalt Blue

I have loved how gently summer has ushered in, and I am loving the rain too!
The garden is just brimming over with some beautiful flowers. Coral and Salmon Rose Zinnias, Feverfew, Calla Lilies (just a few), beautiful cobalt blue Chinese Delphiniums, and Ammi (or False Queen Anne's Lace), along with many others.
This bouquet features some of these wonderful flowers. New to the garden are the Chinese Delphinium and the Queen Ann's Lace (Ammi). These have been vigorous flowering plants, and are a great addition for the late spring early summer garden.
Another sweet little flower that will really take off with the summer heat is Strawberry Fields Gomphrena. It is such a vibrant red, and really likes the heat. Be sure to look for these bedding plants at Campbell Road Nursery. If planted now, they should give you blooms through the rest of the summer and into fall!

Read More

Spring Wedding Flowers- Blue Muscari!

Muscari is such a charming spring time bloomer. The grape-blue flower heads start pushing up in early March and are found throughout my garden beds until mid April (usually).
The individual stems are rather short- about 6-8 inches, so I have to supply a separate water source in larger arrangements or bouquets. But they are definitely worth the effort.
They look great massed together as in these tiny handmade vases (or schapps glasses)...
And I love to add them to other petite designs of mixed flowers such as these white creamers that are filled with ranunculus, pansies, bridal wreath spirea and lamb's ear.
This year muscari started blooming early, and have already finished their spring time show...
They were wonderful while they lasted!!!
 Want to grow your own??? Muscari are grown from small corms or bulbs that you plant in the fall. Be prepared- these little guys multiply fast, but that's OK- you'll just have a lot more flowers each year! A good source for these bulbs is John Scheepers, or locally (in Cary, NC) you can purchase at Garden Supply Company.

Read More