Shawna and Steve's Elegant Backyard Wedding

Sometimes the floral consultation is the very first time a couple really thinks about flowers for their wedding day.

In the case of Shawna and Steve, our first meeting happened after months of correspondence. And ideas that had started out shadowy and vague, had become strong and definitive. Their vision would combine flowers, foliage and vines  into  woodsy and elegant designs that would complement an intimate backyard setting for the wedding and reception. 

And now it's so rewarding to see the reality of that vision in these stunning images taken by Rebecca of Rebecca Ames Photography.

Traditional flowers such as roses and hydrangeas shared the stage with garden flowers grown at Springwell, such as fragrant herbs, dahlias, gomphrena, tuberose, and Queen Ann's Lace. Textural elements such as lamb's ear, curly willow, and seeded eucalyptus were woven together with rich dark green Star Jasmine vine, and delicate Love in a Puff vine.

The feel was romantic and light, from the loose and flowing creations that adorned the arbor (created by Steve and his Dad), to the lanterns mingling among flower filled vessels and vines that swept down the center of the tables.

 

 

               

It was a privilege to create the floral designs for this sweet couple's wedding.

Be sure to check out Rebecca's Wedding Page to see more images from this beautiful wedding. She did an incredible job of capturing the all the elements that go into telling the story of their wedding day.

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Jewel Tone Flowers for Summer and Fall Weddings

Some of the garden beds are slowing down, but there are still flowers for gathering into lovely bouquets. Lots of jewel tone colors and spiky flowers show up in late summer.

They include very fragrant African Blue Basil

Feathery soft wheat celosia,

and Black and Blue Salvia

Other flowers in this bouquet include zinnias, dahlias, sedum, crested celosia, and gomphrena. Perilla provides both flower spikes and rich aubergine foliage. These are all great choices for brides who desire locally grown flowers for their late summer and fall weddings.

This October there should also be a small showing of chrysanthemums, and for next year I am planning to have several varieties of floribunda roses to offer as well. Many will be in rich jewel tones, but I am planning to have some soft blush and peachy colors as well!

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Peach Juliet Roses for a Garden-Style Wedding

Augusta loved the idea of wedding flowers that had a garden feel to them. Summer flowers in peaches and ivories and lots of greens- soft silvery greens and fresh summer greens as  

well as touches of silver and rich texture. It was great coming up with recipes that combined blooms from the garden such as peach colored dahlias and zinnias with wedding favorites such as peach and ivory spray roses and Juliet garden roses.

Vintage sewing drawer and fragrant cedar wood boxes were filled with nandina, illicium, seeded eucalyptus and Dusty Miller and layered with lots of lovely blooms.

Clear glass compotes added more interest to the reception designs.

All in all I think that my bride and her family were very pleased!

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Garden Wedding Flowers in Peach

Peach colored flowers make a lovely statement for spring, summer and fall weddings.

Here around Raleigh, NC, in July and August,  the "go-to" flowers for that rich peach color are zinnias and dahlias. This year, I have also added a lovely peach colored celosia. The color combines well with blues and whites as in the design above that also features peach foxglove, blue forget-me-not, white cosmos and feverfew.

The design above is a monochromatic color palette of peach and orange zinnias, dahlias, celosia, and crocosmia, accented with chocolate colored perilla, and silvery leaves of Colchester White Centaurea.

And the bouquet above has peach zinnias and celosia nestled among white dahlias, pincushion flowers, cosmos and phlox. Burnished nandina leaves add a nice accent to the design. 

I am looking forward to using these blooms in wedding designs for the next couple of months!

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Dahlias for Stunning Centerpiece Designs

This is the third year of growing dahlias at Springwell Gardens, and I am looking forward to creating some beautiful bouquet and centerpiece designs for my couples later this summer and fall. 

 

The Café Au Lait dahlias definitely are eye-catching with colors that vary from blush-beige to soft lavender. The summer flowers are a bit smaller than the fall blooming ones. Here they are paired with Love-in-a-Puff vine, Queen Ann's Lace, lamb's ear and the peachy-red shrimp plant.

Bride-to-Be is a charming medium white flower, and Prospero is a lovely lavender pink. Cosmos, feverfew, foxglove and vinca vine complete the design in this vintage pitcher.

The Snoho Doris dahlias are varying shades of peach with soft yellow hues. They are featured in the design above with lamb's ear, ferns, zinnias, cosmos, foxglove, and gomphrena.
Look for these beauties and more from summer through late October!

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Dahlia! A Most Lovely Wedding Flower!!!

Spring is finally underway! And while I am watching for spring flowers, I am also getting ready for summer and fall. I pulled out my first batch of dahlia tubers this week and have started potting them up.

A favorite for weddings is the Cafe Au Lait Dahlia, and I am so looking forward to growing this beauty again this year. While the blooms are not dinner plate size, but they are large- a good 6-8" in diameter.

It was great to have it for several weddings last year, and I am looking forward to using it again this August and September!

Another favorite dahlia of mine is Snoho Doris.This is a ball variety with petals that are peachy pink. It pairs well with blush as well as stronger orange hues. It should start blooming in August and hopefully will keep it up through late October!

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Sweet Centerpiece Designs for Spring and Summer

I am always on the lookout for something a little different to add to wedding flower designs...

whether it's a unique flower to try in the garden, a new way to present bouquets for delivery, or new centerpiece containers. So here's the latest item to catch my eye- sundae dishes.
These make lovely vases for casual, eclectic reception designs. They work with a variety of flowers and would be charming for spring and summer time weddings. The image above shows them filled with springtime bloomers such as anemones, Spanish Bluebells, muscari, viburnum and pansies. The next design features late spring flowers such as peonies, nigella, yarrow and penstemon, and old fashion Fairy shrub roses.

The designs below show them with late summer flowers such as dahlias, zinnias, African Blue Basil, crested celosia and fragrant herbs.

It's such a refreshing way to welcome guests to your reception!

Can't wait to share this idea with my brides!

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The Bridal Bouquet....

It's exciting each time I put the finishing touches on a bride's bouquet, turn it around to inspect it to make sure it's just what she wanted, and when it is, to let out that grateful sigh....

Each bouquet is so different from all the others, because each bouquet is for that one special bride.

It starts with that first meeting where we talk flowers and styles and what she likes and what she doesn't, and little touches that will make that bouquet HER bouquet.

It's really great when I am growing flowers for her. Sometimes actually starting the seeds or planting the bulbs with her wedding day in mind. Or maybe it's a special flower or vine we discover together when we step outside to view the gardens.

It's a privilege and it's so rewarding, and I am so thankful for each woman who asks me to make her bridal bouquet!

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Summer Dahlias and Zinnias

We have had the summer rains this year, so there are lots of summer flowers. Here's some of the flowers blooming now at Springwell Gardens: Audray Pink Gomphrena, Burgundy Crested Celosia, Queen Red Lime Zinnias, Karma Dahlias, and Centaurea Colchester White

And here they are in a summery bouquet. Other flowers include Fireworks Gomphrena, Mountain Mint, Blue Ageratum, Smilax Vine, Summer Phlox and Love-in-a-Puff.

Most of these flowers will continue to bloom until frost. I have some autumn weddings that

will feature several of these beauties. Cafe Au Lait and Chilson Pride Dahlias are starting

to crank up which will be great for my brides that want a softer color palette.

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Coming Soon- Dahlias for Summer and Fall Weddings!

The first shipment of dahlia tubers came last week!

This year there will be several new varieties of Karma Dahlias as well as others that should do well with NC summertime temperatures. Because space is limited I will only be growing them in three of the garden beds.

You can expect to see rich chocolate red, fuchsia, deep pink, peach, coral and soft creamy blush.  These lush blooms look stunning in garden-styled bouquets as well as the more formal rounded bouquet, and are great in centerpiece designs!

Bloom time should start in mid June, but I am hopeful that the Karma Prospero Dahlias (which are a lovely pink) will be blooming in time for a late May wedding... It's a wait and see.

Last year the Karma dahlias kept cranking out wonderful blooms throughout the summer, but most of the others took a break during the July and early August. Dahlias really shine in the garden from mid September through late October- just in time for autumn weddings!

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Rich Aubergine Perilla Adds Lovely Contrast to Summer Bouquets

Let me introduce you to Perilla frutescens. 

It's an interesting plant in the garden beds at Springwell Gardens. But what's really great  is how the leaves of this sultry, dark beauty set off a bouquet or centerpiece design with their delicate shape and subtle licorice fragrance.

 

Perilla frutescens is an annual plant that readily reseeds. In addition to its interesting dark foliage, it also produces delicate pink flower spires in September. If you let these flowers dry on the stems, the seeds will just fall to the ground and  you have plants for years to come.

I have been using it for several years now in my summer and fall floral designs. 

And look forward to adding it again in 2014!

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