Summer Wedding Flowers- Check Out Feverfew, Part 1

As the garden beds wind down for the season, I thought I would take a look back and write a little about some of my favorite garden picks that LOVE to play the supporting role in bouquets and centerpiece designs. And one of the best for summer weddings is Feverfew.

 There are two forms that I grow- the double flowers as in the picture above, and the single daisy-like flowers as in the picture below.

 The post is going to focus on the single flower form.
Once you have this plant in your garden, it's pretty easy to keep it. I have found feverfew to be a short lived perennial, but it reseeds so easily that I usually have plenty in the garden. The plants stay low throughout the winter and then start to shoot up in March and April. The bloom time is from mid April through late May or early June. Leave some of the flower heads on the plant until they have died to ensure they reseed. Afterwards I suggest cutting the plants back to keep the clumps neat.
Check out a few bouquets that feature this Oh-so-sweet-flower!

Katie's yellow bouquet from last June was also designed with yellow Babe spray roses, brown-eyed Viking mums, sunflowers, Queen Anne's Lace and English ivy.

Coral and white zinnias, white calla lilies, blue Chinese delphinium  look great with clusters of feverfew...

And so does this bouquet of Snow on the Mountain Euphorbia, yarrow and white roses.

Two good sources for seeds are Select Seeds and Johnny's Selected Seeds

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Summertime at Springwell Gardens

Well here it comes! Summer that is... I hear that we will be hitting the 90's tomorrow. I am trying to be upbeat about it since we have had such a mild start.
The garden beds have been doing very well. It has been so much easier with the new raised beds. I have been very pleased, and I am hopeful that the flowers will continue to perform well, even with the added heat.
Camelot Foxglove (see picture below) is still providing some lovely lateral spires. I have a wedding next weekend and would love to add these to the ceremony designs.
Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia) is starting to crank up- see picture below. Next year, I am just going to put a few plants into the mixed borders instead of one of the beds. They offer loads of flowers, but I could use more purples, plums and pinks and less golds and yellows.
One of several new additions to the garden has been Queen Ann's Lace (Ammi- See picture below). I am hoping this one keeps going for at least another week or so. We'll see- since I understand it likes the cooler weather.
Another newbie is Chinese Delphinium- Wow! just love the color. I believe this one will also melt with the warmer temperature, but I sure have enjoyed it, and plan to have more next year!

Needless to say, it's all about the flowers for me, but we also have a small patch for veggies too. Wilson is growing cucumbers, squash and tomatoes. We both have our eyes on these big boys, and plan to invite them to supper SOON!

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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!

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