Summertime is Zinnia Time!

They're here!!! The zinnias that is. I am growing Queen Red Lime, Bright Pink and Salmon Rose

The pictures with this post feature Queen Red Lime. It's a real beauty. The flowers range in color from a soft green with pink undertones to shades of antique pink and rose.

It really makes a statement on its own or in bouquets. It's paired below with the mature stems of cushion spurge or euphorbia.

It will be blooming from summer through fall. I plan to show it to Kitty who is getting married in August.

She just may want to add a few stems of Queen Red Lime to some of her centerpiece designs- we'll see....

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Springwell Gardens

Today I want to SHOW you Springwell Gardens!

This is our little bit of earth in downtown Cary, NC, where I grow flowers for WEDDINGS and Wilson grows vegetables to EAT.
When we moved to this home in OLD Cary, (where you can still put up clotheslines and do what you want to with your yard), we decided to make garden beds. Some trees were removed and a few beds went in. Over the years we have added to them- Wilson says that I am always changing things around, and he's right!
This year we decided to really try to neaten the area up a bit. So I cleared out the middle of a HUGE garden bed, put out edging stones and mulch, and Wilson made three raised garden beds for cut flowers that were placed within this area (see picture above). We also have some raised beds further back as well.
And wherever I can squeeze them in- there are other flower beds and borders as well. I am so excited to be able to offer brides more and more "garden wedding flowers".
The picture above shows some of what's blooming now- foxglove and dianthus. And in the bed pictured below are coral and salmon-rose zinnias that should be blooming in time for Dominique and Javier's wedding in late May. I started these plants from seeds just for their wedding.
I hope to have feverfew and yellow yarrow blooming for Katie in early June as well as scented geraniums- she loves the fragrance, and Susan is looking forward to white zinnias and Snow on the Mountain Euphorbia for her late June wedding- they're just baby plants now, oh but they're growing!!
I hope to post about what's blooming throughout the season, and give you peaks of the garden beds as they change.

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Yellow Tulips and White Ranunculus for Spring Weddings

Last week I was so anticipating these beauties!!!They are early blooming tulips called Monte Carlo. I used some of these tulips last year for CeCe and Lee's late March wedding. But with the temps sailing past the 70's and into the 80's this week, these flowers exploded open very early!!!

I have picked them and used them in a few arrangements... Here are some pictures that show the fruit of my labor.
The design above features Monte Carlo tulips, muscari, hellebore and euphorbia from the garden along with Majolica spray roses. All of these garden flowers are ideal for early springtime wedding designs.
This spring bouquet is also a garden design of Monte Carlo tulips and white ranunculus with white snap dragons.
And here is another shot of the first design. Monte Carlo tulips are a lovely clear yellow. The flowers are double petaled (more petals than a regular tulip). The other yellow flowers peaking out from this design are pansies. Pansies have a short vase life (only about three days), and short stems, so I provide a hidden water source that allows me to place them where I want them in the design and take them out when they look faded.
Monte Carlo tulips or any other tulip are suitable for spring time weddings with moderate temperatures. If using them when the weather is warmer than normal be sure to keep them in a cool place!

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