Pansies for Springtime Weddings

I have always been enamored with the idea of adding pansies to wedding designs. One of the main reasons is because they are so unexpected, yet so lovely for garden-inspired designs. They are some of the first heralds of spring in our area, and always seem so cheery. There's nothing like picking a few and breathing in their delicate fragrance! Last year I met a bride who was also enamored by pansies. Kate wanted garden flowers in rich violets, purples, and lavender-blue. So included with the Chinese Forget Me Not, the hellebore, euphorbia, and spikes of catmint were... pansies.

Just as their sweet faces can light up the garden, so they can also light up garden-inspired wedding designs!

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Seasonal Blooms for Winter Weddings

With a little planning, couples may be able to have locally sourced, seasonal blooms for their wedding day even in winter. Some of the choices include paperwhite narcissus, and a wonderfully fragrant flowering shrub called Winter Daphne.

Anemones may also be available. Here at Springwell Gardens, we grow anemones in hoop tunnels that provide some protection from the winter weather. A new plant for us is flowering kale. This ornamental version of kale actually looks like a flower. We offer it in white and purple shades.

Other elements include evergreens such as Blue Cypress and everlasting flowers such as celosia and gomphrena that are dried for winter designs.

It's a time to be creative, and this is just what we are striving to do at Springwell Gardens!  We are looking forward to offering these beautiful blooms and textures and even more for winter weddings!

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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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Poppies Make a Statement in Springtime Bouquets

September is the month for getting ready for next spring's flowers. Seeds have been ordered and in the next week or two I will start sowing. And poppies will be some of the first to go in. It has been great to have these flowers to offer to offer to brides for both spring bouquet and centerpiece designs.

Delicate blooms should start appearing around the second week of April.

I grow Icelandic poppies in a mixture called "Meadow Pastels". It comes in soft shades of pink, peach, yellow, ivory and white, with some of the stronger yellows and oranges as well.

They really grab your attention whether in a bouquet, or a simple arrangement for the table. And they should look stunning for the upcoming weddings in April and May.

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Perilla Adds Rich Dark Notes to Wedding Flowers

Looking for a unique accent for your wedding flowers? Check out perilla!

It is a staple in the flower borders at Springwell Gardens from June through October, and the frilly leaves add rich hues that vary from almost irridescent ebony to chocolate-burgundy that complement both blush and jewel tone floral palettes. 

In late September the plant is covered with pink flower spikes that quickly turn to green. These add great texture to autumn designs, and can later provide you with seeds for plants of your own. 

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Locally Grown Flowers for a Springtime Wedding

Last May I had the pleasure of meeting with Bridget and Chris at an Open House at The Shady Wagon Farm. They were looking forward to a 2015 springtime wedding, and Bridget had her heart set on a garden/wildflower look for the wedding flowers.

That meeting led to some beautiful floral creations last weekend! I was so excited to be working with a couple that loved the look of garden style flowers, and I loved the opportunity to grow many of the flowers for them!

The garden beds at Springwell Gardens are really starting to wind up by mid May, and there were lots of flowers blooming that fit the soft pinks, creams and green color palette. 

Some of the flowers that were grown on site for their wedding were Chantilly snapdragons, poppies, cosmos,  Chinese Forget Me Not, and nigella blooms. I was hopeful there would be ranunculus, but the plants finished up too early. Thankfully the white anemones with black eyes  continued to hang in there!

Peach foxglove delivered some beautiful stems, and there were quite a few peonies that became part of the designs at the last minute.

I was excited to see Bridget when I delivered the flowers a few hours before the wedding. It was great to see her smile and hear her delighted approval!

I am so happy for you both as you begin this wonderful life together, and I look forward to you dropping by sometime to learn how to grow some of these beauties in your own garden some day!

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Locally Grown Wedding Flowers for May

May ushers in a whole new set of wedding flowers at Springwell Gardens. There are beds of poppies Chantilly snapdragons, and Chinese Forget-Me-Not that started up in April, but are 

really getting underway now that May is here. New to the gardens are cosmos- I am growing the Double Click and Sensations Mix varieties. And a Nelly Moser Clematis vine is in its second year.

These lavender-pink blooms should be ready for bridal bouquets starting in May 2016.

Other locally grown flowers that are on the verge of blooming are Love-in-a-Mist, pastel and yellow yarrow, Rose Campion, catmint, zinnias and more. They will start making appearances in some lovely weddings over the next few weeks!

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Anemone and Ranunculus Centerpiece Designs for Spring

Anemones and ranunculus are probably the two favorite springtime bloomers at Springwell Gardens.

Anemones will actually start up during the winter months and slowly gain momentum through April. By mid March the ranunculus are joining in.
The bold faces of anemones with their dark eye and the full flounced ruffles of ranunculus are a nice contrast in floral designs.

I love to use them for wedding bouquets, but they are also stunning in centerpiece work as well. In  March they may be paired with other locally grown flowers such as Bridal Wreath spirea, Winter Daphne, pussy willow and hellebore.

And as springtime moves into April they are joined by leucojum, snapdragons and viburnum and the slightly fragrant buds of Spice Bush. In May they .

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Spring Flowers at Springwell Gardens

Spring is here, and the spring flowers are putting on their show. This year at Springwell Gardens

there are white, magenta and blue anemones, blue and white muscari, white and pastel ranunculus, leucojum, daffodils, and pussy willow just to name a few.

Spring is a short season in the South, which makes these flowers extra special. The bloom period for many of these is just two to four weeks.

Some like the anemones and ranunculus will bloom a little longer. I suggest that brides who are interested in using locally grown flowers, especially in the spring, learn ahead of time what is blooming around their wedding date.

Are you interested in daffodils or a special color of ranunculus, maybe something blue? If you plan ahead (late summer to early fall), and you're working with a designer who grows flowers you may be able to have her grow some- just for you!

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Garden Flowers for Spring and Summer Weddings- Feverfew

I expect the bloom times for a lot of the spring flowers will be a little later this year since the temperatures are running well below normal. But the plants are still growing, and a real charmer for late spring and early summer weddings is feverfew!

I grow the double flowered (pictured above) as well as the single variety. I believe the double flowered version has a more refined appearance and makes a lovely statement in bouquets

The single flower variety has a charming appeal

which is perfect for garden inspired designs.

Both varieties are  great options for brides searching for locally 

grown flowers for their wedding day. They are available at

 Springwell Gardens from mid May through late June.

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