Cafe Au Lait Dahlias and Pink Majolica Spray Roses

Some things are worth the wait! That is what I think about these Cafe Au Lait Dahlias. They are starting to bloom now at Springwell Gardens.

This is my second year of growing them. Last year I received dahlia tubers that were supposed to be Cafe Au Lait, but they were not!

Here they featured in a bouquet with pink Majolica spray roses, coral pink Jitterbug and white Bride-To-Be Dahlias, with a collar of seeded eucalyptus, Dusty Miller and Centaurea "Colchester White".

 I am looking forward to using them this fall for a few special brides!

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Pink Zinnias and Gomphrena for Summer Weddings

Zinnias are one of my favorite summertime wedding flowers, so I am thrilled when the brides that I meet with like them too!  The color for this summer has been pink.

I had the chance to use them last week for Kitty and Lofton's wedding, and will be using them again this weekend for Valerie and Matt.

Here they are in a bouquet from earlier in the season other flowers from the garden- Queen Ann's Lace, pink gomphrena, blue ageratum, bunny tails and mountain mint. Can't wait to show them paired up with dahlias next week!

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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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Warm Peaches, Pinks and Yellows for Alex and Ben's December Wedding

I am just loving this color palette for Alex and Ben's  wedding flowers. It's so cheery with its warm apricots, peaches and pinks and rich golden yellow- just perfect for chasing away the cold and gloom of winter.

The flowers included apricot colored stock and peachy-coral Ilse spray roses, pink lisianthus, golden button mums and a deep cherry-pink rose called Cherry-O (which I think is an absolutely stunning color).

Silvery green foliage from the garden included Silver Drop eucalyptus, Centaurea Colchester White, and blue cypress which added a rich texture to the boutonnieres for the guys.

It's hard to believe it's already been a week since the wedding. I am so happy for this newlywed couple. I have known Ben for years, and I am looking forward to getting to know his lovely bride, Alex! Praying God's blessing for you as you begin your lives together as husband and wife!!!

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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.

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Pink Garden Roses and Peonies for Mandy and Ryan's Wedding

It's hard to believe that summer is quickly coming to a close. Here's a beautiful lookback to a sweet couple's June wedding...
Mandy and her future mother-in-law, Laura, dropped by the studio in February.  It was apparent that Mandy had a definite vision for her wedding flowers- a romantic color palette of  delicate pinks, creams and whites with billowy peonies and garden roses. It was a perfect choice for this sweet soft spoken bride.
Bridesmaids' bouquets would be created with pink roses and peonies, and Mandy's bouquet with creamy white roses, pink garden roses and peonies.
Boutonnieres for the gentleman featured a single rose embellished with feathery dianthus buds.

Salem Baptist Church in Apex was a classic setting for this summer time wedding. Guests were greeted by a beautiful garden design created by the Tammy, a great designer with The Life of the Party- RSVP Events

The ceremony decor featured maple trees in sleek metal planters adorned with white hydrangeas and pink roses and a sweeping design of roses, hydrangeas, stock and larkspur placed beneath the large stain glass window.
Pew markers echoed the romantic theme of soft pinks and whites with draping vinca vines.
Following the ceremony, Megan and Ryan greeted their guests at The Garden on Millbrook

to continue their wedding day celebrations.

What a beautiful way to start the summer!  Praying God's blessing for you as you move through these days and months of being newlyweds!
Be sure to check out some more wonderful pictures of Mandy and Ryan's wedding day by talented Robyn Van Dyke at: http://www.robynvandykephotography

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Soft Coral Garden Rose and Pink Dahlia Bouquet

Sunset hues of peach and pink and yellow make for a stunning color combination.
They are colors that resonate well with summertime- soft yet vibrant.
The flowers in this lush bouquet are gorgeous peachy-coral cabbage roses called Romantic Antike and soft pink Majolica spray roses with some lovely picks from the garden-
Annabelle Hydrangea, Indigo Spires Salvia, Gabrielle Marie Dahlias, and fragrant Tuberose. Check back next week to see a version of this with a splash of aubergine perilla!

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Summer Bouquet of Cafe Au Lait Dahlias

The dahlias are starting to bloom. Summer is not their favorite season, but

it's so nice to see them! New to the garden beds are Cafe au Lait Dahlias. These blooms are gorgeous- Soft, billowy and BIG.

Here they are mixed with white dahlias, pink pincushion flowers and gomphrena.
Right now they are streaked with lots of lavender, but I think as the heat of summer gives way to cooler fall temps and shorter days, their color will soften to the more familiar creamy blush... We'll see.
I added them to the garden for my daughter, Mary. She and Brad will be getting married this October, and I was thrilled to find out that Mary really likes the look of this flower! So now is the time to gather their blooms and practice designing with them.
My daughter, Judy, agreed to model for me...she's such a sweetie!

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Zinnias and Scabiosa in Pinks and Dark Maroon

Each year it's exciting to try something new in the garden. This years "new starts" included ranunculus and leucojum in the spring as well as poppies and delphinium. And for the summer I've added Pincushion Flower (Sweet Scabiosa) and Lisianthus.
These are not new types of flowers- they're just newbies to my garden beds.
The design above includes both pink and very dark maroon pincushion flowers (Summer Fruits and Black Knight Scabiosa), Pink Champagne Lisianthus, Love-in-a-Puff vine, Pink Zinnias and  dark leaves of Perilla. Love how the bright pinks play beautifully off the darker notes of the Black Knight Scabiosa and Perilla.

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Summery Pink Dahlia and Zinnia Bouquet

Summer is in full swing here in North Carolina, and the flowers are coming!

June blooms from the garden included LOTS of shades of pinks, reds and wines- lavender pink dahlias, pale pink Summer Phlox, Queen Red Lime Zinnias and wine colored Bee Balm with cherry red caps....
and gorgeous raspberry pink heads of hydrangeas with ruffled leaves of aubergine perilla peeking out between the flowers. The finishing touch is a lovely wrap of ribbons with scallop edged tails!

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Springtime Pastel Wedding Flowers- Ranunculus and Leucojum

Let me introduce you to a new flower at Springwell Gardens- Leucojum.

I saw these Snowdrop look-a-likes in Scheepers Bulb catalog last year and thought they would be a great addition to the spring garden beds. And I was right- so there will be more Leucojums for next year just in time for a special April, 2013 wedding...
Here they are featured in are a couple of simple designs along with Spanish Bluebells (hyacinthoides), ranunculus and muscari.

If next spring has NORMAL spring time weather most of these flowers should be in bloom from mid March through mid to late April.
Leucojums have that wonderful quality of showing off the flowers around them. And wouldn't you agree-

They have that delicate dreamy feature that epitomizes Spring!

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Soft Pink Wedding Flowers for Mandy and Ryan

Two weeks ago was the wedding day for a very sweet couple. On that day Ryan and Mandy became husband and wife.

I met with Mandy for the first time in early February. She had definite ideas about the flowers for her bridal bouquet and for the bridesmaids' bouquets as well. She desired a  lovely blend of peonies and roses in soft pinks and whites for her bouquet, and for her bridesmaids...
soft pink roses, spray roses and peonies. The finished look was definitely romantic!
The boutonnieres for the men in the wedding party featured a classic single rose.
And for the mothers of the bride and groom there were elegangt hand held corsages of green and white calla lilies wrapped with organza ribbon.
I had the privilege of working with the design team from RSVP Events.  Sharon and Tammy had a wonderful vision for both the wedding and reception decor, and it was great to see all the different design elements that were chosen.  These white ceramic urns were a favorite of mine.
Here's a close-up of the flowers that included pink and white roses, pink garden roses, and gatherings from the garden such as Queen Anne's Lace (Ammi),  Dusty Miller, Yarrow, Larkspur, Double Feverfew, and this unusual flower head of Ayesha Hydrangea.
Robyn Van Dyke captured the beauty and the emotions of Mandy and Ryan's wedding day. She and her husband, Jordan, make a great team. Be sure to check out her post from last weed at:  Robyn Van Dyke Photography- Married: Mandy and Ryan
And Ryan and Mandy- it's now been  two weeks and counting to SO MANY MORE!!! Praying God's Blessing on your new marriage!

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