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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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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Garden Flowers for Spring Weddings- Poppies

One of the most romantic and ethereal flowers is the poppy. Delicate petals, thin as tissue paper, flutter and dance like butterflies!

That romantic, delicate appeal is what makes the poppy a wonderful flower for weddings!

The preferred cultivar for cut flowers is the the Iceland poppy (Papaver nudicaule). I grow a variety  called Meadow Pastels from seeds started in late fall. The flowers bloom from late March through May. Because of their delicate nature, poppies are at their best when they are purchased from a locally grown source. 

Or even better- when they are grown with your wedding day in mind!

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Coral and Blush Poppies for Weddings in April and May

I can't think of  more cheerful and bubbly flowers than POPPIES. They started showing their faces in mid April which worked out perfectly for pairing them with ranunculus, another April bloomer. Their bloom times overlapped for almost three weeks.

Below they are shown together in a bright and playful design of corals, hot pinks and yellows that includes Chantilly Snapdragons, sweet peas, pale green hellebore, and chartreuse euphoribia.

The softer peach and cream colors of poppies take on a more refined air as in this design that also features

blush colored garden roses, black eyed anemones and Dusty Miller.

 Poppies don't like the heat though! They are already starting to slow down. I was hoping to push them into June, but I think that I may have to shoot for earlier bloom times rather than later. Which means I will try to have them blooming in time for some mid to late March weddings next year!

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Peach and Coral Ranunculus and Poppies

The season for ranunculus has been a little shorter than last year. They are almost finished, and it will soon be time to replace them with zinnias.

There has been an overlap of the ranunculus bloom time with the Icelandic poppies which were started earlier this year than the year before. Something I will definitely do again!

These flowers really do complement each other! Poppies come in rich coral, yellow and orange as well as soft peach, yellow and cream. And the ranunculus are in the warm sunset colors.
Other flowers in this design include Chantilly snapdragons, hellebore, bleeding heart and pansies. The foliage from bleeding heart and spirea is a glowing yellow green!

It has been such a treat to work with these flowers this year. I am very thankful that the ranunculus made it through the COLD winter- I just wish they would stick around longer!!!

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Poppies for May Weddings!!!

September is slipping away so quickly... Time for getting ready for the winter and spring season. Seed sowing has started and I am looking forward to having more of these...

 

Iceland Poppies. They are here for such a brief time in the south, but so worth growing. Last year they started up in late April and continued almost through the end of May.

Because the flowers are so fragile, it is best to source them locally. I'm talking them up to brides who are getting married next May- I think they will be a great hit!

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Peach and Coral Poppies and White Peonies for May Weddings

This is the second year for poppies at Springwell Gardens. They have been blooming since late April in delicate hues of pale yellow, salmon-coral, peach and light pink. Their beauty is fleeting... As May gives way to June, their bloom season appears to be over.

They made an appearance in Taylor and Grant's reception centerpiece designs and also in her bouquet.
Here they are paired with white peonies from the garden (also a May bloomer), wild grasses, Chantilly snapdragons and yellow flower stems from kale.

 Yes, May is their month to bloom. Seeds were sown last fall, and the seedlings were given some winter protection in one of the caterpillar tunnels.
Since they are not fond of heat, I plan to give them a spot with some more afternoon shade next year. Hopefully I will be able to coax them to linger a little bit into June. It would be great to offer them to both May and June brides next year!

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Peach and Coral Garden Roses and Poppies for Taylor and Grant's Wedding

Love, love, love this color palette!!! It's so fresh and so perfect for a mid May wedding.

And such a lovely setting... Snipes Farm in the spring time... Thankfully the rains held off, and everything looked wonderful for Taylor and Grant's outdoor ceremony yesterday.

I met with Taylor and her Mom, Tammy, last fall around State Fair time. We talked flowers and colors for a while, and then they set off for the State fair with their family. In the next few weeks the color and flower choices were firmed up. Some of Taylor's favorites- baby's breath, garden roses or peonies and soft green succulents. She wanted her bridesmaids to carry all white bouquets to set off their seafoam green dresses and for her bouquet she wanted corals, peaches, and pale yellows, oh yes, and succulents!

This is when I start to think about what can I grow that will be in that color palette. My first thought was zinnias in corals and salmons, (this year it just wasn't meant to be- too cool in March and April!). But there is always something else and I was so excited that I had also mentioned poppies- they came through beautifully.
Taylor decided to use small pails filled with white hydrangeas and coral and peach roses and spray roses to adorn the aisle chairs. She and her sister decorated each pail with burlap ribbon accented with a single white  flower.

Tables for the reception were fitted with burlap runners and a collection of flower filled bottles and votives. Flowers from the garden included poppies, a small gathering of late blooming ranunculus, Chantilly snapdragons, and yellow flower stems from garden kale.

Lots of love went into the decorations... Tammy created a beautiful wall of flowers with bottles and zinnias (I would love to get to know her source!)...

I can't wait to hear all the wonderful details.As Sandy and I were leaving, a joyful crowd was gathering to celebrate a wedding.

And today there is a newly married couple! Taylor and Grant, praying God's blessing for  you as you begin your lives together!!!

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Yellow Poppies and Blue Nigella for Katie's Bridal Shower

In just three weeks, Katie will be getting married. It's hard to believe!

Another little girl that I have had the privilege of watching grow up into a beautiful young woman. And I am so happy for her as she gets ready for her special day.
so yesterday was her bridal shower...
And the perfect opportunity to put together this springtime centerpiece from the garden. While the color palette for her wedding will have bolder shades, I thought these softer hues would be lovely for her shower- silvery Lamb's Ear and Dusty Miller, Green Spice Heuchera, blue Love-in-a-Mist (Nigella), pale yellow poppies, yarrow, and ivory Foxglove.

And in a few more weeks it will be time to do the wedding flowers!

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Poppies- Springtime Wedding Flowers in Pastel Shades

The garden is starting to churn out flowers. Not as quickly as I would like, but they are starting up.
A new flower in the lineup is Iceland Poppy "Meadow Pastels". I have talked to several people who have grown poppies before and they all seem to think they are fairly easy to grow. This is my first year to grow this variety which is a good cut flower variety.
I ordered seeds from Johnny Selected Seeds, and started them in February. What a beautiful, delicate bloom, and I love the pastel shades of peach, salmon, pale yellow and even bright orange.
The bouquet above features Iceland Poppies, Foxglove, Fairy Rose, Feverfew, Love-in-a-Mist (Nigella), and Larkspur.
The next picture is of the same bouquet with the Foxgloves removed. I think that I like this more rounded version better.
Iceland Poppies have a short vase life- about four to five days which is just fine for wedding work. I re-cut the stems in water when I bring them in from the garden and place them in hot water to condition.
One more note about poppies there are several varieties out there and not all do well as cut flowers. Be sure to look for "Papaver nudicaule". And I am considering sowing some seeds outdoors in the fall. These plants do not seem to like the heat. I hope to plant them earlier and have them blooming by April- maybe in time for Katey's wedding!

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