Inspiration - Purple, Fuchsia and Green Wedding Board

I can't believe it's been a month+ since my last post!  What can I say kids but spring is a busy season for me.  Not only with business but with our lovely 2 1/2 acre property and although we don't landscape all of it, it still has to be maintained. Boy howdy, all I can say is thank God for Paul (my gardener extraordinar), I'd be lost in a jungle of overgrowth without him.  Sometime I'll share some pixs of my lovely garden, until then check out blossomvalleygarden.com (our home).


I haven't done any inspiration boards in a while but I found myself a little under the weather this week. What better way to spend a few hours in bed than to be creative. This loverly board came about when I found the image from the domestikated life of the purple couch. From there I found small details like the  green necklace, purple feather fascinator and the rest followed suit. I love everything in these jewel tones because they're so rich and alive - the colors envelope and pop at the same time.  


Enjoy,
Cindy

May Flowers

There are countless list of different flowers, foliages, and organic materials available each month.  Some year round (or almost) and some seasonal.  I'm going to start doing a series of monthly flowers but, instead of listing everything that's available, I'll list the more seasonal flowers, foliages that I'm finding in the local flower market. Below each, I'll attempt to list some helpful facts, that I hope you brides will enjoy!

Anemone - a poppylike flower of the Ranunculaceae family.  Available in red, white, blue, and purple – last week I saw a color I’d not seen before and it was the most delicious iridescent shade of a blueish purple –loved it (see above)

Dogwood Branches-available mainly in white, pale green-available in various lengths

Garden Roses
-limited availability
-available in various colors

Iceland Poppy - limited availability - some red with black centers

Parrot Tulips 
-available mainly in white/green, peach/green, pink/green
-weak stems, not great out of water

Peony - available mainly in white, barely blush, pink, medium pinks, deep burgundy, hot coral-often grown on a shrub, not a hothouse flower

  

  Peony Tulips - large tulips up to 4" across are also referred to as double late tulips -limited availability -available mainly in hot pink, cream, coral pink

 Ranunculus -limited availability -available in many colors

Sweet Peas -available mainly in white, light pink, hot pink, purple, lavender (see to the right)

Viburnum'Snowball'
-available mainly in bright green, soft pale green, creamy green
-available in various lengths and also as as tall branches
-the younger it is, the bright; tends to fade lighter as it ages

From the Garden Bouquet

I just love the colors of this fresh spring bouquet, yellow peony tulips, garden roses and orange ranunculus. I purchased these beautiful full yellow peony tulips and picked some bright orange ranunculus for a bit of pop and "Just Joey" garden roses from my garden.  I just adore my rose garden all fifty bushes and so now you know what I do in my spare time!  

Peony Substitutes

After my last post on the limited availability on peonies you might be saying to your self – great so now what?  The question - what’s a bride to do if she’s just gaga over peonies and getting married at a time when peonies aren't available? 

If you love flowers like lush peonies, then you will love the large full look of garden roses.  English Garden Roses - many types have that same round cabbage style opening.  These roses are generally bigger than hybrid teas and have an incredible look very much like peonies, often with a divine scent to go with them. These roses are gorgeous in bouquets (see photo above) and centerpieces that are overflowing from garden urns.  Garden roses do have some limitations however; they are more expensive and fragile than hybrid roses.  While trying to get them all to open just right they can shatter (loose all their petals) while some may not open and so your florist will often have to order extras for that reason and they are not available in the winter.  

Other great alternatives include:

Fancy Carnations - some carnations look like the center of peonies but they are much smaller in size.

 Dahlias - some like the cafe au lait are so large in size that they remind me of peonies

Football  Mum – large showy head in white, yellow, lavender, and bronze/coral

Polo' roses - a creamy white large headed rose with an excellent petal count.  Sometimes opens into a gorgeous classic cup.

Always remember to consult a floral designer who has specific knowledge about what is available.  There are several possibilities but it's important to see what's available in the local wholesale arena. And though these are just a few ideas, the key is to trust your event professional with these decisions.

I hope this is helpful and as always thanks for stopping by!
Cindy

Peonies - The Perfect Wedding Flower

Peony flowers are one of the most popular wedding flowers and looking at them it’s easy to see why. What a stunning flower - elegant, romantic, fluffy and so lush with all those soft ruffled petals.

Peonies lend themselves well to a vintage vision, an old world look, or a romantic garden wedding.  The presumption that they are a perfect wedding flower is evident because they are everywhere – in magazines, on blogs and in many florist portfolios. 

Which is why I wasn’t surprised when I had several brides recently ask me about Peonies for their respective late summer, autumn weddings.  There’s only one problem with this dreamy flower – availability. 

As much as I would like to say that you can get these glorious garden blooms any time of the year, I would be misleading you.  Peonies are a herbaceous perennial. Which means they grow and bloom over spring and summer, then die down at the end of the growing season (autumn-winter) to the soil level? They return the next spring from their root-stock.

In other words, there are no peonies in the summer, autumn, or winter that are grown domestically in the States or in a natural environment. In Southern California peonies are considered a spring flower and are only offered May – June.  That’s only about 4-6 weeks!   Most plants will only flower for a week or two weeks at a time. The only reason why we have cut peonies longer is that growers plant them carefully so that there is a SUCCESSION of continuous blooms.  Did you know that?

Please keep this in mind that this is coming from a floral designer based in San Diego. What I say is based on what I've learned and experienced during my life as a wedding floral designer. The information above does not apply to other areas of the world or different parts of the country. 

Until next time …

Cindy