After a week of sweltering temperatures followed by a dreadfully soggy British bank holiday I can only assume that it must be summer. Oh, and we have been getting some lovely summer flowers in the shop too. Thought I'd share some of my favourites with you....
First up there's Lisianthus, or to give it its proper name Eustoma. I like it so much that I included three shots of it here! It comes in so many different varieties that I may even dedicate a whole post to it sometime - there's green, cream, white, shades of pink and purple and whites edged with pink and purple. And ok, you can get it all year round, but it works so well with all the other summer flowers I just had to include it here.
Next up are Snapdragons, or Antirhinum. They have a lovely pointy shape thats great in vases and they come in lots of great hot pinks and oranges as well as softer pastel shades. To me they are so typical of english country gardens, I will definitely be growing these when I retire to a tumbledown cottage in some quaint village by the sea. And I'll let you into a little secret, the flowers don't really have much of a scent but I love the smell of the leaves. They smell like peas.
Delphinium are another tall linear flower that scream summer. If money was no object I would fill huge vases around the home with these blue beauties. Such great intense hues, some shot with lilac and mauve but they also come in the sweetest soft ice blues - which is one of my favourite colours at the moment for bridal flowers - just check out my Pinterest wedding board for proof.
And then, how could I breathe the word summer without mentioning Peonies. "Oh sweet many petalled love!" These blooms are stunning, they start off in tight round buds, sometimes taunting the impatient florist, and then they slowly, or more often quickly, unfurl to reveal their full blousey beauty.
From your Sarah Bernhardts to your Shirley Temples, there are so many lovely varieties to choose from. And they smell... divine, not just the leaves either ; ) They have a fairly short life and a short season so get them now and enjoy them while they last.
Hydrangea are around all summer with a huge range of options to choose from in the pinks, blues, purples spectrums as well as white and greens. Russety shades seem to be around more towards the end of the summer and into autumn although thats probably more seasonal demand than actual availability. As always most flowers are available all year, but at a price, so it pays to buy when they're in season.
And last but not least, Allium. Again another one that speaks of cottage gardens to me. I'm besotted with their perfectly formed spheres on clean long stems. They look amazing in modern arrangements as their bold striking shape is so eye catching.
Just be warned that they are in the onion family and so the cut stems can be a bit pongy. You'll certainly know about it if you don't refresh the vase water, or its been a particularly hot few days. Still, I won't hold it against them.
What are your favourite summer flowers? Do you think I've missed any out here?
