Here Comes Summer

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?

Classic Wedding Flowers - Hydrangea

Hydrangea are a classic choice for wedding flowers. Traditionally these big blooms have been used to stunning effect in garlands, pedestal arrangements and archways, but only fairly recently have they become more popular for the actual bridal bouquet itself.

A mass of heads in one colour can create a domed hand tie with all the little petals lending a soft textured feel to the bouquet. It can be surprising how many you need to get a good shape, and the head size varies tremendously from batch to batch, so if you're ordering them in, allow yourself a few extra stems just in case they come in smaller than expected.

Use them on their own in one single colour or mix different shades. You can even use a single bloom for a very simple bouquet, perhaps for Bridesmaids. Give it a little collar of foliage like variegated Hosta leaves or Aspidistra and finish with satin ribbon.

When combined with other flowers Hydrangea can play a major or minor role. I love how the lime green Hydrangea are used in this bouquet. The greens make the Peonies look really fresh and bright, and the bouquet looks fab against the dark navy dress.

This bouquet is a beautiful mix of country garden flowers with a wild bushy feel. The garden roses, guelder rose, ranunculus and anemone in creams, greens and soft peachy pink shades are perfect for vintage themed weddings and a good match for lace dresses.  

Pretty ice pinks and white are a classic choice for Bridesmaids bouquets. Here stocks, roses, trachelium, lisianthus and waxflower are put together. The hydrangea adds body and shape to the bouquet.

If you want to break up a large expanse, you can also tuck flowers through the hydrangea itself - a technique I demonstrate at my vintage blooms and buttonholes workshop.

So how can you make them work through your theme for the rest of your floral decorations? You could use them tied or arranged in galvanised buckets to decorate your aisle. Or mark alternate rows with potted plants, hang or tie a few heads in jars or zinc buckets on chair backs for informal pew ends. 

I love putting Hydrangea with branches of blossom or twigs for a rustic feel. The large heads sit perfectly on the rim of tall vases, giving seated guests flowers just above eye level and providing visual balance to arrangements of tall twigs.  Blossoms look lovely, but I also love the starkness of thick branches, and the whispyness of contorted willow or hazel.

If you're after a more classic contemporary look try using them in urns, or glass bowls or cubes. They look lush in low containers. With touches of silver to add glamour and sparkle, hydrangea lend an air of sophistication and look very very expensive.

Part of the beauty with Hydrangea is that they come in so many different colours and shades and often on the same flower. There are whites, greens, white and greens, blues, violets, purples (and all shades of the same on one bloom), soft pinks, deep pinks, limes and pinks, warm pinky reds, russet reds, greeny reds...you get the picture!

Such variety means they work with brights and more muted vintage tones. I love the bright blue and cerise pinks in this table arrangement. So fresh and bold.

And by contrast, how soft and subtle are the dusky pinks, blues, violets and mauves used en masse in this silver bowl? They work so well because the rest of the scheme is very restrained, focused on silver accessories, a lavender tablecloth, mauve menu cards and discreet favour boxes tied with pale pink ribbons.

And if you really want to go town, how about these fab hydrangea plant pom poms? Like huge domed hanging baskets, these are gorgeously spectacular. Imagine them hanging from beams in a barn..

Or would a great swathe of hydrangea instead of a table runner take your fancy? Incredibly lavish and opulant, you'll have to agree? A real show-stoppper. I imagine there was quite a substantial budget for this top dollar event.

So there it is, this weeks run through of how to use classic hydrangea in your wedding. Hope I've given you some food for thought. Are Hydrangea on your wishlist for wedding flowers? What ideas have you got for using them? Call me nosy, but I'd love to know!

Oh and tomorrow I have a little DIY using Hydrangea...

Image credits - 1 -Style Me Pretty; 2 - Style Me Pretty; 3 - A Crimson Kiss, 4 - Wedding Chicks; 5- Heart Love Weddings; 6 - Martha Stewart; 7- Anik Designs; 8 - The Knotty Bride; 9 - Style Me Pretty; 10 - Style Me Pretty; 11- unknown; 12 - via Pinterest; 13 - Elizabeth Anne Designs; 14 - Martha Stewart; 15 - Garden of Flowers; 16 - Caplan Miller Events

Purple Rain

I love the colour purple. Its strong, deep hues, a combination of reds and blues, are both rich and cool at the same time. One of the most requested colours for bridal flowers lately, I thought I'd give a quick run through some of the options available if you're thinking of using purple in your wedding.

Incredibly versatile, it can be soft and pretty with pinks, creams and lilacs but can also work with creams and vibrant sunny yellows, and I love it with orange (its opposite on the colour wheel) and lime green. Mix it with reds and you have a very seductive combination.

These above and the lilac flowers below are Eustoma, more commonly known as Lisianthus. Sometimes mistaken for a rose and also known as a chinese rose, its not related but you can see where the confusion arises. Like the rose it does have soft blousey petals but its perfect spiralling buds are all its own.

If you like natural country garden style flowers these below are Veronica. They work really well with Lisianthus, thistle and spray roses for a cottagey feel. They look sweet popping out of mixed spring bunches too and are relatively inexpensive and widely available pretty much all year round.

When you're choosing flowers, whether for a vase at home, a gift or a wedding it helps to think about the effect that different types of flowers have on your arrangement. Your florist will advise with this but its usually a good idea to have a combination of linear and rounded shapes.

Clematis below has a beautiful lightness to it. Its stems curve and climb and can lend a lovely rhythmical  movement to your arrangement so that it flows and looks natural.

Hydrangea in contrast are quite a weighty flower with large heads of lots of little flowers. As a general rule, its a good idea to keep your heavier focal flowers towards the base of arrangements and lighter smaller blooms towards the top. In vases, space and foliage help to balance out different shapes.  

This Hydrangea is a lovely variety with the most amazing variation of colours on one head. And no, this is not a trick of the light, these flowers actually have green, pink, lilac and blue tones on each tiny head. Amazing aren't they?

If you prefer cleaner lines there are still plenty of options out there if you're looking for purple flowers. Vanda orchids come in a few different shades of purple from the more commonplace vibrant pinky purple, to dusky browny purples that would work well in vintage themes, and this new variety which is a great strong "Cadbury's" purple. 

Tulips are perfect for classic, clean bouquets and do come in purple, although they look more pink here they are definitely more on the mauvey/magenta side of purple. As always I'd recommend sticking to using using them when they're in season as not only are they cheaper they're also much stronger and longer lasting.

So there it is purple - the colours of kings and queens and er, Prince - the tiny put him in your pocket prince of pop. Hence Purple Rain. And it has been raining quite a lot here, just not purple. That'd be worrying.

Vintage Blooms & Buttonholes

Back in September I was asked to take my skills on the road, and invited to host a floristry workshop at a Birthday party in Islington. I'm always happy to share my love of all things floral, and set about gathering some beautiful dusky pink Roses, interesting foliage and hydrangea in muted antique tones to complement the vintage theme of the workshop.

 I started off with a demonstration of some of the basic techniques to make a buttonhole or corsage, and the girls got cracking with wiring and taping flowers and foliage to create their own unique buttonhole.

Then we moved on to making small grouped handties or posies, the type of thing they would be able to make from a few salvaged blooms, or cuttings from the garden. I'd asked the group to bring along a small container like a jam jar, a quirky vintage find like a teapot or china cup to display their posy in.

Delving into buckets of waxflower, hydrangea, thistle, snowberries, lisianthus, and cool water roses, the girls rustled up an array of pretty little posies. The workshop was a great success and got the Birthday girl's afternoon of treats off to a great start. Here she is below in an action shot making her own posy.    

If you'd like to arrange a workshop, or to discuss the different options please drop me a line to blueskiesandbunting@gmail.com.