Grow Your Own Bouquets Part 3

Hydrangeas in a wedding bouquet

 This will be the last installment of this series and there are SO MANY things I want to write about but I can't walk away from this topic without sharing some awesome perennial plants to add to your

bouquets. The best part is that you only have to buy these plants once and they will provide beautiful flowers for you year after year. Here are some great ones to consider. 

1. Hydrangea. These flowers are so elegant and sought after. Three heads of hydrangea, all on their own, are a beautiful floral arrangement. Very easy to grow. 

2. Lilies. Oriental and Asiatic lilies are beautiful perennials grown from bulbs and are just gorgeous in arrangements. The Oriental lilies also smell heavenly. Don't try this with day lilies as they will not last when they are cut. 

3. Roses. Duh. Yeah I know. For bouquets, I recommend hybrid  tea roses for longevity in the vase. Color options are limitless. 

4. Garden Phlox (not creeping phlox) make a beautiful flower filler and are easy to grow. 

5. Ferns and hostas. If you have any shady areas, you can grow any number of ferns or hostas for greenery. 

6. Delphinium. If you're up for  a challenge, you can grow your own delphiniums. They are a rare blue flower with lots of height but they can be tricky. 

7. Lilac. These don't bloom for a long time but they are worth it for how pretty they are and how amazing they smell. 

8. Spring bulbs. Taller versions of tulips, daffodils and Iris can all be lovely in a vase but won't last as long as other flowers might in a vase. However, getting daffodils to naturalize in your yard is so cheap and easy that enjoying an arrangement for a few days can be worth it. 

Do you have a favorite perennial flower for bouquets? Be sure to write about it in the comments below. 

Hershey Gardens in the Fall

 This is not my normal post with helpful DIY tips for your garden. I just had a fantastic experience today and want all of you to have it too. I want to point out that Hershey pays me NOTHING (although I'd take it if they offered. he he). Maybe you've never heard of, or at least never visited Hershey Gardens in Hershey, PA. Maybe you've been but didn't go this year because of COVID 19. Maybe you think of it as a nice place to go in the summer but not so much in the fall. 

First off, they are open. (Get all the info you need at their website) You only have to wear a mask when indoors, not in the actual gardens. The tickets today were $13.50 per adult but there are ways to get discounts. (Again, see the website). 

Secondly, it is well worth going in the fall. My friend Jewell and I went this morning and even in drizzly weather, it was gorgeous. The rose gardens STILL look amazing (I wouldn't count on that after a hard frost though so go soon!). Also, their displays of annual beds was lovely. Of course, there's always the beautiful arboretum which will only get better as the foliage really starts to change. 

For those of you with kids, they have a big butterfly house and a lovely children's garden which is very interactive. My daughter Hannah loves it. 

Since a picture is worth a thousand words, I'll leave it at that and let you see theses pictures from this morning. 

My favorite rose. It's called Twilight Zone

The rose garden is just stunning.

Elephant Grass. And Jewell.

The awesome thing about the annual beds is that they're always changing. 

Swan Lake with part of the rose garden and arboretum behind. 

Abigail and Jason January 2017

This past weekend I has the privilege of being a bridesmaid in my friend Abbie's wedding. She also gave me the opportunity to arrange her flowers. She really wanted an elegant, winter look without any kind of allusion to the holidays we just passed. Here is what we came up with...

 

The most important thing is the bride's bouquet. You can see my friend Abbie holding it and I also include the other shot so you can see the special wrap I did around the handle. It's all about the details so this bouquet has blush pink roses, dark purple phaleonopsis orchids, dusty miller, white alstromeria, blue thistle, white statis and evergreens. More complex than my bouquets usually are, I think these flowers look great together.

Here is one of the bridesmaid bouquets. Very similar the the bride's bouquet but without orchids and smaller overall. 

And here you see the assorted wrist corsages and boutonnieres I put together. I love the dainty evergreen with the small spray roses. The blue thistle makes for a more modern look for the guys. To coordinate with the bride's bouquet, I did a special orchid boutonniere for the groom. 

Odds and Ends

I've been able to make lots of arrangements for holidays, weddings, church events and such that haven't been big to do's - just odds and ends. However, to give everyone some more ideas of things I can do, here are some more pictures of my work. For the record, if you invite me over for a holiday meal, there's a good chance I"ll bring flowers with me.

Here's my mother wearing a rose                                       Vase Arrangement for any

pin on corsage at my own wedding.                                     Occasion 

Thanksgiving Centerpiece I made
with my two young nieces. Fun!



                                                                           A more elegant Thanksgiving Centerpiece I
                                                                                      did on my own the following year.

Christmas! I have extensive experience working with evergreen.

The holidays are still my favorite time of year.

I would LOVE to decorate your home with fresh evergreen pieces

for the holidays.

Traditional Centerpiece

Some VERY low budget pieces I did for a pink and white

zebra print themed baby shower.

As you can see, I do a variety of work and would love to help you with your wedding, shower, party, or holiday event. Just email me or fill out the contact form. Thanks!

Elizabeth and Dave's Wedding

I  just love Elizabeth. She was awesome to work with. She loves roses and lots of color and boy, did she get it! Her bridal bouquet is my favorite one yet.

Close up of Bridal Bouquet

Boutonnieres

Brides Maid Bouquets

Mother of the Bride Wrist Corsage

Mother of the Bride Wrist Corsage