This mouth-watering, sorbet coloured rose makes me think of a delicious combination of lemons, peaches and watermelons. It’s summer in a rose. And it smells gorgeous.
So who on Earth was the genius who thought calling it ‘Miss Piggy’ was a good idea? I try not to use the name when describing it to clients as it conjures up images of tantrums and flouncing! Perhaps they’ll come up with Rosa Bridezilla next….
There is not much that needs to be said about these plump, pale pink Sarah Bernhardt peonies. Coming into season now, they play a gorgeously sumptuous part in spring and early summer weddings.
Not much Stemgirl needs to say here (for a change)….
Fragrant, delicate and magical Paper White narcissus. Completely gorgeous.
If you’re thinking pretty and vintage I think the delicious colours of this delicate rose are absolutely fantastic in a bouquet or table centre. I’ve used them here with ‘Akito’ roses, ‘Jana’ spray roses and wonderful, wonderful ‘Roma’ astrantia so the bright pink just pops here and there. However, ‘Mimi Eden’ looks really beautiful when used on its own. Recently, little posies for flower girls looked very cute.
On the down side, the petals are really delicate so I am very picky about the bunches I buy as there’s often already evidence of bruising at the market. And they are not cheap! But worth it, I reckon.
Hooray for the magical, fragrant narcissi from the Isles of Scilly! Produced by family growers in the open air, there are a huge number of varieties, all with surprisingly different perfumes. They’re normally available from late winter to the end of spring. There were loads at the market this morning – despite the cold and drizzle outside, they made me feel that, finally, spring is on its way.
I don’t think I have to say anything, really. How absolutely perfect are these nerines? They’re in season now and are completely magical! The bright pink ones above were used for all the bridesmaids (and buttonholes too) and the fantastic combination of white cymbidium orchids and nerines below was for Emma’s gorgeous bridal bouquet.
How better to ease oneself into Autumn, but with enormous bunches of English hydrangeas? Each gorgeous bundle combines all the colours of the season – russety reds, jewelly pinks, antique greens and even touches of blue that echo the sky on those crisp, clear sunny days that make this time of year quite fabulous. The market is full of them, they’re great value for money and they not only last well in the vase but dry beautifully too. I like to mix them up and used them here with black-red ‘Black Baccara’ roses and zingy-red ‘Tornado’ alstromeria. To complement the wonderful hydrangeas, I’m also making good use of the magical colours, textures and berries of locally grown foliage which work naturally and fantasically in larger displays. How stemgirl loves this time of year!
OK, so I swore I wouldn’t bore anyone with unimportant information about what I’m reading or listening to or what I’m going to have for supper. However, my first bowl of this year’s delicious and vivid broad beans reminded me of something I think is simply so uplifting that I want more and more of it! From glossy dark fatsia and berried ivy to emerald trachaelium and fresh green sedum or ‘Green Goddess’ arum lilies. From silvery eucalyptus, through the limes and acids of molucella, shamrock chrysanthemums and bupleurum to vintage ‘Green Shadow’ hydrangeas, abundant use of this colour really is good for the soul.
I’m doing a wedding in September and the bride is going all the way with each table featuring lily vases overflowing with nothing but cinerea eucalyptus. How cool is that? Oh, and I’m listening to Rio (Duran Duran) and reading The Importance of Music to Girls (Lavinia Greenlaw). Just in case you were actually interested….
I absolutely love the filigree, lacy white flower head of ammi majus. It’s in season in the from late spring to the end of the summer although we can buy it from the market all year round. Its feathery leaves look a bit like dill but I’ve just found out that it’s related to the carrot! Ammi is normally used as a ‘filler’ flower to bring, perhaps, a delicate touch to a bridal bouquet. The texture of a bouquet is definitely softened by its addition. And, as an extension of this, it works gorgeously when added to buttonholes or corsages.
But I’d like to make more of this fabulous flower. It looks stunning when used abundantly on its own. A vase overflowing with ammi stems conjures up an image of wispy, summery clouds. Or vintage lace curtains fluttering in a warm breeze.
Liadan included ammi in her hand-tied bouquet which also contained a beautiful combination of very pale peach ‘Juliet’ roses, white ‘Avalanche’ roses, ivory ‘Viviane’ spray roses, florets of white ‘Schneeball’ hydrangeas, ivory ‘Echo Geel’ lisianthus, white ‘Versailles’ freesias, lime green bupleurum and touches of berried ivy. I used tiny pearl detailing to give a vintage feel to the bouquet. Gorgeous.