Saturday, January 15, 2011

Windows on the Bay Wedding Show Booth Flowers

Last weekend at the Bridal Inspirations Bridal Show, we had the opportunity to provide flowers for our friends at Windows on the Bay Events. Their booth colors were navy and bright green. We chose to highlight those colors with hot pink flowers and bright green foliage.

They have a fabulous iron arch that we decorated with three floral clusters, connected with trailing ivy. Navy fabric was drapped trough the arch. A glass and iron vase was filled with flowers and curly willow branches, to adorn the catering table. Flowers included in these designs were roses, freesia, anemone, lisianthus and hypericum berries.

If you are still looking for a venue for your wedding or for a great caterer, please consider Windows on the Bay Events. Their venue is in the Bellingham marina, in the Yatch Club building. The view is absolutely stunning, especially at sunset. And their food is so very tasty!

Bridal Inspirations Wedding Expo, Bellingham, on January 9th

We recently completed our first Bridal Show in Bellingham on January 9th. What a great show! It was snowing outside but it didn't stop the brides from coming; what a dedicated bunch :)

I so enjoyed meeting new brides and talking with them about their flowers. And we had lots of fragrant spring floral designs on display for brides to view. Our bouquets were even featured during the bridal fashion show, carried by the models. Here are some photos of our booth:





Friday, January 7, 2011

Planting Flowers This Year?


The catalogs are finally here! I received 5 in the mail yesterday alone. Sure more are to come. I love looking through the catalogs, planning my garden for the spring and summer. Great way to spend a winter day inside, dreaming of flowers to come.
If you are thinking of growing some flowers this year for your garden or wedding, now is the time to be planning. Every plant has a timeline for maturity, the number of days before the plant will produce flowers or fruit. Some seeds need to be started 12-16 weeks before your last frost date, to meet this timeline. Many are much quicker to bloom, though.
Some of my favorite catalogs to buy from include Johnnys and Select Seeds. Johnnys is great for their selection of organic seeds and just the vast number of flowers they offer. They also offer the best information on how to grow each variety (growing conditions, temperatures, maturity dates) . Mostly geared toward gardeners that are growing for farmers markets (buying seeds in large quantities), they do offer a home gardener side with smaller seed packet offerings. Select Seed is great for finding heirloom flowers. They often have the seeds I am searching for that no one else does, like Coreopsis 'Plains Mix'.
If you are thinking of growing flowers for your wedding, check out County Bouquets Floral classes. We offer a class to help you choose the right flowers to grow and how to grow them. As you can see from the catalog photo, there are a lot to choose from. I can help narrow the choices down and suggest plants that are the most successful to grow.
Here are a list of links to seed companies:
Also, check your local garden and farm centers for a selection of seeds. They many times carry growing trays, soil and other supplies needed to get started.

Thursday, January 6, 2011

Pantone Color of the Year for 2011

If you are in the art or design world, you know Pantone. The color swatches that are used to color match for fabrics, paints, printing, packaging, etc. But did you know Pantone comes out with a Color of the Year each year?

For the past decade, Pantone's Color of the Year declarations have influenced product development and purchasing decisions in multiple industries including fashion, home and industrial design. Last years color was Turquoise. Can you remember where you saw turquoise this past year? It was definitely in the wedding industry.




This years color is named Honeysuckle and is a reddish pink tone. I think it's a stunning shade of pink and would be perfect for weddings. It goes well with black, charcoal, navy or grey tones. Also perfect with green shades, as with flowers. Flowers in this tone include rose, hydrangea, dahlia, peony, gerbera and anemone. A vivacious color, perfect for a wedding that is uplifting and exciting.


Watch for more of this color through out the year, in fashion and home decor. Read more about Pantone's Color of the Year for 2011 at:

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Forcing Branches to Bloom

Winter can seem long and bleak, lacking any color. When the first leaves or blooms arrive in Spring, I love to pick a few and bring them inside. But you don't need to wait that long to see blooms, if you learn how to force branches to bloom in winter.

Early blooming bushes and trees develop their blooms early in the fall, before they go dormant for the winter (see list below for selected varieties to choose). Once the winter has been cooler then 40 degrees F for at least 8 weeks (usually mid-January), branches can be cut and brought inside to bloom. Bushes are easier to force then trees. Some take as few as 2 weeks to force inside while others will take 4 weeks or more. The later in winter you wait to harvest them (March versus January), the sooner they will bloom inside.


When choosing branches to harvest, it is best to choose a day in which the temperature is rising 10 degrees or more. This helps the branch get ready to be forced. Choose branches that have plump flower buds, which are generally larger then leaf buds. Cut the branch longer then you will need, as you will prune several times more before arranging the branch in your final floral display.


Bring your branches inside and prepare a bucket of water tall enough to support the branches upright. The water temperature should be warm (110 degrees F) and 3" deep to start. Re cut your branches above the original cut. If your branch is thick, make a 1" cut up the center of the branch to help it absorb water better. Place the branches immediately in water. Let the branches drink water for about 20-30 minutes, then add more water. Place the container in a cool room (60-65 degrees F) room, in a shaded location.


Once the buds start to show color, the branches can be moved to their final display vase. Re-cut the branch and place in clean water. To prolong their life, keep them in a cool location and out of direct sunlight. Enjoy!


Best bushes and trees to force: Currant, Quince, Forsythia, Pussy Willow, Witch Hazel, Alder, Crab Apple, Magnolia, Peach, Pear.


Flowers By Color

Quick quiz: Name all the flowers you can that are the color Blue. You have one minute. Go.

Did you find it difficult to think of flowers this way, by color? Many people do, which is why listing them by color when planning your wedding is helpful. Maybe your wedding colors are Navy with pink accents. Or yellow with grey accents. What flowers can you use?

The following are cut flowers listed by color, for your reference. These lists are by no means complete, but they will give you a good starting point when planning your wedding.

Blue
Bachelor Button
Caryopteris
Delphinium
Hyacinth
Hydrangea
Iris
Love-in-a-mist
Muscari
Scabiosa
Sea Holly
Veronica
Green
Bells of Ireland
Euphorbia
Hydrangea
Lady's Mantle
Lunaria
Mum
Orchid
Sedum
Tulip
Viburnum

Orange
Amaryllis
Astilbe
Calendula
Calla Lily
Dahlia
Freesia
Gerbera
Lily
Marigold
Mum
Orchid
Ranunculus
Rose
Rose Hip
Snapdragon
Stock
Tulip
Zinnia

Pink
Anemone
Aster
Calla Lily
Dahlia
Gerbera
Hydrangea
Lily
Lisianthus
Orchid
Peony
Protea
Ranunculus
Rose
Snapdragon
Stock
Sweet Pea
Tulip
Zinnia
Purple
Allium
Anemone
Aster
Calla Lily
Dahlia
Delphinium
Hydrangea
Lavender
Liatris
Lilac
Lisianthus
Orchid
Ranunculus
Rose
Snapdragon
Sweet Pea
Tulip
Zinnia

Red
Amaryllis
Anemone
Astilbe
Dahlia
Freesia
Gebera
Lily
Orchid
Peony
Rose
Rose Hip
Snapdragon
Sunflower
Sweet Pea
Tulip
Zinnia
White
Anemone
Astilbe
Calla Lily
Dahlia
Delphinium
Freesia
Gerbera
Hydrangea
Lily
Lisianthus
Narcissus
Orchid
Peony
Ranunculus
Rose
Snapdragon
Sweet Pea
Tulip
Zinnia

Yellow
Billy Button
Calendula
Calla Lily
Daffodil
Dahlia
Freesia
Gerbera
Iris
Lily
Marigold
Narcissus
Orchid
Ranunculus
Rudbeckia
Snapdragon
Sunflower
Tulip
Zinnia




Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Language of Flowers

You may not realize it, but the flowers you choose for a bouquet have meaning. In Victorian times, people would use flowers to send coded messages, based on the symbolic meaning given to each flower, to express feelings they could not verbalize. These small bouquets were called tussie-mussies.


Though not commonly used today, some flowers still are known for their symbolism. Red roses are typically used to convey a passionate love while yellow roses are for friendship. I can remember the first time I received roses from a boyfriend, hoping they would be red and not yellow. Doubt he knew the difference :)
The next time you create a bouquet, think about creating a hidden message. Here are some common meanings of flowers:
Anemone = unfading love
Bells of Ireland = luck
Campanula = gratitude
Daffodil = uncertainty
Dahlia = elegance
Daisy = innocence
Honeysuckle = devoted affection
Hydrangea = frigidness
Ivy = dependence
Lavender = devotion
Lilac (purple) = first emotion of love
Lily (white) = purity
Lily of the Valley = trustworthy
Mallow = consumed by love
Mint = suspicion
Orchid = refined beauty
Peony = bashfulness
Rose (red) = passionate love
Rose (white) = eternal love
Rose (red & white) = united
Rosemary = remembrance
Sunflower = pure thoughts
Thyme = thriftiness
Wheat = wealth and prosperity