February 19, 2016

Creating a Floral Wedding Palette – From Bridal Bouquets to Boutonnieres


Weddings! Weddings! Weddings!

 

Whether your wedding is weeks away or you’re still looking for your special someone, it’s always fun to look at different flower combinations. Today, the soft peach and succulent combination seems to be a popular request. I approach a floral wedding palette with a couple things in mind.

 

  1. What has the couple requested?
  2. What is blooming and local during that time of year?
  3. What is the element that is going to “bring-it-all-home”?

 

After meeting with a couple and discussing what their preferences are I can go back to my office and formulate a plan. In this case, the requirements were soft pink/peach, succulents and baby’s breath (because it was a flower in the Bride’s grandmother and mother’s wedding bouquets).

 

I started with a peach garden rose as those are so beautiful and they have an old-fashioned feel to them that I thought would pair well with the accents of Baby’s Breath the Bride had requested. I also used peach Zinnias as they were locally grown and abundant that month. Sedum was just starting to produce and adds a great texture to the fluffy garden rose. I chose Brazillia berry because it added hints of a silvery-grey (an accent color to the overall wedding palette) and the stiff stem of the berry helps hold the succulents in place. It is important to account for the weight of certain flowers as a technical aspect when creating bridal bouquets. How awful would it be if I picked all these beautiful blooms and they didn’t actually hold together! Details like this are things that I have learned over the past 13 years.

 

I usually use a mini-succulent as I find that the over-sized ones take away from a bouquet instead of enhancing it. A novelty flower I like to include, because it has amazing texture and I love the name, is Blushing Bride. I mean, how can you not buy a flower called Blushing Bride when you are creating a bridal bouquet?

 

The last element of the bouquet that I feature, which helps to give it polish and sophistication, is a peach Phalenopsis Orchid. I used these as feature flowers in the bouquets, as well as for the corsages and boutonnieres. The clean lines of the Orchid balance out the textures if the berries and Sedum and the lushness of the Garden Rose.

 

Once these flowers are paired together, the end result is a stunning bouquet that the Bride was more than thrilled to walk down the aisle with. As long as the Bride is thrilled with her flowers, then I have achieved the objective I set out for! The best part of creating a floral wedding palette is presenting the bridal bouquet to the Bride and seeing the joy light of her face!



February 17, 2016

Creating a Tropical Floral Arrangement in the Winter


 

My favorite thing about picking out flowers is getting to experiment with colors and textures. There is usually a flower that stands out at market that will catch my eye or a specific request from a client. In this case, the request was to include tropical flowers in the arrangement. I find that a lot of tropical flowers have clean lines and simple petal structures.

 

For this arrangement, the red Anthirium and orange bird of paradise were particularly vibrant and caught my eye. I picked those as the base for my arrangement and built on it from there. I find that green Hypericum Berry adds a great texture and that brightness of the green enhances the saturation of the Anthirium and Bird of Paradise but does not take away from them.

 

I also added Fusica Dendrobium Orchids as another touch of tropical. Now, in order to balance out the clean lines of the tropical flowers, I did a complete 180 and picked a ruffled Rose and traditional Spider Mum. The complex petal structure of these two flowers builds on the clean-lines of the tropicals and gives the eye something to be drawn to.

 

In addition to adding a few traditional blooms, I take the arrangement one step further and mix in some winter evergreen; after all, we are in Minnesota and what is more abundant in our winter climate than fresh evergreens!

 

I find that mixing unexpected textures, elements from different genres and bold colors creates a spectacular tropical floral arrangement that are very pleasing on the eyes (and nose).

 



April 30, 2015

Garden Fresh for Mother’s Day!


I was sitting in my garden this afternoon - what a treat after another Minnesota winter! - and breathing in the hopeful fragrance of Spring! The Forsythia has already bloomed, the Magnolia is starting to get showy and those brave Hostas are beginning to unfurl. Even the grass is looking happy! We are inspired by the weather and full of thoughts and plans for the brilliant color of the summer garden. With Mother’s Day just around the corner, get a jump on those plans with hanging baskets bursting with lush annuals. Spruce up your containers with some drought tolerant succulents or lively botanicals in all shades of green. Mom will be so pleased to receive flowers from her favorite child … you! And she can enjoy her gift of container plants for the rest of the summer. Aren’t you the clever one? Give Linden Hills Florist Design Studio a call today. Flower Power is near!


April 27, 2015

Spring into Mother’s Day! May 10, 2015


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Mother’s Day: A sweetly sentimental holiday created … for wonderful Mother’s everywhere! Traditionally, the second Sunday in May is when we honor and remember our Mothers. Most all Mothers - Mom, Mommy, Mama, Mother, Ma enjoy and appreciate recognition … and a little extra pampering from their children. Everyone does it a bit differently. Show her your unique style (you probably learned some of that from her!) with a gorgeous bouquet of spring flowers. Show her your thoughtfulness (another trait that mothers try to teach their offspring!) with a sweetly written card. Show her your love (it’s hard to top a mother’s love for her child!) with a great big hug and a kiss! Linden Hills Florist will be creating lush, personalized, fresh from the garden bouquets and seasonal plant baskets with your special Mother in mind. Order today for local delivery. Or, hand-pick your lovely, professionally designed blooms from the floral displays at Linden Hills Co-op or Lakewinds Minnetonka Co-op. Don’t stop there. Honor all the special mom’s in your life (Grandmother, Aunt, Daughter, Friend, etc. - you get the idea!). Spread the love - it’s sure to return to its very source … you! Happy Mother’s Day …. everyone!


February 10, 2015

Gorgeous Blooms for Your Valentine!


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Valentine’s Day is quickly approaching and we know just way to show your Valentine how special they are! Call us today (612.922.9303) to order a personalized bouquet….We are shopping the market all week to pick out the juiciest blooms! No time to call? No Worries, just click on the Buy Our Flowers page and order online! Don’t forget to include your Valentine’s favorite color and we will design an arrangement just for you! Wishing you a Valentine’s Day surrounded in Beautiful -Anne