Ask the Expert: May seasonal flowers in Maryland
What are some seasonal flowers for a May wedding in Maryland? I don't want to pay extra to have flowers flown in, as it's much more affordable. The wedding is May 9th. I really like color and the wedding will be held in a garden.
Any ideas or suggestions? Jessica

Jessica,

In today's global world, most flowers aren't truly "seasonal" any more. With the exception of really rare flowers like lilacs, most florists can get any flower any time with very little seasonal cost difference. With that said, Roses are more expensive during Valentine's Day and peonies are less expensive during May and June. Cost is related more to the sources your local florist has available. I would make a list of the flowers and colors you like and consult with your local Maryland florist. The florist will be able to tell you what they bring in as a standard order and what they can order without charging a premium price. I would also discuss the fact that you are having an outdoor wedding. Using flowers that will not hold up well outside, no matter what the price, will lead to disappointment. Your florist will be able to determine what flowers do well based on your climate. I will suggest the use of gladiolus for outdoor receptions since they do well in these conditions. I would, also, suggest using a mixture of flowers for your bridal bouquet and bridesmaids bouquets - this will try into the garden theme of the wedding.  With mixed flowers you can get a lot of color.

Ask the Expert: Seasonal flowers in May in Northeast Ohio
We are planning a May wedding and I am curious about which flowers would be the best choice for a late May wedding. I'm on a fixed budget so someone suggested I go with "what's in season." I really love dahlias and would love to use these. Any chance? Also do the dahlias come in shades of pink? Thank you so much. DeeDee

DeeDee,

Most flowers are available year round and depending on where you live dahlias could be available for your May wedding. Dahlias do come in a variety of pink shades. With that said the cost of the flowers can vary from season to season and from region to region. The style of bouquets and other wedding flower needs will also create a difference in price.

Typically flowers like alstroemeria, calla lilies, carnation, daisies mums, delphinium, freesia, gardenia, gerbera daisies, gladiolus, hydrangea, iris, liatris, asiatic and oriental lilies, lisanthus, orchids, peonies, ranunculus, roses, snapdragons and statice are "in season" during the month of May.

As to the issue of cost effectiveness - it all depends on the style you choose for your bouquet and other wedding flower needs. You could use a more expensive flower if the style is simple and minimalistic. The use of premium flowers in combination with other flowers can create a balance in the cost of the bouquet. Typically your less expensive flowers will be alstroemeria, carnations, chrysanthemums, statice. Premium flowers would be gardenia, oriental lilies, orchids, peonies, ranunculus and some roses.

The first thing I would do is make a list of all of the flowers needs for your wedding: bouquets, corsages, boutonnières, reception flowers, etc. Then set a budget and make an appointment with your local florist. When you meet with the florist, tell them the style you have in mind and the flowers you prefer to use along with your budget. Your local florist will have a better sense of what those flowers cost in your area and what will fit your budget. And by all means if you love dahlias use them. Depending on your budget it may only be a couple here or there, but they will add a truly personal touch to your day.

Just a little side note. If I had to do it all over again, I would carry a hand tied bouquet of gerbera daisies or calla lilies.

Despite the bad weather occurring across the nation, mother nature perseveres. Spring flowers like tulips, hyacinths, crocus and daffodils have been popping up all over the place. Every day on my way to work, I pass a house with a driveway lined in daffodils. It is an absolutely amazing display. My mother's hyacinths and tulips are gorgeous this year. They even survived the storm last week that blew the fence down behind them.

It is refreshing to see these flowers and to know that spring is once again upon us. It seems these spring flowers are exciting to everyone. In fact, Steve Pelham (our VP of Technology) snapped a picture of these beautiful daffodils in the yard where his daughter Alice was participating in an Easter Egg Hunt.

Many of you may have daffodils in your yard or may have received potted daffodils last Sunday for Easter. If so, you might be interested in Caring for Daffodils.

Now is the time to Welcome Spring and enjoy all the flowers you can.

Many of my fondest memories as a child with my mother and grandmother took place out of the window of a small, slowly creeping car as we drove by fields, stones, and structures of personal significance to the two older ladies. Few moments were as special as the first time we, along with my younger sister, stopped on the side of the road for our first view of the magnificent spring blooms. At that moment, neither my sister Shannon nor I could pronounce the name Narcissus for the beautiful daffodils (jonquils) lining the road ways. Neither did we know of the many stories that shroud these gentle blooms with popularity. What Shannon and I did know is that our mother and her mother seemed completely enamored by the sweeping flow of the delicate, pure white or yellow daffodil blooms. Both ladies meandered into the ditch to feel the petals for themselves and to pull one from the earth for each of us to hold. My sister and I, though then confounded at the sight of the women prodding through the dirt for a mere flower, now recall the story affectionately with each other and our friends.

Our grandmother, considering herself somewhat a story aficionado, regales us yearly with another story as we present her with the first blooms of the season. Sometimes new, sometimes not, Shannon and I never tire of the expression on her face as she first sees the brightly colored flowers and the smooth and gentle green stems. For just a moment our grandmother is a child again, as much a child as we ever were. The lines and age of her face fade and, even for just a split second, she’s a little girl standing with her sister and gazing in awe at the sight of her mother bending and stooping in a dirty ditch for just a simple Easter flower.

It was only when I began working for Flower Shop Network that I realized how many different flowers are called Easter flowers. Though I consider the dutch master daffodil my Easter flower, many other flowers herald the celebration of spring, purity, hope, and restoration and so are regarded as Easter flowers. Daisies, brightly colored tulips, hyacinths, crocus, potted azaleas, Easter lilies and a host of other flowers help welcome the new season.

Arguably the most popular Easter flower is the Lilium longiflorum or Easter lily. The graceful white blooms are spotted at Easter plays and spring celebrations across the nation and are widely accepted as the quintessential Easter flower. This is almost comical considering that this flower is naturally a June and July bloomer.

Easter flowers, whichever variety, probably hold a special story related to a beautiful occasion, cherished gift, or beloved friend or relative. As unique as each new spring day are the flowers that help celebrate birth in the new year, hope for a brighter morning, passing of the dreary gray season, the purity and miracle of life, and as many other beautiful emotions and memories as the pure white or yellow petals on along the roadside as viewed from a small, slowly creeping car.

Daffodils - My Grandmother's Easter Flower.

Easter Lily know to many as the Easter flower.

Hope everyone had a good St. Patrick's Day.  Tracey, Flower Shop Network receptionist, had a wonderful day yesterday.  She received these wonderful flowers.

The flowers weren't green, but St Patrick's Day was still celebrated with the green bow.  The offer still stands - send me a photo of your St. Patrick's Day flower arrangement and I'll post it on the blog.

Once I was selected by the Nielsen rating group to log my TV habits. When they got my logbook I’m sure they thought – we have some weird weather fetish person here. Most of my entries included the weather channel. When you have a nursery and landscaping business, weather is your friend and enemy, knowing what the weather is doing 24hours a day is very important. We have the weather channel on all day long at the nursery; before we had cable at the nursery my father-in-law would call us every few hours with a weather update. So when I saw the report about the snow in the Northeast, I could really relate to the people in the story. One man in Smithfield, Rhode Island was concerned about his pine trees bending under the weight of the snow – we have to worry about the weight of snow on our greenhouses. Kids were having a blast sledding on the snow – the guys at the nursery love to have snowball fights. But, a gentleman in Andover, Massachusetts made the comment that hit home with me; he said, "I’m tied of the snow – enough is enough – I'm ready for summer". Winter, despite its glistening beauty when it snows, is usually a gloomy season in which everyone longs for warm sunny days

When I start to get the winter blues, I spend the whole day in the greenhouse working with the green plants and colorful flowers that we are growing for the spring season. Instead of exhaustion at the end of the day, I am energized and excited. This feeling of euphoria gave me an idea a couple of years ago. My mother absolutely hates winter and gets the winter blues easily. So, I started sending her flowers when I noticed the winter blues creeping up on her. Since I began this experiment, I’ve noticed my mother doesn’t seem to mind winter, quite as much. I would love to take credit for curing the winter blues with flowers, but using flowers to stimulate happiness isn’t my invention. Over the decades, many studies have proven that Flowers = Happiness. You can ask any flower delivery driver - when you deliver the flowers what is the expression on the face of the recipient? – and the driver will reply, a smile.

So, what does sending a flower bouquet have to do with the weather across the nation? The weather - along with a multitude of other things - is causing a winter blues epidemic. What the nation needs right now is a positive attitude and a feeling of happiness. Maybe if everyone across the nation sends flowers to someone else this winter, we can stop the epidemic from spreading and create a feeling of euphoria. Or if you feel like the man in Andover, call your local florist and give yourself a little happiness by having flowers delivered to your home or office.

Here's my effort to send some happiness your way

Jenny’s (Oak Hill Florist in Scarborough, Maine) "Thoughts of Valentine’s Day" post on Monday was interesting. First, it proves what I always thought: Florists never rest - they are constantly trying to make the next holiday or flower arrangement better for us. Second, Valentine’s Day is just around the corner and the earlier we prepare for it, the better it will be for us and our special someone.

Jenny had a good point when she said "… men – you don’t have to buy roses for Valentine’s Day." Roses maybe the Valentine’s Day flower and considered the flower of love, but contrary to popular opinion they are not the favorite flower of every woman. I like roses; I even have some in my garden, but if you really want to excite me give me “Star Gazer” lilies, gerberas or tulips. Over the years, my husband has sent me roses, “Star Gazer” lilies, gerberas, tulips and mixed flower arrangements - I loved them all and have wonderful memories associated with each one. Flowers, in general, are always a wonderful gift for Valentine’s Day or for any other reason; you can never go wrong by sending roses. But if you really want to make an impression, find out what her favorite flower is and send it. The key to flower giving is to create a memory that will last forever.

We always refer to the act of flower giving as men sending and women receiving. Jenny brings up a good point – men love flowers too – they just have a hard time admitting it. Of course, my husband loves flowers - after all he grows bedding plants for his nursery and landscaping company - but he adores fresh cut flowers. He is the one who make sure that we have fresh flowers in our home at all times – he either cuts them from the garden or pops into the flower shop and picks up a few stems. (If you want to create your own arrangement, your local florist is a great place to pick up flowers by the stem.) I’ll be honest; I haven’t sent my husband flowers before, but this Valentine’s Day, flowers sound like the perfect gift.

Although the new year may have just begun, it is never too early to think about Valentine’s Day. So, start looking for great Valentine’s Day gift ideas now. I love to hear other people's Valentine's Day Gift Ideas and I've even copy a few over the years. Flower Shop Network has several newsletters with Valentine’s Day gift ideas:

Hearts and Flowers

Valentine’s Day Romance Ideas

St Valentines HistoryRoses, Roses,and more Roses

Romantic Valentines Ideas

Language of Flowers

Help someone else create a magical Valentine's Day by sharing your ideas. Remember "Love is in the Air" enjoy it.

Although autumn didn’t officially begin until Sunday September 23rd, last Saturday I attended an autumn wedding. I was told, the date was selected because the Farmer’s Almanac said it would be a nice fall day (meaning it would be cool). Evidently someone forgot to tell Mother Nature; because Saturday in Paragould Arkansas was hot and this autumn wedding was held outside under a tent. Luckily a light breeze began during the ceremony.

Despite the warm temperatures this wedding was the ultimate autumn experience. A beautiful sheer moss green ribbon hung between stakes lining the pathway to the tent. Each stake had moss green ribbon intertwined with gold ribbon forming a bow. This set the foundation for the look of autumn. But, it was the wedding flowers that brought home the feel of autumn. The bride didn’t carry the traditional autumn wedding bouquet; instead she held a hand-tied bouquet of orchids wrapped in ivory ribbon. Some of the dendrobium orchids were tinted a chocolate-green color. The bridal bouquet also had rusty red spider, green lady slipper, and golden orchids. The intensely beautiful orchid bridal bouquet was only the beginning of an exceptional display of autumn wedding flowers.

Most fall weddings include chrysanthemums and over the top arrangements. However, traditional flowers and style were absent; replaced by exotic flowers, unusual foliage and simplicity in design. Unique fall colors like chartreuse, moss green, deep rusty red and golden-orange were present during the ceremony and reception. Square glass vases filled with the rusty red spider orchids, golden-orange orchids, bear grass, Bells of Ireland and hanging green amaranthus created a simple, yet, elegant display on the wedding reception tables. The same unique fall flowers and foliage adorned the cake and food tables. The weather may have said summer; but the atmosphere was definitely announcing autumn.

The beauty of this autumn wedding makes me want to get married again, only this time in autumn instead of winter. I wonder if my husband would be willing to renew our vows? I’m sure, I could find everything I need for a fabulous autumn wedding. Although, he's more likely to agree to a blowout anniversary party in January.

You can find great tips at Wedding and Party Network if you’re planning an outdoor wedding. Find autumn wedding flower ideas at Flower Shop Network. Their "Fall in Love with Fall Wedding Flowers" newsletter describes colors, flowers and foliages that work well for a fall wedding.

I would be interested in the opinions of those of you who had or are having an autumn wedding.

Ask the Expert: grave blankets i was wondering if you could email me directions on how to make a christmas grave blanket for my dad and my sister? thanks norma

Ask the expert:

I just had the quick question if I would be able to have cali lillies (sorry, not sure the exact spelling) in September.