|
October 2002
October has become an increasingly popular month for weddings, and that's
no surprise, given that the weather in most parts of the country is usually
dry and cool. Brides-to-be can be relatively certain that their guests and
members of the wedding party won't be dodging raindrops, or worrying about
becoming hot and sticky in their formal clothing. Autumn is also a great time
for selecting wedding bouquet flowers, with an abundant harvest of floral
products, berries, and foliages readily available to your local retail
florist.
Consider the versatile montbretia (or, botanically, Crocosmia). This is
a delicate flower which consists of a series of small individual, tubular
florets arranged as a comb along the upper portion of a long, slim stem
(similar to a freesia). Montbretia flowers run the range of colors from yellow-orange to brick red - prefect for the season - and lend an airy and
colorful wispiness to a wedding bouquet. But they can also be had in their
more mature stage, after the blossoms have gone to seed and have formed small
rounded pods along the comb - a textural delight.
Another popular berry which is appearing in autumn bouquets is the
hypericum (the botanical name for St. John's Wort). The small, waxy,
egg-shaped fruits occur in clusters at the ends of their slender stems and
provide a lovely accent of texture and tone. Hypericum's usual color is a
raisin brown, but newer hybrid varieties include shades of yellow, green,
red, orange, and salmon pink.
Roses will always be a popular choice for wedding bouquet flowers, and
some of the best picks for the fall season include Leonidas (a bi-color
chocolate brown), Terra Cotta (burnt orange), Star 2000 (a strong
coral-orange), Black Magic (the darkest, velvet burgundy), Hocus Pocus (a
small variety with dark burgundy petals flecked with cute yellow spots), Mambo (an tangerine-orange spray variety),
Konfetti (deep yellow with a red-orange blaze on the edge), Red Berlin
(tomato- red), and Sari (golden apricot-orange).
Growing in popularity and availability is the exotic-looking Gloriosa
lily. Imported from Holland, this delicate flower has reflexed, dark red
petals edged in a thin, wavy yellow margin. Popping out of a wedding
bouquet, the Gloriosa is a flower with a touch of mystery and drama with it's
sophisticated form and unusual character. Try combining them with
mango-colored callas or rusty-red freesias.
For autumn texture, add dried grasses such as wheat or rye to the
bouquet. Or choose from a variety of fall-toned foliages, such as copper beech, croton leaves, or vine maple. The velvety brown back sides of the southern magnolia can add a sumptuous element of class. Or include
barky-textured materials such as lotus pods or cinnamon sticks for
interesting contrast.
Fall is a time of rich, warm hues and bounteous textures, and the choices
are virtually endless. The autumnal pallette of analagous colors - from burgundy to red to orange to golden yellow - is well represented in the
blossoms of the season, which play beautifully against the fabrics of today's
popular bridesmaids' dresses. Combined with textural materials such as
grasses, small fruits, and seed pods, a skilled floral designer will have no
trouble creating memorable wedding bouquets with flowers which are plentiful
now. Call your professional florist to schedule a personal consultation and
reap the harvest of the season.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Flower Shop Network Newsletter is a free monthly email featuring
articles based on the knowledge of floral professionals across the country.
Once a month we will provide you with interesting information about all
things floral. You have received this email because you are a valued
customer of Flower Shop Network. Please visit our site at
Flower Shop Network
To have a friend join this free monthly newsletter, forward this to them and
have them send us a message with "send newsletter" in the subject. Or, go to the
Flower Shop Network Newsletter Section of our site.
To unsubscribe, reply to this email with REMOVE in subject.
REPRINT PERMISSION Copyright, 2000-, FlowerShopNetwork.com Reprint permission granted in part or whole when the following credit and link appear "Reprinted with permission from FlowerShopNetwork.com." Click here for link source. To subscribe to future Flower Shop Network Newsletters, free, visit the FlowerShopNetwork.com Newsletter Section of our site.
|
