Flower of the Week

Brassica

Source: tumblingshoalsfarm.com

Common Name: Cabbage Rose or Ornamental Cabbage

Botanical Name: Brassica 

Colours: White, Pink or Purple

Origin: Western Europe, Mediterranean and some parts of Asia. 

The Cabbage flower is an unusual addition to a bouquet of flowers mostly because it is not in fact a flower at all but a cabbage plant with beautifully coloured leaves. They thrive in cool weather and are in season in late autumn and winter. Their popularity as a cut flower has increased exponentially in recent years due to its durability and distinguished appearance. Strangely Brassica are an edible plant but not as tasty as their well known cousin, the common cabbage. 

Source: www.gapphotos.com

Happy Hallow'een

 Our spooky Hallow'een window display.

Celebrity Wedding Flowers

Europe's latest royal wedding took place over the weekend in Luxembourg where heir to the throne Prince Guillaume married his Belgian born bride Countess Stephanie de Lannoy with a civil ceremony on friday and a lavish religious ceremony on saturday in the Cathedral of Our Lady of Luxembourg. The radiant bride (who lost her mother only two months previous) looked every bit a princess in her Elie Saab embroidered wedding gown followed by a whopping 13 foot train. She carried a simple and elegant cascade or trailing bouquet of white phalaenopsis orchids and ivy.

Source: royalweddings.hellomagazine.com

Her bridesmaids wore a soft peach colour with vibrant orange flowers in their hair.

Source: royalweddings.hellomagazine.com

Her flower girls and page boys dressed in the national Nassau colours of Orange and Blue and  the girls carried traditional baskets filled with cream and orange flowers. I love how this couple brought the traditional royal wedding up to date while at the same time maintaining respect for their nationality and tradition. 

Source: royalweddings.hellomagazine.com 

Flower of the Week

Sunflower

Common Name: Sun Flower

Botanical Name: Helianthus

Colours: Bright Yellow but can sometimes come in pale yellow and deep orange or red.

Origin: USA

The Sun flower is a strikingly large daisy like flower and belongs to the Aster family. They are recognised from their large brown centre with bright yellow petals. The centre is actually made up of hundreds of tiny flowers arranged in a spiral pattern which will eventually turn into seeds and can then be used for sunflower seeds and sunflower oil. Its botanical name Helianthus comes from the Greek words 'Helios' which means sun and 'anthus' meaning flower. Sunflowers are also one of the tallest flowers and can grow to an astonishing 20 feet however the average sunflower will grow between 5 and 10 feet tall. They are a very popular cut flower and extremely versatile. Sunflowers are quite heavy so are perfect for arrangements and bouquets but can also be used in wedding work too. Check out this beautiful sunflower bouquet we did for a bride last year.

Celebrity Wedding Flowers

Source: weddingjournalonline.com 

Former Neighbours star Holly Valance married her British property tycoon fiance recently in Beverly Hills and pulled out all the stops when it came to wedding flowers. Rumour has it the floral designs for the wedding cost over $60,000. She opted for a dark and very romantic theme consisting mostly of calla lilies, orchids, twisted willow twigs and hanging amaranthus. Her bouquet was a very simple hand tied bouquet of dark calla lilies and suited her theme perfectly. Holly's choice is illustrative of an emerging wedding theme of dark and sultry wedding flowers which I think is very romantic indeed.

Source: helloonline.com

Wedding Flowers

 Just an example of some wedding flowers we did last year for Leone and John. They opted for an orange Wedding theme and choose beautiful orange roses and orange gerberas for their flowers. The bridesmaids bouquets were handtied posies of Naranga roses and orange gerberas with a criss cross design across the top. Leone's handtied bouquet included a mix of cream and orange roses with an orange criss cross and finished off with soft satin ribbon. It looked stunning against Leone's beautiful gown.

Flower of the Week

Gerbera Daisy

Common Name: Gerbera

Botanical Name: African Daisy, Transvaal Daisy, Barberton Daisy

Colours: Yellow, Orange, White, Red and Pink

Origin: South Africa

This pretty little flower was named in honour of the German botanist Traugott Gerber. It is the fifth most popular cut flower in the world and is available all year round. They are available with a large head or a small head known as germini. These bright and happy flowers come in intense vibrant colours as well as soft pastel hues. The Gerbera is a sensitive flower and it's longevity will depend on how its cared for. It is much loved for its daisy like appearance and cheerfulness.