Holly Bee Flower’s Top 5 Spring natural wedding flowers
Hello, from our Devon flower farm. It’s beautifully still and has finally stopped raining thank goodness. With spring on it’s way and a million garden jobs to do, but with a calendar that’s full of lovely weddings and flowery going’s on for the year it’s fun to get started. Because of the sudden sunshine I’ve been able to do my first weekend of flower bouquets celebrating Mother’s Day, and whilst my first wedding is still a little way of (thanks pandemic), I’ve been able to get creative and start making arrangements again. With that in mind, I thought I’d do a roundup of seasonal spring natural wedding flowers. ‘Seasonal’ is a word that gets banded about all too often, and normally used as a part of green-washing marketing. But here at Holly Bee I think it’s important to use it literally, describing what grows naturally at the time of year. So, for spring seasonality it changes week by week, but is always beautiful! I try not to get too fixated of flower type, and instead work with colour and movement. My ethos is that if it’s growing and flowering naturally at the same time, then it’ll fit with our floristry- natural and a little but undone (in the best possible way) …
1. Fritillary the most delicate and fleeting spring flower EVER
I could plant hundreds and hundreds of these beautifully delicate flowers. We grow a few different types here in our flower garden but tend to favour the smaller more nodding head varieties than the imperial ones (although I’ve got love for them too!) Perfect in just about anything, from bridal bouquets, to table decorations, there winding stems just work perfectly with pretty much everything. And so unusual, but oh so special. They’re a must for your wedding flowers, if you can get hold of (heads up- come and ask us!)
2. Tulips obviously- they’re dramatic scene stealers
I think tulips sometimes get a bad rap. They’re grown pretty industrially and are such a normal sight in supermarkets that they have a certain normalness to them. But our tulips are on another level. Leave your impressions behind and trust us- tulips, grown naturally are very special. Think more of a Dutch master painting, all vivid colours, various sizes, and winding stems. Sometimes you can mistake them for peonies- double varieties are blousy, soft and romantic. The bulbs come at a premium, and with only one flower per bulb they’re an expensive crop- but vital to our spring, seasonal flower arrangements adding so much drama.
3. Icelandic poppies- be still my beating heart.
Right, yes, they don’t have a great vase life, but they have such an impact. Whether it’s watching a bud unfurl and bloom, or whether it’s marvelling at their colour and paper- like petals. Icelandic poppies are wonderful and happily self-seed in our polytunnel (I know, lucky hey).
4.Anemones- my favourite spring seasonal natural wedding flower
I’ve banged on about anemones for a while now (please see the last few blog posts). It’s because we grow brilliant ones!! After a very expensive first year of growing these flowers (I killed every single corm I bought by over-watering), we now smash anemone growing. Sourcing super special varieties from France and Italy, including the much sort-after galilee pastel. They come in such sumptuous shades, and with their dark eyes really amp up drama and contrast. I love working with them in bridal bouquets, arrangements and installations. Big thumbs up, and a long-time love affair.
5. Spirea- the blossom I love the most
Blossom is wonderful, romantic, blousy and extraordinarily hard to work with. But spirea is my top pick out of all the various varieties. This holds up out of water, is small enough to work in bouquets and always grows in unusual shapes- prefect for our wilder- look flowers.
It’s hard to pick my 5 favourite spring seasonal flowers for natural weddings, I haven’t even started with hellebores, ranunculus, lilac but hey maybe that’s another post for another time. I think spring is the most romantic season, maybe after getting through winter, and the slow unfurling of all the various flowers and foliage, like a patient waiting game of beauty and loveliness. If you’d like to enquire about your own spring wedding, then get in touch here. Always happy to chat flowers and inspiration anytime.
Seasonal flowers are sustainable and beautiful- something we at Holly Bee are passionate about. You can read more about ethical weddings and some further ideas here.
Offeringing a full guide to ethical wedding planning. There’s lots to think about. But from a flower/ florist point, it really starts with being seasonal, and using local flowers. Then we move onto the mechanics- no floral foam etc . But seasonality, and being open to this is where it starts!
Holly x
