If you had to pick a favourite flower to sum up this time of year what would it be? I often have brides asking for recommendations on suitable flowers around which to base their wedding designs and many would like to use something ‘a little different’ or something that is particularly appropriate for the season in which they are getting married. And other clients recognise that it makes sense to use materials that are in season. Luckily for me there are not many flowers that I don’t like (and I’m not revealing which those are!) and most can look amazing if used in the right way.
So, each month I am going to highlight a flower that I particularly like and which I think sums up the time of year when it is at its best, and then show you a few ideas of how it could be used in your wedding designs, to decorate a party venue or if you simply want some flowers to decorate your home.
December’s flower – The Christmas Rose (Helleborus niger)
There aren’t many flowers that you would expect to find flowering in the garden around Christmas, which is why the Christmas Rose is so special (although this year it is so mild I still have ordinary roses in flower!). The beautifully simple flower has soft white petals, which might be tinged with pink, and pronounced yellow stamen. The flowers and buds look fantastic in arrangements and can also be incorporated into smaller hand-tied designs.
Here the flowers and buds of the Christmas Rose have been incorporated into a stunning bridal bouquet, which has been given a winter feel by restricting the colours to white, green and silver-grey and incorporating seasonal foliage.
The bouquet mixes Christmas Roses with white Akito roses, which are set off by the silvery foliage of senecio and dark green ‘Blue Prince’ holly. It is finished with a collar of white gypsophila, which has a lovely fluffy, lacy texture, reminiscent of snow flakes and frosty days. The bouquet stems have been wrapped with an ivory ribbon and secured with ivory pearl pins to give a pretty finish.
The same materials have then been incorporated into designs suitable to be used for wedding decorations, such as this hanging heart and the round table arrangement.
This simple low arrangement would look lovely on the registrar’s table during your marriage ceremony and could then easily be moved to one of your guest tables. Perhaps have a collection of designs, including some simple bud vases with just a few Christmas Roses – a simple and cost-effective way to create low-level impact.
And if you want to spice things up a little and give your flowers more of a Christmas feel, how about adding a few red berries to your designs?
This time red hypericum berries have replaced the gypsophila and the arrangements suddenly look ready to grace the best Christmas dining table.
Don’t let your imagination stop here – the beauty of flowers should lead you to experiment, but keep things simple and let your favourite flower be the star of your designs.
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