Category: Summer Bouquets

Allium….not just a Spring bulb!

Looking for a great perennial border plant? Check out Allium millennium! As you may have guessed from its picture this is a ornamental onion plant that is related to the whimsical spring blooming Allium bulb. This mid-late summer perennial bloomer puts on a beautiful purple display starting in mid-July. The tidy grass-like foliage stands about 12″ tall with the purple blooms at about 18″. It has proven to be fairly drought tolerant and the honey bees are loving them too!

Happy Gardening!

Red, White and Blue Firecracker

I’m getting ready for the 4th of July with this rambunctious mixture of Hydrangeas in a bold red vase. This mixture features 3 types of Hydrangea: Incrediball Hydrangea, Pee Wee Oakleaf Hydrangea, and Let’s Dance Moonlight Hydrangea.

Did you know that Oakleaf Hydrangea have a subtle and pleasant fragrance? Plus they are one of the first Hydrangeas to bloom!

Happy Gardening!

No time, no problem!

Do you want to enjoy fresh and colorful cut flowers, but you don’t have a green thumb? Or maybe you just don’t have the time or space to garden? Well here are two great alternatives to purchasing traditional arrangements from your local florist…. “Pick-Your-Own” flowers at a local farm and roadside farm stands. 

The benefits of these programs are numerous. Not only are you supporting local farms with your purchase, you are supporting your surrounding eco-system. How you ask? According to the United States Department of Agriculture, a diverse variety of flowers provide significant nutritional and health benefits for bees and other pollinators when compared to monoculture.

Furthermore, you benefit as the buyer. Whether the arrangements are just for your kitchen table or perhaps an event you are hosting, this is an inexpensive way to get bold, colorful and local flowers at a fraction of the cost when compared to a store bought bouquet. 

More so this method allows you to get out and immerse yourself in nature. Call up your friends, grab your pruners and head to a local farm to have a flower cutting party. Bring your fresh flower cuttings back and have a fun, relaxing time, making arrangements with friends over wine and music!

Or if you are really in a rush, there are many local farms that offer pre-cut and arranged flowers at their roadside stand! So grab some cash and go support that local farmer’s roadside stand!

Below is a list of just a few places that I have personally used. Please share your local Pick-Your-Own flower farms and roadside stands in the comment box! 

Special thanks to my friend who supplied this picture of her own Pick-Your-Own flower arrangement that she made for her daughter’s birthday party.

Local Pick-Your-Own Flowers or Roadside Stands

Scott’s Farm and Greenhouses, Essex, CT

Scott’s Farm

Rosedale Farm and Vineyards, Weatogue, CT

Rosedale Farm and Vineyards

The Ryan Family Flower Farm, Simsbury, CT

Pack in the Pachysandra

Many gardeners find Pachysandra to be an encroaching nusiance. But I love this evergreen groundcover not only as a plant bed groundcover, but as a bouquet filler! The large, glossy and grass green lobed leaves help accentuate your bouquet’s colors and textures. The simplicity of the leaves provide the perfect backdrop to make your summer or winter arrangements pop! Cut Pachysandra as low as possible; just above the last bud. This plant has a long life as a cut flower; I can usually use the same cuttings in 2 or 3 consecutive arrangements. 

Happy Gardening!

What’s In This Bouquet: 

  • 3 sprigs of Pachysandra
  • 7-9 Daisys in bloom and bud form (Leucanthemum x superbum ‘Becky’)
  • 3 Cone Flower (Echinacea purpurea ‘Merlot’)
  • 3 grouped blossoms of Veronica (Veronica longifolia ‘Eveline’)

Pure Perfection with Peonies

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In my mind Peonies mark the official start of summer for gardeners as they tend to bloom around Memorial Day. Although their bloom is brief, it is worth savoring every fragrant moment. Even after the ruffled and fragrant flowers finish blooming, Peonies dark green, round, and shrubby form provide a tidy and structured element for one’s garden. Most gardener’s make use of flower ring supports because the luscious and abundent flowers have stems that cannot fully support the 3-4″ ruffled blooms. Peonies come in a variety of colors ranging from white, pink to deep raspberry. Peonies are best fully appreciated when cut and brought inside.

Happy Gardening!

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What’s In This Bouquet: Fill vase with as many Peonies as you can fit. Mix fully opened blossoms and ones still in bud form. A large or short vase will do. These Peonies are a light pink variety called Raspberry Sundae. Special thanks to my friend who let me cut these beautiful flowers from her garden as my Peony plant is too young to yield an abundance of flowers.

Summer’s End Medley

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Not ready to embrace Fall just yet? This Summer’s End Medley highlights the best flowers of summer that are still
blooming!  So get out there and gather what you have to make your own Summer’s End Medley! This mix will instantly add a pop of Summer into your home. Enjoy it while you can!

What’s In This Bouquet: A mix of Vinca Flower, Snapdragons, Zinnias, and Sunflowers.

The Best of Summer

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Nothing beats the vibrant colors of summer like a mix of Zinnias and Rudbeckia! Zinnias and Rudbeckia arrange flawlessly into any summer bouquet and will instantly add a bold burst of summer color! This flowering dynamic duo are two of the easiest, strongest, and longest blooming summer flowers. Mix these into your backyard gardens to guarantee an abundance of colorful blooms July through September.

 What’s In This Bouquet: Equally mix Rudbeckia goldstrum (gold flowers) and Zinnias (pink, orange, red, and purple flowers). Add a soft filler of Sweet Alyssum (white flowers).