Ever wonder what flower varieties Florists love the most? Like we can't pass up buying them or working them into designs and shed actual tears when they go out of season...
Here's a list, from your local San Diego Wedding Florist, of the flowers I love the most and which seasons they bloom in so you can be sure to incorporate them into your wedding flower designs!
Let's start with Spring, because Spring time flowers are really the best.
Sweet Peas:
Sweet peas are a Winter and Spring flower here in Southern California, usually we'll see them from February-May/early June. I love working with them because they add such a light and airy texture to arrangements with their delicate petals, and they have the loveliest smell. They come in several different colors and there's nothing that compares to them. So sadly once they're gone for the season, they're gone. These beauties grow wonderfully here in San Diego, I've grown them for several years, so are also great choice if you're looking to incorporate more locally grown flowers to be more eco conscious about your wedding.
Spirea:
Spirea has a short season, usually only from end of February/March until April/May. It comes in two styles, a bushy greenery or a twiggy style with the cutest little white flowers. If using as a greenery it usually has a nice drape and the added flower blossoms make it an upscaled greenery. The twiggy version is on of my favorites to add dainty blossoms to a more organic and earthy design like seen here:
Ranunculus:
Not just a Florist favorite, but many couples love them too! These are one of the most popular flowers requested, and while we can get some colors year round there's far more colors to choose from during the Spring, usually March -May/Early June that are grown locally. Have you been to the Carlsbad Flower Fields? If so that's what you're seeing, thousands upon thousands of Ranunculus.
Butterfly Ranunculus:
Butterfly Ranunculus don't have as many petals or as wide a range of colors to choose from as regular Ranunculus, but their long stems and lighter heads make the perfect floater flower for designs. They are usually out of season starting in June through September, but when they come back we all grab them! They're perfect in Centerpieces and Bouquets like seen here:
Moving into what we'd consider Summer flowers. With the new Season comes new coveted blooms so that we're not too heartbroken over losing the best of Spring.
Foxglove:
Foxglove is such a beautiful linear flower. It brings lots of drama and height to arrangements. It's unique look with freckled petal cups also just make it a fun design element that brings so much texture and such a garden vibe to any arrangement. Foxglove usually is around locally starting in May into late June. The most popular colors grown by our local farmers are cream, peach, and purple.
Phlox:
Phlox, especially Cherry Caramel Phlox, is one of my favorite little wildflowers to use in the Summer. I love the greens they have and it's such a great bridge color in several of our most popular color palettes. Typical season for Phlox is June and July.
Cosmos:
Cosmos with that cute little yellow center and their bendy stems are great to float out above arrangements so they look like they're dancing and add lots of depth. Below I used blush Cupcake Cosmos for this effect.
Mock Orange:
Mock Orange might have the shortest season ever, even shorter than Peonies. It's basically only like 2-3 weeks (if we're lucky) in June that these little blossoms bloom making it a highly sought after greenery. And the smellllllll! Whenever I see it a the market I HAVE to buy it!
Blueberry Foliage:
If I'm not splurging on Mock Orange, than I'm grabbing Blueberry Foliage to add some fun texture to my Summer arrangements. I mean just peep those little berries below!
Garden Roses:
The Summer sun also brings all the Garden Roses. A few of my favorites are Distant Drums (seen above), Koko Loko, and Honey Dijon. This year I'm even growing my own Distant Drums and Bolero, now if only I could get them to bloom on weeks I have weddings that I can use them! lol. While Garden Roses aren't as hardy or as big of a bloom as a standard rose, their ruffled petals make them more desirable.
Smilax:
July marks the return to the greatest greenery there ever was: Smilax! This literally grows as a weed in Texas, but it's like gold in the wedding industry. The few months of April to June when it's out of season are the hardest months. The reason Smilax is so great is it's a gorgeous vine that holds up for days, even out of water, making it the perfect installation greenery!
Dahlias:
Dahlias also return in the Summer, but they truly hit their prime in the early Fall, making them the perfect replacement for Peonies. Have you ever just looked at a Dahlia up close? They're such an incredible design of nature. Their little petals apparently even serve as shelter to baby frogs! (Don't believe me check out this Instagram Reel!).
French Marigolds:
With Fall also comes all the Marigolds, but my favorite are French Marigolds, as they are more dainty. While I love a good pop of color, sometime bright orange is better as an accent color. Like for one of our Fall Brides who wanted to incorporate purple and some orange into her flower color palette for her Halloween weekend wedding . You can see more here.
Hellebores:
And then comes Winter. Not a lot grows in the cold of Winter, but Hellebores thrive in a colder environment. That's why you'll see them just growing wild all over the Pacific Northwest. Hellebores come in several color, but the green ones tend to be a bit hardier and work well in replace of actually green for bouquets and such, like below.
While I'm sure there are some favorite flowers I've missed, I think this is a pretty comprehensive list of flowers Florists truly love and can't wait to get their hands on every season. As for all the couples out there, which are your favorites, and which to you hope to incorporate into your wedding floral design plans?
If you're looking for a Florist in Southern, CA for your wedding, don't hesitate to Reach Out! I am now booking into 2024 and can't wait to hear from you.
Peace, love, and flowers friends!
