July’s Gems (The Seasonal Series)

Turns out that July’s gemstone is a ruby but you’ll need a jeweller for those and we’re here to talk about flowers! The summer heat certainly seems to have hit us at last and I’m sure your gardens are begging for a daily water! So, what better time to take a look at what’s in season for July?! Whether you’re planning a wedding or just love to buy seasonally, read on for this month’s top picks.

There’s still plenty of choice when it comes to summery blooms, with some flowers like roses, peonies and hydrangeas having been in season already for a month or two.

One of my all-time summer favourites is the dahlia with its dense layers of petals and variety of colours. Summer is the time to embrace all the bright colours and dahlias definitely bring that! They don’t just vary in colour but in size as well with some really whopping heads!

For other pops of colour, you could use zinnias, asters or echinachea. They make you think of a summer garden and again have a range of colours to choose from. Marigolds come into season in July and have fantastic orange and yellow shades, but you don’t tend to see them as a cut flower, although they are often used in Asian weddings and create real drama! Calendula, also known as pot marigolds are available as a cut flower in July, coming to the end of their season by August.

Some other flowers you might start to see appearing in the garden are lavender with its gorgeous scent, crocosimia with its dainty flowers, arching shape and vibrant pops of red and orange and cosmos with its distinctive foliage. These too, all have a very natural feel to them. Whilst cosmos if very pretty and looks good all by itself, it doesn’t work well as a cut flower unless you’re popping them in a vase at home, as they wilt very quickly out of water. If you want to use lavender at other times of the year, then dried lavender is the way to go. It maintains it’s smell without wilting quickly in the way fresh lavender does out of water.

Talking of dried flowers, both limonium and statice being different varieties of the same flower, have a papery like feel to them and dry out really well. They are perfect for using in dried flower arrangements and come in a fun assortment of colours including purple, pink, yellow and white. Here are some buttonholes I did for a wedding using a cluster of mixed limonium. I loved creating these and they are a great option for buttonholes as they last all day. Buttonholes being one of the first things to wilt at a wedding!

 

 

If you like a more muted colour palette, there are some gorgeous grasses you can include in greens and beiges. Pennisetum, miscanthus and stipa all have different textures and they add a summer meadow vibe to any arrangement as well as some nice height. Sanguisorba isn’t a grass and is more of a pinky, burgundy colour but you often see it growing amongst grasses and all of these look great amongst dried flowers.

If you’re like me, you’ll mix up dried agapanthus with dried alliums but when they’re in bloom there’s no mistaking the difference! Alliums are still in season appearing in May but agapanthus are now available too. Although they also have a round, ball-like head, they are more of a bluey purple compared to alliums and they have little trumpet-shaped flowers all over. Both come in white as well and give a more structural shape to your arrangements. 

Amaranthus is often pictured in photoshoots for winter weddings but actually it is in season at this time of year. It comes in reds, pinks and greens and has the nickname of snot! You can see why when you see the green variety! It hangs downs and creates a really dramatic effect for any arrangement.

 

Whatever time of year you’re getting married, I love to help with ideas and I can create a bespoke mood board and flower palette to suit your theme. If you’d like to chat further or need flowers for another occasion and would like some advice, drop me a message here.