Something For September (The Seasonal Series)

September divides us! Some of you may be resenting the end of the summer holidays and warmer weather, whilst if you are like me, you’ll be excited by the first signs of autumn and getting ready to welcome in the season! It is indeed my favourite time of year as I look forward to the cosier nights and take in all the autumn colours. And when it comes to flowers, we may see some summer beauties coming to an end but there’s still lots to choose from.

Bold and colourful flowers like gladioli, sunflowers and dahlias are still available at this time of year along with other favourites like hydrangeas and agapanthus. The generally warmer weather seems to be confusing our gardens and I’ve just spotted some new blooms on my roses. I even saw a magnolia tree in its third blossom whilst I was on holiday! But let’s take a look at what’s new and seasonal for September...

If you are looking to embrace autumn in all its glory, whether you’re buying flowers to fill a vase or planning a wedding, then helenium bring that bright but autumnal vibe. Helenium have an almost daisy-like form with a generally darker centre and petals around the outside, although the petals are rather different to daisies and somewhat more colourful.

Chrysanthemums come in a vast spectrum of colours but the autumnal shades are particularly enticing at this time of year. The rich burgundy, burnt orange and bronze shades create a warm feeling and some varieties look quite similar to a dahlia. Chrysanthemums have been seen in the past as a cheap and cheerful flower, (let me tell you now, they are no longer cheap!) but they may be considered somewhat old fashioned now. You may not feel that a chrysanthemum spray would bring a classy vibe to your wedding but chrysanthemum blooms work really well in a bouquet if you want to include some big, bold heads. The main difference between chrysanthemum sprays and blooms is that the sprays have multiple, smaller heads on each stem whilst the blooms have one singular head. This goes for other flowers such as roses and carnations. When I first started as a florist, I wondered why there always seemed to be a head missing in the middle of a spray chrysanthemum. I eventually found out that the growers cut it off on purpose in order to encourage the flower to produce more blooms and in that way, it becomes a spray of flowers.

If you are looking for something bright but dainty, nerines are very pretty. They come in a cerise pink but also paler shades of pink too and the petals form a star-like shape. Irises are also available at this time of year and although we may be inclined think of a purple flower, they do come in white and yellow too. The yellow ones are often seen growing by river beds and lakes. A little tip for getting iris open, is to give them a gentle flick with your finger at the base of the flower. It doesn’t work very well if they are very tight so if using them for an event, they will need to be bought a few days in advance to allow them to open.

For lovers of dried flowers, hops come into season in September. They are green when fresh turning more of a beige colour when dried and look a bit like a mini pine cone. They could be used fresh, but dried flowers work really well for any autumnal arrangements. Other dried flowers like and wheat or lagarus look really nice too and really make you think of harvest!

Now, snowberries may make you think more of winter than autumn but they are in fact available from now until November. And the name is very apt as they have clusters of creamy white berries. Used with the right combination of flowers, they can still feel very autumnal. They have pink flowers along the stems and the berries do also grow in pink too.

For more help with ideas and inspiration feel free to drop me a message here. I look forward to hearing from you!