Flowers to Remember for November (The Seasonal Series)

You may think of the main wedding season being in the summer, but I got married in November, (yes, it rained all day!) and there are some lovely flowers still in season at this time of year. So, whether you are planning a wedding or just love to buy seasonal flowers, read on for this month’s top picks.

Although we’re still a whole month away from December, there are lots of berries coming into season which give a wintery feel. It is technically still autumn until the 21st December but berries are great for cozy wedding vibes! Ilex berry stems are full of bright red berries and you can get them with or without the foliage, also known as holly. You can get some holly varieties that are less prickly but expect a few scratches if you’re working with it! Other beautiful berries include corolla berries and rosehips. Whilst corolla berries are a round, red berry, rosehips tend to be more oval in shape and can be more orangey in colour.

Malus are another type of fruit that also bring a pop of colour to your flowers. They are actually in the apple family and you can get stems with lots of miniature apples on. They feel really luxurious with their heavy stems and they’d look at home in a Pre-Raphaelite painting!

When it comes to foliage, eucalyptus and pittosporum are still in season but senecio is now also available. You can’t see it without wanting to stroke it because its leaves are soft and velvety! Whereas Stachys byzantine (lamb’s ears), feels very similar to senecio, it has the shape of a lamb’s ear! Senecio on the other hand has a toothed leaf and looks really dramatic in a bouquet. However, it does droop when out of water, so when using in a wedding bouquet, it works well to put the leaves in amongst the flowers rather than to use it around the edge to frame the bouquet. This way they are supported by the other stems.

Scabious have come to the end of their season but scabious seed-heads are a really funky flower to include in your arrangements. It looks a bit like a dried flower with its papery head and does dry out well. There is little or no foliage on the stem and they each have a small, green to brown, ball-like head. They work well in autumnal or wintery arrangements. Scabious doesn’t add much colour to a bouquet but it works well with a more neutral palette of whites and ivories or looks lovely amongst darker shades like burnt orange and burgundy.

There are still some lovely delicate stems that have been in season for a few months now. Alstroemeria, campanula and tanacetum are lovely flowers for a country garden theme whilst hydrangeas bring the drama and antirrhinums some architecture!
But of course, when we think of November, we think of bonfire night and Remembrance Day. Here is an arrangement I put together inspired by bonfire night and fireworks! I think it would make a great centrepiece on a table or a lovely gift for a party at this time of year.

And when it comes to Remembrance Day, although poppies aren’t in season now, poppy seed-heads have been available since the summer. The best thing when making a poppy wreath is to use artificial flowers or you could go for a contemporary take on it and use dried seed-heads instead.

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