White and Green Early Spring Wedding at Willie Smiths

The colour palette for this early September wedding was pared back with the brief requiring lots of foliage and whites.   

We grow a couple of white proteas here at Swallows Nest Farm.  Donna is a gorgeous winter and spring flowering protea that has a fresh white colouring with soft pink centre.  I used this protea as the main flower for the bouquets.  

Adding to the white Protea Donna, there was plenty of Thryptomene, which as a bonus has a gorgeous fresh fragrance.  Foliage included Tasmanian Myrtle Beech, Risdon Peppermint and the silky Leucadendron Silver Tree.  

Berzelia is a gorgeous "flower" that has a long picking season.  Early in September, it has small lime green balls which add great texture.  It was a great addition to these leafy bouquets.  I also used some white Hebe.  

For the brides bouquet, masses of Risdon Peppermint foliage and Myrtle Beech as well as Thryptomene.  Protea Donna, some white spray roses, Hebe, white Hypericum Berries, and creamy Leucadendron Maui Sunset which are almost white at this time of the year, with a tinge of blush on the tips.

There is also some Berzelia in the mix, and some beautiful Serruria Blushing Bride. 

For the flower girls, some little baskets full of fresh greens, whites, and creams.

I love the Maui Sunset Leucadendrons in early spring.  They're such a clear, creamy white colour.  The colour change that the seasons bring for Leucadeondrons is definitely one of their appealing qualities. 

The flower girls wore simple floral circlets made from Thryptomene and Coastal Beardheath, a locally occurring native.

I love the details in these simple crowns.  The simplicity really seems to enhance the natural beauty of the flowers.  

For the bridesmaids, we made some half-crowns which were worn like Alice bands with the ribbon tied up under the hair.  

I used sprigs of Myrtle Beech, Thryptomene and Beardheath.  

For the bride's crown, I added some white Hypericum berries as a point of difference.  

I love the little tightly packed buds on the Coastal Beardheath which add texture as well as a blush of pink.

For the groom and his attendants, roses with the Maui Sunset leucadendrons, Thryptomene, Berzelia, Peppermint Gum and Myrtle Beech.

For decorating the venue, the bride had some oversized helium balloons which had 2 m foliage garlands to tie them down.  The myrtle foliage was great for these.  

These arrangements with a little more colour where for sitting on top of wine barrels.  

And for a fun photo booth prop, I made this large hanging foliage heart.  

This was such a fun job!  Around 85cm tall, it was made on a custom base of steel to which I attached masses of myrtle.  It would have dried well too, making it a nice memento.  

This was a fun wedding to be involved in.  I hope the bride and groom enjoyed their day and the memories are still fresh for years to come.  

Myrtle Beech Foliage - Nothofagus Cunninghamii

Lyell Highway Lake Burberry

I started the year with a short break to the west coast of Tasmania, my island home.  It was so nice to get away from home for a few days with the whole family.   We ate out every day for lunch and dinner, so no cooking or washing up (no small thing in a family of 7).  It was relaxing and fun and a great way to start the year.  

King River Gorge

It was also fabulous to explore parts of Tasmania that I've never been to before.  Tasmania's west coast is wild and largely uninhabited in the south which is almost entirely national park.  We stayed in Strahan midway up the west coast on the shore of Macquarie Harbour and had a great time exploring the region.  It was also a special experience for me, seeing the native vegetation in pristine temperate rainforest in the Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park. 

Gordon River

Myrtle Beech, or Nothofagus Cunninghamii, is a beautiful tree that grows in Tasmania and in southern Victoria.  I grow it here at Swallows Nest Farm for its glossy green long lasting foliage.  I have seen it growing in the wild on Mount Wellington in Hobart, but in the temperate rainforests of the west coast, it is so abundant!  Around 50% of the trees in the forest are Myrtle Beech.  

Myrtle Beech - Nothofagus Cunninghamii

Myrtle Beech is slow growing and can live up to 500 years.  In the west coast rain forests, where the Myrtle Beech are the dominant species they grow up to 40m tall with nobly wizened trunks and a dense canopy high up the tree.

The west coast area has a high yearly average rainfall - between 3 - 4 metres of rain per year.  I heard it said that there is rain in the rain gauge 330 days of the year.  That's a lot of rain!  We were so lucky to be there for 4 consecutive sunny days!

The trunks of the myrtle beech are covered in mosses and lichen.  The dense canopy of the myrtle foliage creates a perfect environment for them to flourish in the wet, deeply shadowed understory.

Myrtle Beech Foliage

The foliage of the Myrtle Beech is really pretty.  It has small glossy green leaves that grow in a fanlike shape.  As a cut foliage they have a long vase life.  

Myrtle Beech canopy

It was great to see the trees growing in their native habitat.

Hogarth Falls

Hogarth Falls is a short, simple bush walk right in Strahan village.  Our kids really loved this walk.  The myrtle towered above abundant ferns and lined the banks of the creek and the waterfall.

The tree ferns are abundant in the west coast.  They are so beautiful!

The colours of new growth

 Early summer brings new growth on our Myrtle Beech at Swallows Nest Farm.  The colours of the fresh leaves are very pretty - orange, pink and red.  

New foliage in red

The new growth is very obvious on this tree.  Unfortunately, it is no good for picking as it wilts quickly.

Once the new growth turns green though, it can be picked without fear of wilting and it lasts really well.    

 In Tasmania, you'll see fresh bunches of myrtle foliage in the local florists.  It is brilliant for use all year round, except in its new growth phase.  It's nice to know a little about this beautiful foliage and its natural habitat, the temperate rain forests of the West Coast.