Hobart Wedding in October

For this simple Hobart wedding in October, the brief was for burgundies and pinks with a relaxed style.  I love October for natives - the Waratahs are always a treat to use.  For the bride's bouquet, I used a White Waratah and a deep red NSW Waratah.  

Adding to the Waratahs, I used a hybrid protea called Pink Cream, which has soft pink bracts surrounding a cream centre.  Cream Lecuadendron Discolour were added too.   I love their colour in October, when they're at their lightest.  Their pink tinged tips are so pretty.  Hot pink Boronia was added too, which adds a beautiful fragrance to a bouquet.  

Burgundy was added with the Safari Sunset Leucadendrons.  

I also added some of the variegated Leucos - Jester which are burgundy with a green stripe.    To cool the colour palette down, I put in some gorgeous Isopogons or Cone Flowers in pinky-purple, as well as some rich purple misty.  

Berzelia and Phylica added some gorgeous texture.  For foliage, there was some silky Silver Tree Leucadendron, and some blue-green gum.  

The rich clear colours and textures are one of the things I love the most about spring natives.  

Nina Hamilton Photography

Nina Hamilton Photography captured the day, using historic Battery Point as the back drop.  Gorgeous colour and iconicly Hobart!

I made some simple, lush table decorations for the reception tables at Peppermint Bay.   

Simple glass vases were filled with Waratahs, Pink Cream Proteas and more of the smaller flowers and foliage.  I love the feathery Phylica which adds texture and softness.

Such a joyful colour combination for these table decorations!

Nina Hamilton Photography

And so much joy in the photos too!  Congratulations to the bride and groom.  I hope the memories will be fresh for years to come.  Thanks for including us in your special day.  

November Wedding at Willie Smiths Apple Shed

November is one of my favourite months for native flowers.  Just look at the colours in these bridesmaid's bouquets from a wedding in November 2017!  All the colours!  

The wedding and reception were held at Willie Smiths Apple Shed at Ranelagh in the Huon Valley area south west of Hobart.  Its a great venue, created by repurposing some huge old wooden apple packing sheds which gives it a unique atmosphere.  

The Waratah would have to be the first flower to mention for this wedding - such a beautiful native with a stunning colour and texture that makes a bouquet really special.  I used the larger New South Wales Waratah (Telopea Speciosissima) as well as the Tasmanian Waratah (Telopea Truncata) which is smaller but more intensely coloured.  

Each of the bouquets also had the beautiful velvety red and pink combo of the Protea Compacta variety that we grow here at Swallows Nest Farm.  

I also used some Protea Satin Mink, a light pink protea with black fringing.  

Other gorgeous spring flowering natives included the hot pink Boronia which smells amazing.  Soft fluffy purple flowers from a native Melaleuca were also added.  I love adding Berzelia to my bouquets too.  Berzelia is a gorgeous "flower" that resembles lots of little pea-like berries in clusters.  The berries grow over the cooler months and by November, they're at their largest and have started to lighten in colour.  Eventually they "flower", becoming covered in tiny white flowers which give them a fluffy appearance. They're so gorgeous!

Other ingredients were the Dryandra Formosa (recently reclassified as a Banksia) which has a gorgeous shiny old gold colour and beautiful finely zig-zagged foliage.  Leucadendrons used are Safari Sunset and the gorgeous spring colour of Lemon Spice which is creamy coloured with a pink tinge.  I also used some lovely blue sea holly or Eryngium. 

The foliage used throughout this wedding was Tasmanian Myrtle Beech.  I love the glossy green leaves and the structure of it.  

For the groom, I used a gorgeous golden Dryandra Formosa teamed up with a Leucadendron Lemon Spice, some hot pink Boronia, sea holly and myrtle foliage.  

I love making boutonnieres.  Such sweet little mini bouquets!

For decorating the venue, we used lots of little jars and bottles filled with bright colour.  More myrtle foliage teamed with waratahs, Tasmanian waratahs, proteas of different varieties, dryandra, boronia, and leucadendrons.  

The venue really suits the long-table set up.  

I love the pinks and reds against the dark tables - it really makes them glow.  

Natasha from Lily May Cake Designs always does an impeccable wedding cake! I love getting to work with such talented people. 

Acoma Photography

November provides some amazing natives which are a delight to use for weddings.  I really enjoyed putting these special flowers together.  

Spring Cocktail Wedding at MONA

November - spring flowers!  Such a great time for a wedding.  For this couples cocktail style wedding at MONA the bride asked for colour.  Music to my ears!  And there is so much colour to play with in November.  

The bride's bouquet was a combination of waratahs, banksias, proteas and pincusions.  

NSW Waratahs (Telopea Speciosissima) are readily available in Tasmania in November.  They are such a goregous showy flower in a range of rich reds.  I also used red Banksia Coccinea.  The first Pincushions (Leucospermum) of the season were just starting.  They are called Mardi Gras and have yellow styles with red ribbons, and silvery furry little tops.  I also used some Berzelia, a gorgeous spring texture plant with creamy white/green balls.

I also used a Pink Protea with black fringing called Satin Mink, which flowers in spring and autumn.  Blue Sea Holly took us to the cooler end of the colour spectrum.  Purple Isopogon or Cone Flower are a gorgeous spring flowering Australian native that I also added.  

The foliage used is a Tasmanian native rainforest plant - Myrtle Beech.  

For the groom, there were spring Leucadendrons - a female Discolour Leuco, creamy white with pinkish tips, and the yellow cones of Golden Fireworks.  

A purple Isopogon, blue Sea Holly, and a golden, shiny Dryandra/Banksia Formosa which as well as its distinctive flower has gorgeous zig zag leaves that sprout out at fun angles.

Its a joy to play with fresh spring flowers in such happy colours!  For the simple table decorations the bride decided on wooden box arrangements with candles to light for extra atmosphere.

For the boxes, the main flowers used were Banksia Coccinea, Protea Satin Mink, Mardi Gras Pincushions, and Tasmanian Waratahs (Telopea Truncata).

  Leucadendrons used were female Discolour, Safari Sunset and Golden Fireworks.  

Other flowers were blue Sea Holly,  Dryandra/Banksia Formosa, and Isopogon Formosus, with Myrtle Beech foliage.

There are some who think that "native flowers" mean "brown" .... but I think you'd agree this is far from colourless and drab.

Lastly, we did a great big bunch, using the same flowers as the bouquet to use for a vase at the reception room.  

It was such a fun wedding to work on, and a treat to be involved!

Waratah!

Spring means Waratahs, the irrepressible native flower that's bold and impossible to ignore!  Waratahs are native to Australia and are part of the proteaceae family of plants.  The name Waratah is an aboriginal word meaning 'red flowering tree'.  The botanical name is Telopea which means 'seen from afar'.  There are a small number of Telopea species, only 5, with the biggest and most showy being Telopea Speciosissima from New South Wales.  It is that states floral emblem.  At Swallows Nest Farm we grow a number of types of waratahs including the Tasmanian Waratah, Telopea Truncata.  First to flower are the Shady Lady - they are a rich cool red.  "Shady Lady" is a hybrid form of Waratah, a cross between the T. Speciosissima and T. Oreades.

Waratah buds form at the end of long stems which grow mainly over the spring and early summer months.  The buds swell over winter and in early spring, start to become a brighter red. 

Usually sometime in September, the buds start to unfold to reveal the many small flowers inside that will become the centre of the waratah. 

The unfolding process can take some time, and I think the flowers are really beautiful during this stage.

Once the outer bracts have unfolded, the central mass of individual flowers begin to bend and spread out, giving the waratah its well known shape.  

We still don't pick at this stage.  The flowers are prone to develop a blue tinge if picked too early.  They don't maintain their intense colour and won't open properly.

It's best to pick as the first few styles emerge from the individual flowers.  You can see in the picture above that the styles have begun to emerge on the back of this flower - facing north.  At the front edge you can just see the styles beginning to poke their way through.  The petal will fold as they emerge. 

  In the picture, almost all the styles have emerged. You can see the difference in the overall texture of the flower with the curled petals and the upright styles.

My Telopea Speciosissima are next to flower and they continue to flower up until December, depending on where they are planted.  I have some beautiful ones including this special one that is rosy pink, with white styles.  Its currently my favourite!

Such a gorgeous flower!  I love the colour, the white styles, and the rounded shape of this flower.  I hope to do some propagating, to see if I can reproduce more of them.

A close-up of the freshly emerged styles of this flower reveal the way waratahs present their pollen.  On the inside tip of the white styles you can see the rich red pollen.   It can be messy if the flower is handled a lot.  The bees love it!

I have really enjoyed using waratahs in some weddings recently.  Such a gorgeous colour!

And creating cheery arrangements is fun.  Spring means there's so much to choose from to team up with that stunning rich red.

Waratahs are deservedly one of the most prized Australian native cut flowers.  I love growing them!