Tasmanian Waratah Wedding in November

It's such a thrill to be part of someones special wedding day - I love doing flowers for weddings!  Erica's wedding was in November and in Tasmania that can be a tricky time for weather.  It was obviously not the case on that particular day!  What a wonderful spot for a wedding.

I "met" Erica internet style.  She was a customer in my trees4thewood online store and discovered my flower farming activities online.   Having worked on the Overland Track, a world famous bush walking track through spectacular Tasmanian wilderness, she was keen to use Tasmanian Waratahs for the main flower in her wedding bouquet.  These gorgeous flowers grow wild in areas along the track and you can't miss them when they are in flower.  

I was excited to be asked to provide her flowers and had a ball creating something to show off the Tasmanian Waratah.  As you can see, the colours she chose for the wedding are really styled around the waratah.  Ivory, grey and red are a classic combination.

What a fabulous day for a beach wedding!  The colour of that sea is just spectacular.  And I think it really makes that gorgeous red just glow.  The brides and bridesmaid's bouquets use Tasmanian Waratah, Safari Sunset Leucadendron, Berzelia (Button Bush), Agonis Flexuosa foliage and Eucalyptus foliage.  We decided to remove the waratah's leaves so as not to have too much green in the bouquet.  At that time of year, red and green can look a little christmassy.

Mini bouquet for a 3 year old flower girl! Cute!! And what a handsome little guy too.

The grooms boutonniere or button hole - Berzelia (Button Bush), Waratah, Leucadendron and Agonis Flexuosa foliage.

Thanks so much for letting me be part of your day, Erica!  It looks like it was a very memorable and happy one.

A Spring Week on the Farm

Spring has arrived, and along with it the unpredictable spring weather.  But all is forgiven because spring is the season that brings the incredible transformation in the landscape from the quietness of winter to an explosion of life and colour.  We've already experienced the highs and lows of spring with days of summer-like heat and spring snow, wind-swept days and still, misty days.  And throughout it all the spring flowering plants produce their vibrant colours and make us happy.

The Road to Swallows Nest - a misty spring day

Spring snow on the driveway at Swallows Nest Farm

Spring afternoon sunlight among the Leucadendrons

This week on the farm I've been picking a variety of spring flowering plants.  Leucadendron Gandogeri are a cheery yellow leuco that are flowering now.  We planted our first Gandogeri 3 years ago and are just starting to get good quantities of really lovely blooms.  Leucadendrons are such a diverse group of plants.  These Gandogeri have almost a daisy-like appearance when flowering.

Leucadendron Gandogeri

I've also been picking Waratah this week.  They were already beginning to bloom when the snow hit last week and some of them have a little discolouration damage, which is a pity.  They have definitely exceeded my expectations though and I'm pretty happy with them considering what they've been through!

Waratah waiting to go in the cold room

The other thing I've picked this week has been the Berzelia or Button Bush.  This is a gorgeous South African plant that's not a protea but has similar growing requirements.  I just love it - such a special plant!  We grow Berzelia Lanuginosa a Swallows Nest.  It has little clusters of balls of flowers on the end of sturdy stems.  The little balls begin green and as they get closer to flowering become creamy white until the tiny flowers burst out and make the little balls appear like fluffy white pompoms.  They are a great flower for weddings, and I have a couple coming up so they'll be put to good use.

Berzelia Lanuginosa

The Richea Dracophylla has been so busy producing flowers this year, and it takes the spring snow in its stride.  It's native habitat is the slopes of Mt Wellington and similar mountain slopes in Tasmania.  It is well adapted to coping with the extremes of the Tasmanian spring weather.  There are so many buds on some of the plants and I've been picking them early, trying to find the optimal time to pick that gives them the longest flowering time off the bush.

Richea Dracophylla

Today marks the spring or vernal equinox, when the day and the night are equal in length.  From now on, there will be more day than night, until just before Christmas and the summer solstice. Its a busy time on the farm with all the spring and early summer flowering plants, and the busyness of calendar events too.  Its lovely to have the longer days and the lengthy twilight.  They make me feel relaxed, as if I have all the time in the world.

Well, that's my spring week on the farm.  I'll leave you with a photo of tonights equinox sunset!

My Week in Flowers

Yesterday, I did some flowers for a wedding at the Port Arthur Historic Site, a world heritage listed historic site - and probably Australia's most famous.  If you've never been there, its definitely worth a visit.  Beautiful, fascinating, and thought provoking.  The locals call it "the Site".  Until the 1980's, it was just part of the local township.  Many of the buildings that are now part of the site were once peoples homes.  It has a fascinating history and its a place I love.  I think it would be a fabulous spot for a wedding. 

These little pots were table decorations for the dining tables.  Simple seasonal Pink Ice Protea with lots of lovely foliage, including some Grevillea, Risdon Peppermint and Thryptomene (not yet in flower but with lovely red flower buds dotted along the stems).  There is also some foliage from Brunia Albiflora - the bright green soft furry stems, and the first of my leuco's for the season.  Red Gem are often my first to be ready.  They are a spectacular colour at this time of the year - new, bright and fresh.  Every year I forget what fabulous colours they can produce and they really took my breath away this week as I picked them.  They glow.

I did some larger arrangements too, but ran out of time to photograph!  Its been a busy week with earthmoving machinery, doctors appointments, orders and a wedding.  

Earlier in the week, as often happens with the floral industry, there was an order to remember the death of a loved one.  Flowers really do say it all!  

Hope you all have a great week ahead.