Soft Pinks and Greens for a January Wedding

Soft Pinks and Greens for a January Wedding

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January Wedding Bouquet

Soft pinks and mint greens were the colours for this January wedding.  The bride loved eucalyptus and gum nuts and wanted something soft to compliment the bridesmaid's dresses in mint.  January was challenging this year with warmer than average temperatures and much lower rainfall than usual.  It meant that there was some unusual timing with some of the blooms, but we managed to come up with some pretty colours and textures to suit the theme.

White Ice Proteas flowering earlier than expected were happily snapped up to suit the theme.  Some rare January Pink Ice were also used.  Beautiful Brunia Albiflora was looking fabulous and is always a great addition to a bouquet no matter what the colour scheme.  

You can also see some Red Protea Compacta.  Smaller filler flowers used were Ozothamnus, a native that grows in the bush here.  If picked at just the right time it can be a beautiful filler flower, a relative of the Rice Flower.  I also used Elderberries for a rich purply-pink contrast.  

Used in the bouquets and more prominently in the boutonnieres are these silvery white cones with a purplish tinge.  They are the cones from the Leucadendron Pisa plant which are in season in the summer months.  I removed the outer bracts from these cones, which are lime green at this time of year.  The result was a pearly cone perfect for the focal point of the boutonnieres.

Vintage barely-pink lace was used as the binding for the bouquets and boutonnieres.  The brides dress had a tiny touch of pink to its colouring and this lace was perfect for the job.

Foliage used included the beautiful Leucadendron Silver Tree, ready earlier than usual thanks to the weather conditions.  Some Agonis Flexuosa with its whispy foliage and delicate white flowers made a great addition for the draping, cascading effect.  A mix of other eucalyptus foliages was also used.

In the boutonniere gum leaves also featured.  Some local native tea-tree and Leucadendron Jubilee Crown cones were used too.  I love the pink blush of the Jubilee Crown in summer.  A great little addition to bouquets and boutonnieres.

A close up revealed some very early Banksia Occidentalis.  These flower in late summer and early autumn and these were the first pick of the season.  Banksia Occidentalis is a bright red flower but needs to develop its colouring on the bush.  If picked early the flower is fully formed but the colour is not as intense and provided a dusky pink addition to the bouquets.  This picture also shows the purplish tinge that the L. Pisa cones get - such a pretty Leucadendron.

These arrangements were used on wine barrels for decorating the ceremony.  I used all the same ingredients as for the bouquets.

Chelsea Parsons Photography

The happy couple! 

January Flowers

January Flowers

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I often get asked what is available at different times of the year so I've decided to do a few blog posts about what's available when, month by month. I'll add lots of pictures of the flowers to each post, as well as pictures of what I've done with them.

So, what's available in January?    

Leucospermum (Pincushion) Fountain

This Pincushion called "Fountain" is a January flower here at Swallows Nest Farm.  When the flowers first open, they are lighter in colour - a peachy or apricot colour.  As the flowers age on the plant, they develop a deeper orange.  

Leucospermum Fountain

This picture shows the flower after it has aged on the bush - a deeper pinkish red in the centre with the "pins" a rich orange.  Depending on when the flowers are used, and what they're teamed up with, they can create a surprising range of colour schemes.

Clockwise from top left:  Leucospermum Fountain, Flowering Curry Plant, Leucadendron Pisa, Leucadendron Inca Gold, Leucadendron Safari Sunset, Centre: Leucadendron Maui Sunset

This range of colours and textures can all be found in January.

January Wedding Bouquet by Swallows Nest Farm

This bouquet was made using the flowers in the photo above.  The Pincushion Fountain is used in the earlier lighter stage of flowering.

Bouquet by Swallows Nest Farm - Photography by Rosie Hastie

The same Pincushion, Fountain, is used in this January bouquet.  In this one, its teamed with a small red King Protea, some different pink proteas, some pink Kangaroo Paw and an early Brunia Albiflora which are ready for early picking in January.

Brunia Albiflora

Flowering Gum (Corymbia Ficifolia) buds

Also in the same bouquet you can see (bottom left at front) some gorgeous flowering gum buds.  I love to use them for their texture, but they often have quite a lot of colour too.  This gum, reclassified as  Corymbia, usually flowers in summer but the timing can vary.  It has a range of colours from rich reds, through pinky reds, tomato red, oranges, corals, peaches and through to pale pinks and almost white.  Depending on the season the flowers will also be available.  

Corymbia Ficifolia

This year (2016)  the Corymbia Ficifolia flowered early and I was able to use this gorgeous red form in a Janauary wedding.  

January Vineyard Wedding by Swallows Nest Farm

The flowering gum went perfectly with the vibrant red pink and orange theme for this January Vineyard wedding.  You can just make out the flowering gum in the groom's boutonniere.  The bouquet uses another small Red King Protea, some different varieties of orange Pincushion, including Fountain.  It also uses the vibrant pink Kanagaroo Paw called Bush Pearl. 

Red flowering Corymbia Ficifolia, Corymbia Ficifolia buds,  Pink Bush Pearl Kangaroo Paw,  Wax flower, and Myrtle Beech foliage used in a January Floral Crown

 The same vibrant mix was used in the brides Floral Crown.

Leucospermum Pincushions - Mardi Gras Yellow,  Cordifolium Orange

In January, other Pincushion colours are available.  They start flowering in November and December but are still usually flowering in January.  The yellow is called Mardi Gras Ribbons - the "ribbons" referring to the little red ribbons that appear as the flower opens. 

Leucospermum Pincushion Scarlet Ribbons

Pincushion Scarlet Ribbons is a November and December flowering Leucospermum but there can still be a few available in January, depending on the season.  

Early January Wedding by Swallows Nest Farm

In the above bouquet from an early January wedding, you can see a Mardi Gras pincushion at the back of the bouquet.  There are also some Scarlet Ribbons, and the orange one at the front is called Cordifolium.  The red, yellow and orange in this bouquet was really summery and fresh.  

Leucadendron Jubilee Crown

You can also see tucked into the gaps in the bouquet some of these little ruby red Leucadendron cones called Jubilee Crown.  They are sometimes called Christmas Cones and are available in December, but usually linger into January.  They're great for texture and colour, and also for use in boutonnieres.

Boutonnnieres from a January wedding by Swallows Nest Farm

They looked great in these boutonniere for another January wedding with a soft pink, purple and green theme.  

Mid January Wedding by Swallows Nest Farm

You can also see Jubilee Crown in this bouquet from mid January.  The theme was pink, soft and mint. You can see White Ice Proteas, and some Pink Ice Proteas.  Pink Ice are available in varying quantities almost all year round at Swallows Nest Farm, buthey are in short supply for a couple of weeks in January.  I was lucky to be able to use some for this wedding.

  

Pink Ice Protea - in short supply in January but available all year round

You can also see I used some Brunia Albiflora in the same bouquet.  The silky mint looking foliage is a Leucadendron called Silver Tree which is gorgeous for use in wedding arrangements.

Leucadendron Silver Tree foliage - available towards the end of January

Agonis Flexuosa is a native Australian foliage that flowers over summer.  The little white frilly flowers are dotted along the arching stems in amongst the leaves and they look great in bouquets and wedding arrangements.  The name "flexuosa" hints at the weeping, arching effect of the branches and leaves of this plant.  

Agonis Flexuosa - gorgeous foliage with white accent flowers in January

January Wedding Swallows Nest Farm using Agonis flowers and foliage

In this bouquet form early January, you can see Agonis Flexuosa flowers at the bottom front of the bouquet, and the foliage is more noticeable at the top of the photo.

This bouquet shows Agonis flowers and foliage draping either side with the gum foliage.

Wax Flower available over summer

Another small native flower that is really useful for weddings is Wax flower.  The variety we grow at Swallows Nest Farm begins flowering white and fades to pink as the flowers age.  They smell delicious, and are useful for months from the time they bud in spring through to later summer when they change to pink.

It can be tricky to predict what will flower when, especially when you factor in the weather.  But on the whole, proteaceae and natives like those we grow at Swallows Nest Farm are very cyclic and will flower seasonally if given the right conditions.  We are also planting new things every season.  Variety is the spice of life, so they say, and we love variety so we're always adding new plants.  If you have any queries about flowers that you don't see mentioned here, just contact Grace via the blogger contact form on the right side-bar.