Cradle Mountain Wedding in December

Cradle Mountain Wedding in December

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Photography by Michelle Dupont

Cradle Mountain is one of Tasmania's iconic natural beauties.  Its no surprise then, that some couples choose to tie the knot in this remarkable location.  In December 2016, I provided flowers for a summer wedding at Cradle Mountain on what proved to be a very wintery day.  It's not unusual for Cradle Mountain to be dusted in snow, even during the summer months.  The weekend chosen for this wedding was cold one with some wild weather but I think you'll agree from the gorgeous wedding photos, that the weather added to the atmosphere in this extraordinary place.

The bride wanted natives in red, green and white.  For the green, I used Tasmanian Myrtle-beech foliage.  Myrtle-beech is the dominant tree in Tasmania's cool temperate rain forests.  Its fresh new growth is a rich green and perfect for bouquets.  For the red, I used Waratahs.  The Tasmanian Waratah (Telopea Truncata) flowers mostly in November, but because of the mild spring weather, there were still plenty of flowers available in mid December.  Their rich vibrant pinky red seems to glow.

For the 'white', I used Berzelia Lanuguinosa, a white flowering fynbos plant that has lots of little balls of tightly packed flower heads. When the Berzelia flowers, the balls look fluffy and white - so pretty in bouquets.  The Berzelia at Swallows Nest Farm flowered right up til the end of December which is later than usual, but it was a treat to have them flowering so plentifully for so long. 

For the Bride's bouquet, I also used a larger, NSW Waratah (Telopea Speciosissima) and a Protea White Ice. 

The bride and the four bridesmaids also had some Scarlet Ribbons pincushions in their dark red phase, with orangey styles and deep red "ribbons".  The rich burgundy of Safari Sunset Leucadenrons was a great addition too.

I also added gum nuts and Leucadendron Jubilee Crown which are a rich red leucadendron cone.

Red, green and white, without being too christmassy - always important in December.

For the groom and the groomsmen, more myrtle, Tasmanian waratah's and Berzelia.  The groom also had a Jubilee Crown cone.

Photography by Michelle Dupont

The breathtaking photos by Tasmanian photographer Michelle Dupont were just perfect.  

Photography by Michelle Dupont

Beautiful landscape, beautiful light, beautiful bride! 

Photography by Michelle Dupont

As always, it was a privilege to be involved in this beautiful wedding!

"Birds Nest" Bouquets for a Cradle Mountain Wedding in February

"Birds Nest" Bouquets for a Cradle Mountain Wedding in February

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In February I provided flowers for a wedding held at Lemonthyme Wilderness Retreat in the Cradle Mountain - Lake St Claire National Park.  

Cradle Mountain

The Cradle Moutain area is World Heritage listed with stunning scenery and pristine wilderness that draws tourists from all around the globe.  What a beautiful place for a wedding!

Lemonthyme WIlderness Retreat

 The bride had chosen a rich strong purple for the bridesmaid's dresses and had the idea of adding some yellow as a contrasting colour to really make the colours pop.  

Its called a complimentary colour scheme, using colours which are opposite each other on the colour wheel.  It works to accentuate colours and make them stand out.  The bride also wanted natives to go with that beautiful backdrop of the Tasmanian wilderness that the venue offered.

 

Banksias were the focal flowers in this wedding with each bouquet having a Banksia Baxterii as the main flower.  Baxterii are a beautiful late summer banksia here in Tassie, and are often called Birds-nest Banksia because of their unique shape and the way the styles open from the bottom upwards.

I continued the Bird's Nest theme using posy holders made from natural fibrous material in a great chocolate brown.  I love the textural quality they created and the addition of the deep brown which enhances the colours in the flowers.  I also loved the bird's nest feel they added, with the flowers nestled into the "nest" and the foliage spilling over the edges.  

Other flowers used were the beautiful rich red Banksia Occidentalis, Leucadendron Safari Sunset, a deep burgundy in late summer, and Brunia Albiflora.  Little pops of purple to tie in the bridesmaids dresses were added with Hebe.  

Vibrant yellow was added with Kangaroo Paw, Bronze Fennel flowers, and Leucadendron Pisa.  Foliages used include the gorgeous native coral fern called Gleichenia Dicarpa, Myrtle Beech,  a beautiful burgundy tea tree foliage, and some Smoke Bush leaves.   

The bride requested all the boutonnieres be different designs, all with the same theme.  Music to my ears!  Its such fun to play with the colours and textures and find different ways of putting them all together.  Banksia Baxterii leaves, deeply zig zagged and fabulous, form the backing for each Boutonniere.  

In front, different mixtures of the foliages including the burgundy tea tree and myrtle, and then more of the other flowers featured in the bouquets.  

The grooms boutonniere had some of the coral fern added.  I really love working with the coral fern.  It can be very difficult to store and work with as it tangles very easily, but the lovely angles that it sits at make it a wonderful, whimsical addition to a bouquet or boutonniere.  

The colours and textures of this wedding were wonderfully satisfying to work with.  I hope the bride and groom enjoyed the results!

Hello Snow!

Hello Snow!

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After a cooler, wetter summer than usual, we are now experiencing a colder winter than usual.  Last Monday most of Tasmania woke to a blanket of snow.  It snowed in the capital city Hobart for the first time since 1986. With snow down to sea level in some areas, this was a newsworthy weather event.  

It's always a magical experience to wake up to a white winter wonderland and it doesn't happen very often here in, at least in the more inhabited parts of our state.  Even school was cancelled, and the kids went out to play in the snow.

Last time we had snow at Swallows Nest Farm was mid-September 2013.  The snow was beautiful but it did damage some of the early spring flowers that were just starting to bloom.  I lost a lot of my waratah crop that year as the early ones had all begun to unfold.  The snow left burn marks on their bracts and petals.  I was keen to check this years plants to make sure they were ok.  The Berzelia crop is coming along and I'm hoping theres no damage. 

Leucadendrons catch the snow in their bracts.  Most Leucadendrons, once established, are quite frost hardy.

The Leucadendron Tall Red is about to flower, but hasn't begun to open yet.  I hope they'll be ok! 

Safari Goldstrike captured the snow all along their stems.  In our last snow event, many of our larger Leucadendron plants lost limbs because the weight of the snow weighed them down and they snapped. This time, it seems to have been a gentler fall.  You can see in this picture just how extensive the snow fall was.  We are quite elevated but the hills across the valley in the picture are just over 100m above sea level.  

Leucadendron Safari Sunset look so "Christmassy" covered in snow!

The open flowers acted like cups for the snow.  These Leucadendrons are quite tough, and seem to have coped well with the unusual weather.

I was surprised at how much snow cover the Leucadendron Jubilee Crown had.  It completely transformed the look of the plant.  

The familiar intense winter colour of the Leucadendrons was softened with the white of the snow.  Such a pretty sight.

Richea Dracophylla are used to snowy conditions, being endemic to the higher, wet slopes of Tasmania's mountains.  You can see them growing on the slopes of Mt Wellington which are no strangers to snowfall, even in the warmer months at times.   

The other plants on the farm that are no strangers to snowy conditions are the Myrtle Beech trees.  They looked so pretty covered in snow.  This tree is one of the dominant species in the temperate rain forests of western Tasmania.  

Some of the Leucadendron Red Gem had already started to flower.  Their bracts were wide open and caught lots of snow.  I think the majority have yet to open, so I hope they'll be ok too. They're such pretty winter flower.

Of all the plants that worried me, these were the ones I was most keen to check.  They are some new Leucadendron Laureolum that had only been planted a week before the snow.  This is  the reason that we choose to use planting guards to give the baby plants a little bit of extra protection in case of extreme weather.  I'm hopeful these little babies will survive and thrive.  

A day or so after the big freeze, I had to fly to the mainland and saw the snow coverage across the state.  Tasmania looked white from above.  Amazing!  I wonder what spring has in store. 

Myrtle Beech Foliage - Nothofagus Cunninghamii

Myrtle Beech Foliage - Nothofagus Cunninghamii

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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.