Why You Want Garden Flowers for Your Wedding

Lots of brides come to me looking for “wild-flowers” and while I love wildflowers too, they really do best staying in nature since they tend to be so delicate. Aside from fireweed, which is incredibly sturdy in the vase, most wildflowers don’t do well once cut.  

I think what most people really mean when talking about that wildflower look is “garden-flowers”. 

Bouquets reminiscent of an overflowing garden. 

Arrangements bursting with variety and unique textures.

So if you’re not sure what type of flower you’re looking for, or if you think you want wildflowers, I’m going to show you why you really want garden flowers for your wedding.

What are garden flowers - aren’t all flowers from the garden?

Gardens change depending on where you live. Each locale has certain varieties that do best in a given climate, state, town, and micro-climate. I categorize “garden flowers” as those that grow locally and don’t tend to ship well.

In Alaska, there are many flowers that grow well in the garden. I’m only going to highlight a select number in favor of being concise and not overwhelming you. 

If you’d like to dive in deeper to all the varieties check out my next blog: Local Flowers A to Z where I give an example of every flower I grow for my wedding clients (which is over 40 varieties!).

What do most garden flowers have in common? They tend to be airy and whimsical, unique looking, textured, and delicate (meaning they don’t ship well so you’re never gonna see these in a grocery store bouquet).

Here are my top 10 favorite garden flowers to use in wedding designs

Cosmos

Cosmos is the quintessential garden flower. It grows into a full lush plant with lacy foliage. On the end of each stem pops open a delicate and wondrous bloom, with paper thin and lightly textured petals. They mainly come in white, pink, magenta and a dusty red.

Cosmos. This variety is called “Rubenza”

Ranunculus

While these do get shipped in from other places, and I honestly don’t find them too often in people’s gardens, ranunculus is the best and most fresh from the garden. They also grow fabulously in Alaska.

They come in a rainbow of colors, last forever in the vase and add a unique vibe to any arrangement or bouquet.

These yellow ruffly beauties are ranunculus. The purple bells are campanula. Photo courtesy of Corrine Graves.

Poppies

Ephemeral, delicate, and brightly colored, poppies shout “garden” from the rooftops. I will only use poppies in a wedding design if they’re from my garden (I usually won’t even buy them from a local farmer). Because, once cut, they decline rapidly.

I want them to be cut at the perfect moment and treated with care in order to look the most amazing in an arrangement. 

A white poppy! Photo courtesy of Chugach Peaks Photography

Columbine

Columbine is an early blooming perennial. Their small flowers on long stems remind me of little ballerinas.

Popping these onto an arch or into a bouquet adds movement and curiosity.

This bouquet is loaded with flowers from the garden including columbine (flower in the foreground).

Nasturtium

This is one of my favorite flowers to put in a bouquet. It grows on a vine, so adds a slight whimsical cascade to the bouquet. It has vibrant green foliage and bright yellow, orange and red flowers.

Our garden-style bouquets get transformed with a pop of nasturtium.

Bee Balm

A fuzzy and interesting looking flower in purple and red. Bees love it, so it’s fabulous for your garden and a gift to nature. Plus it adds one of a kind texture to any bouquet.

Chock full of garden flowers including blue forget-me-nots, red bee balm and purple campanula.

Forget me not

This is our Alaskan state flower but in a variety that has been designed to be a cut flower. This is my go-to for a “wild-flower” bouquet. Plus, as it’s hard to find a true blue flower, I use it all the time if someone is requesting blue as part of their color palette. 

Campanula

This flower has a series of beautiful bells on a sturdy stem. Varieties come in either pink, purple and white. These flowers add a feeling of delicacy to a bouquet and create depth whenever they’re used.. 

White campanula adds whimsy and texture. Photo courtesy of Kristian Irey

Nicotiana

This cool looking flower comes in a soft brown color (super cool, right?) and a green-white bloom. It has a few blooms spaced along a stem that adds height and a vertical element. 

Nicotiana in the most unusual color.

Dill

While not an actual flower with traditional petals, dill is a culinary herb with an airy flower that turns into a super cool seed head. It adds space and dimension to a bouquet or arrangement. I often use the foliage, flower or seed head in designs. It adds dimension and draws in the eye.

Now that you’re familiar with some of the garden flowers I love to use, it’s time for us to talk about your wedding!

Loaded with dried garden flowers including the seed heads of dill. Photo courtesy of Lauren Roberts.