Event Planning Tips, Wedding Planning Tips

The Most Versatile Flowers for Summer Events

Summer is fast approaching! The warm weather and radiant sun is a reminder to clients that it’s time to get rolling on any summer events they have up their sleeves. You’ll be getting requests to plan summer events very soon if you don’t have some lined up already!

With any event, there’s a lot of planning involved and choosing flowers is just one part of it. However, when you consider that the Society of American Florists reports the US floral industry is worth over $25 billion dollars, you can see just how important flowers are!

To help you select flowers for your summer floral arrangements we’ve prepared a list of the most versatile choices. This will guide you towards flowers that are widely available and come in a range of colors to suit all kinds of event themes and color schemes!

GERBERA DAISIES

Gerbera daisies are popular for weddings but also a great choice for more casual summer events. You can get daisies in a wide-range of colors such as:

• Bright Shades: Red, orange, yellow and pink
• Pastels: Paler shades of pink, soft yellows, peach, light purple, white
• Dark Shades: Purple, raspberry, maroon, and bronze

Pros

• In season during the summer months so they’ll be fresh
• Being in-season means they’ll be more affordable than out-of-season blooms
• Have become quite popular so can be bought wholesale at very reasonable prices
• Versatile since they come in many different colors
• Have a wide petal spread which means they can make a bouquet or centerpiece look fuller
• The softer, pastel shades are on trend for the summer of 2015

Cons

• If you are picking up the flowers a few days in advance, be aware that Gerbera stems are susceptible to bacteria blockage which can cause the flower to droop. You’ll need to take proper care of them by changing out the water and preservatives every day to ensure they remain robust!

ROSES

Roses are a wedding standard because they are a complex, ornamental flower. Roses mix well with other flowers so are ideal for building bouquets and centerpieces. They come in a wide-range of shades and each shade carries a special meaning, so you can select a color that matches either the color scheme or the theme of the event!

• Red (love, romance)
• Pink (gratitude, appreciation)
• White (marriage, spirituality, new beginnings)
• Orange (enthusiasm, passion)
• Yellow (friendship, joy, health)
• Purple (opulence, majesty)
• Blue (mystery, the unattainable)

Pros

• Roses are hearty! Since they are so sturdy they are a great choice for a long-lasting flower.
• They smell divine without being overpowering so they can bring a lovely, subtle fragrance to your event.
• Roses are available all year-round since they are such a popular choice, which means you’ll have no problem getting them for your event.
• Roses are heavily featured in the upcoming bridal trends for the summer of 2015. The romantic blush trend can make use of soft yellows, cream and soft pink blooms while stark white roses suit the clean, classic trend.

Cons

• You’ll need to be careful when selecting your roses. If the bloom is too closed you’ll have more of a rosebud than a rose, but if it’s too open it can look a bit sloppy or droopy.

TULIPS

Tulips have a simple elegance to them which makes them versatile for all types of summer events. Similar to roses, tulips come in a range of shades that have meanings associated to them which makes them ideal for customization! You can either match the color scheme or the theme, whichever you prefer!

• Pink (caring, attachment and good wishes)
• Red (love, passion)
• White (purity, forgiveness, respect)
• Cream (commitment)
• Purple (royalty)
• Yellow (brightness, sunshine)

Pros

• Tulips are a very long-lasting flower that pairs well with other blooms
• On trend for this summer’s “wild flower” theme. Pair them with snow peas and garden roses to make an arrangement that looks fresh picked from the garden!

Cons

• Associated with spring more than summer
• Need to be hand-tied in bouquets since they don’t fare well with wire wrapping. As a result, you would not want to choose tulips for corsages or boutonnieres.

HYDRANGEAS

Hydrangeas are versatile because they look great both fresh and dried. Since they preserve well they are a great option if you’re having an event where you want to preserve the flowers for souvenirs or memories. Their natural range of color is limited to blue, pink, light green and white but you can get them tinted or sprayed to match any color scheme.

Pros

• Hydrangeas are in season during the summer months which means they’ll be widely available and affordable. You can even buy them in bulk!
• Their clusters of flowers add volume to summer floral arrangements, which make arrangements look fuller

Cons

• Hydrangeas are a finicky flower. To keep them looking fresh you need to ensure they have enough water at both the stem level and on the bloom. Use a spray bottle filled with cool water to spray the blooms to keep them looking fresh.
• These flowers do best in moderate weather. If the weather is too hot or too cold they may wilt.

Of course, your options for flowers in the summer months are endless but narrowing the playing field to the most versatile choices may keep you from getting overwhelmed! You can easily create summer floral arrangements customized to each event’s particular colors or theme with the flowers listed above.

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