Astrantia

Astrantia is a pretty flower that often plays the supporting role in bouquets and buttonholes thanks to its handy not-too-big not-too-small size. Strangely enough these guys come from the same family as the carrot, which makes more sense when you realise they look good enough to eat.

A bonus of this guy is that he dries well. Thanks to their deceivingly sturdy stems and flowers these beauties look almost as good dired as they do fresh, which is ideal if you’re looking for flowers ideas that will preserve well after your wedding.

Astrantia Size

We’ve already given the game away here, but Astrantia is a smallish flower, which adds great texture and movement to arrangements. The head sizes, when fully open, are roughly between the size of one pound coin and a fifty pence piece. Buds and secondary shoots can obviously be smaller, but they add a nice bit of variety when all tied up together.

What colours do Astrantia come in?

These star-like flowers come in a variety of pink and purple tones, from very pale through to strong cerise. They also come in a lovely green and white combo, which is perfect for the traditionalists among us. Whether you want something to tone or contrast with your main flowers these pretty petals are the perfect pals to do the job.

Astrantia flower meaning

Astrantia flowers, which are also known as Masterword, are thought to represent strength, courage, and protection.

What other flowers go well with Astrantia? 

Because of their delicate stamen-filled flowers we think astrantia go perfectly in a bit of a wild flower bouquet, bringing life and fluidity to bunches filled with other country garden favourites – like clematis, old English roses, snapdragons and sweet peas.

The good news is, though, that these beauties are so subtle that they work well with pretty much anything. And if you’ve got a handful of roses in mind and just want a little something to break things up a bit then astrantia are sure to look beautiful in between your main flowers.

When are Astrantia in season?

Luckily there are only two months in the year when it might be tricky to get hold of Astrantia, so they’re nearly always available. The trickier months to get your hands on these are September and October, but other than that they’re available all year round.

How much do Astrantia cost?

Each little stem of this stuff comes in at around £1.20 once we cost it up into a bouquet, but remember you’ll get a load of blooms for that price, thanks to multiple flowers on each stem.

Asparagus Fern

Anything that sounds like food we’re on board with, so these little critters are right up our street. There are a few different kinds of asparagus ferns, but they all have gorgeous ethereal qualities in common - with soft, floaty tendrils of green that add great movement to arrangements.

This type of greenery has become really popular for woodland weddings, giving that lush green finish, rather than a dusky colour that people often go for from a foliage like eucalyptus.

We actually like to mix and match the different kinds of asparagus ferns. This means that everything comes together within the same colour palette while there’s still interesting different shapes and movements.

Asparagus fern sizes

This really depends on the variety. The one we have pictured is a know as a ‘foxtail’ variety and most often comes in 50cm stem lengths, with only around the top two thirds of the stem covered in the foliage.

Asparagus fern colours

There’s only one natural colours for these guys, and that’s green. You can now get asparagus fern in all sorts of coloured, but they’re sprayed with dye to get their different looks. Metallics are pretty popular choices at Christmas now, with gold, silver and rose gold varieties all available.

When are asparagus ferns in season?

Good news, fern lovers, you can get these beauties all year round. With so many flowers being shipped all over the world now, and with the help of all kinds of artificial heating most greeneries are available most of the year.

How much do asparagus ferns cost?

This is pretty pricy for a foliage, with some of the foxtail stems costing up to £3 a pop once they’ve been handled into one of your hand-ties. But the good news is that they’re impactful, so a little goes a long way!

Chasmanthe saturnus seedpods

Sure, saying chasmanthe saturnus seedpods is a bit of a mouthful, but these little guys are actually simple creatures. We love berries, buds and seedpods as much as flowers and foliage, and these long, elegant strip of pods add a real point of difference to bouquets and buttonholes.

The plants these seed from are those exotic tiny lolly-like creatures that everyone had in their garden as a kid. They come in yellows, reds and oranges - you know what we're talking about, right? Right, guys?

Chasmanthe saturnus seedpods size

These come in lengths of about 50cm on average, with each little pod weighing in about the size of a good chickpea, the kind you’d make a fabulous hummus from.

Chasmanthe saturnus seedpods colour

Because these little guys are seed pots they come in one colour, and one colour only – green. They might have touches of browns and reds thrown in but for the most part you’re looking at a lovely bright green. As they age they will become more russet in colour.

Chasmanthe saturnus seedpods meaning

We couldn’t find too much on the meaning of these chaps, but the Greek origins of their name are thought to be translated as gaping from ‘chasme’ and flower from ‘anthos’. Sure they’re not the prettiest of sentiments, but we won’t tell anyone that’s what your wedding flowers mean if you don’t!

What other flowers do chasmanthe saturnus seedpods go well with?

We absolutely love these kinds of branches and seeds to add a bit of a wild element to bouquets and think they look great with other wildlings, like nigella, wild grasses and ferns.

When are chasmanthe saturnus seedpods in season?

Seedpods like these are often only available at the end of summer when, you guessed it, flowers have gone to seed in preparation for winter. We usually find these kicking about the market from around September to December.

How much do chasmanthe saturnus seed pods cost?

Seedpods are often a cost effective buy, as not everyone loves them like we do. You’re looking at about £1.50 a pop for these once we’ve marked them up to include our blood, sweat and tears.

Clematis

Clematis is a fairly new fella to the cut flower scene, but he’s been welcomed with open arms. The slightly wild, bent stems give it a fun, bouncy look in arrangements that non-conformists will love.

Clematis sizes

Clematis come in all shapes and sizes, but the most common cut flower kind are small fairy-caps that are around the size of a fifty pence piece across. These gorgeous guys have twisted petals with curled tips and light attention-grabbing centres.

Clematis colours

Most commonly cut clematis come in hues of purple, although it’s more often than not called ‘blue’. We love a variety called ‘blue pirouette’ which has a gorgeous indigo colour. From this tone varieties get gradually paler, and you can get clematis in shades of pink as well as in white, too.

Clematis flower meaning

Good news for clever clogs looking for a flower to match their mind. Clematis is thought to represent ingenuity.

Other flowers clematis goes well with 

These are another cottage garden classic, as they grow incredibly well even in Britain’s, shall we say, ‘unpredictable’ climes. Because of their natural curvy stems we think these go with other wild-looking flowers like wax flowers, honeysuckle, nigella and scabious as well as working well to break up blocks of colour from larger more classic blooms like roses, lilies and hydrangea.

When are clematis in season?

These hardy blooms flower at different times, depending on variety. You can get some types of clematis that flower in spring, some in summer, some in autumn and some in winter. So, in short, you should be able to get clematis at pretty much any point in the year!

How much do clematis cost?

When we pop these in an arrangement they’ll cost you around £1-1.50 a stem, depending on variety. These, like other similar smaller flowers, have bunched blooms at the top – so you get a few flowers per stem in most cases and an abundance of lovely leaves too.

Eucalyptus

Could this be the most popular greenery ever? Eucalyptus just happens to be the subject of one of our best performing Instagram posts, which got us thinking you guys must love it too. Coming in all shapes and sizes it adds a gorgeous dusky background to all kinds of flower arrangements.

Eucalyptus size

There are so many different kinds of eucalyptus that the size really depends on which variety you pick. The most popular (we think!) is the silver dollar, otherwise known as cinerea. This variety has that classic dusky finish and nice round leaves that are usually around the size of a ten pence piece in the middle of each branch, with the leaves increasing and decreasing as they get further or nearer to the tip.

Another favourite of ours is eucalyptus populus with berries, which has similarly sized leaves that are more pointed. And the best bit comes in the form of clusters of lovely little berries that add texture and a bright green colour. 

Eucalyptus colours

As you probably know the most common colours of eucalyptus are those dusky greeny grey tones, but there are varieties that stray outside of this. Eucalyptus robusta, for instance, has a gorgeous green and gold variegated leaf, while other varieties have pink and red flushes.

Eucalyptus meaning

The first species of eucalyptus discovered by Europeans was named ‘eucalyptus obliqua’ by a French Botanist calld Charles L’Héritier de Brutelle. The Greek roots of the words ‘eu’ and ‘calyptos’ mean well covered, which has lead to the plant often being given as a gift to poorly people. It is thought that offering eucalyptus as a gift will signal that you want to shield or protect the recipient from harm.  Cute, huh?

When is eucalyptus in season?

You can usually get eucalyptus most of the year, apart from a brief little break around May and June.

How much does eucalyptus cost?

Eucalyptus is most often sold by the bunch, instead of by the stem like flowers. We usually cost it up to about £9 a bunch for our brides and grooms for the basic bundles, with more unusual varieties going up a little from this.

Gerbera

Gerberas are a real marmite flower, there’s a lot of love out there for them – but also a little less love from a big chunk of people. Traditionally there were shoved into big hospital hand-ties in really bright, clashing colours, and that obviously isn’t everyone’s tastes. The good news is that there are now so many different varieties that it would be hard to hate all gerbera. There are mini ones, known as germini’ and ruffled edge ones that come in more subtle shades.

Apparently though, despite the controversy (or maybe those are just our own thoughts surfacing?) these little guys are the 5th most popular cut flower in the world! As part of the sunflower family they look like big old daisies and thanks to their vibrant colours are great for pick-me-up posies.

Gerbera sizes

The standard gerbera size is usually around as big as a coaster (but can get as big as up to 12cm across), with a 10p-sized centre and layers of elongated petals surrounding it. The smaller germini varieties are usually around 7cm across.

Gerbera colours

The most common colours these babies come in are hot pinks, oranges and yellows, as well as creams and white. However, more recently there has been a wider selection of colours available at the flower markets, meaning you should be able to get your paws on a colour of gerbera to tone with your work, no matter what colour theme you’ve opted for. We love varieites like ‘garden ghost’ which has ruffled, thinner petals for a rugged finish and ‘marmolada’ which has a two tone white and orange finish.

Gerbera meaning

The Victorians thought these sunny blooms meant ‘happiness’, which is nice. Our ancestors, the celts, thought that gerberas could decrease life’s daily stresses and sorrows.

When are gerbera in season?

Good news for those of you in the ‘love’ camp for gerbera – they are now available all year round thanks to global shipping.

How much do gerbera cost?

Relatively inexpensive (and long lasting to boot!) these guys will cost you around £1.20 a pop once they’re built into a bouquet or buttonhole.

Hydrangea 

Hydrangeas have been increasingly popular with brides and grooms over the past few years, with lots of girls and guys asking for them to be included in their celebration florals.

Hydrangea Sizes

If you’re looking to make a big impact, hydrangeas are perfect for your big say. Hydrangeas are towards the larger end of flower sizes, with their full frothy heads. Each stem is made up of hundreds of small flowers giving them a beautiful, soft look.

The smallest varieties of hydrangea, which often come from South America, can be around the size of a large fist, where the biggest Dutch stems can come in at the size of a baby’s head!

Hydrangea Colours

You can get hydrangeas in a whole host of colours, depending on your theme (and the time of year!). The colours of each variety actually change as the season goes on, depending on the mineral content of the soil they’re grown in. Popular choices are heads of pure white, pastel pinks and blues and dusky autumnal tones like rust reds and sage greens. If you have seen a specific type of hydrangea you like then we can always look into getting them in for you depending on availability.

Which Flowers To Pair Hydrangeas With

These gorgeous puffballs of flowers go well with lots of other things. For a classic look you can pair them with roses, lilies and dusky eucalyptus foliage. To make things a little more modern you could plump for beautiful anemones, ranunculus and astrantia for a mix of sizes and textures.

When Are Hydrangea In Season?

In the UK hydrangeas naturally flower from late spring to late autumn, but cut hydrangeas have a pretty long season, thanks to international availability to ship them to Scotland. They’re most readily available from May to November, but you can sometimes get them from South America in the winter months, too.

How Much Do Hydrangeas Cost?

Per stem hydrangeas are more expensive than a lot of other wedding flowers, but because of their huge heads and long vase-life you get a lot of bang for your buck! Our prices start at around £4.95 per hydrangea stem.

Lisianthus 

Lisianthus is a popular wedding flower choice, thanks to its pretty flowers and delicate buds. The combination of these two little darlings makes for a variety of looks from just one stem.

Lisianthus size

You can get single and double lisianthus, so the size varies ever so slightly. For the most part the blooms get about as big as a ping pong ball, on a good day. The buds are much smaller, coming in at the size of a little fingernail (if you can imagine the size of ours).

Lisianthus colours

Some of the most popular colours of lisianthus are bright purples and pinks, as well as white. The benefit of having a bloom with a bud, once again, is that the colour of the buds will compliment the stronger colours of the blooms perfect. The very new buds are often a beautiful pastel green while the slightly more mature buds are just starting to get their colour, meaning they’re a lighter shade of the main flower colour.

If you’re looking for something a little bit different then you can also get these pretty flowers in a rainbow of other colours. They even come in a two-tone variety, which sees splashes of colours like pink against white on their petals. One of our favourites is a variety called Alissa light apricot, which has a gorgeous muted colour with double, frilled petals.

Lisianthus flower meaning

The scientific name for these little beauties is ‘eustoma,’ which some people say stems from the Greek word ‘eu’ which means something beautiful.

Back in the Victorian days, when these flowers were just beginning to be used in flower arrangements people thought they symbolised someone flashy or showy. It might have been meant as an insult then, but we’re kind of into it. If you’ve got it flaunt it.

Another interpretation of these flowers is that the shape of the petals and oval leaves symbolise appreciation.

Other flowers lisianthus go well with

Lisianthus are a classic choice, and look fab interspersed with roses in a traditional domed bouquet. The little pops of colour in between softer hues look beautiful and they’re a good way to bulk out more expensive flowers, without losing the luxe look. We also love lisianthus in meadow inspired arrangements, with daisies and delphiniums to give a wild colourful cottage garden feel.

When are lisianthus In season?

With international shipping lisianthus are pretty much available all year round, so they’re a good bet if you want to make sure you get your flower types nailed early in prep for your wedding. If you’re looking to source British flowers then lisianthus are in season roughly from March to September in Britain.

How much do lisianthus cost?

Since you get multiple blooms and buds on each stem, lisianthus (in our humble opinion) are a really good value buy. When we add them to your arrangements we mark them up to around £2.50 per stem.

Ranunculus 

If you like roses you’re going to love ranunculus, with their layers and layers of luxurious petals. Recently these gorgeous flowers have really picked up in popularity, and it’s not hard to see why. They’re bloody lovely.

Ranunculus size

When you first buy ranunculus they’re usually quite tightly closed, about the size of a tea light, but they open out over the next few days to become a little bigger. It’s in these days that they get even more beautiful, with their petals separating more freely from one another to show themselves off even more. When they’re at their peak these gorgeous gals look like upside down ballerina skirts.

Ranunculus colours

Ranunculus come in loads of colours, but we can’t help favouring the pastel shades of buttercup yellow, white and very pale blush. If you’re looking to make a bolder statement then they also come in strong oranges, yellows, purples and pinks – with some varieties even including two colours in one.

Ranunculus flower meaning

They say flattery will you get you nowhere, but we can’t help being bowled over by these little guys and their meaning. Apparently they mean ‘radiant charm’, ‘you are charming’ or ‘you are attractive’. Perfect for all our couples then?

A slightly less romantic interpretation comes from the Latin root of their name. Apparently rana means frog, and unculus means little. It’s thought these chaps got their name from their propensity to grow along little rivers.

Other flowers ranunculus go well with

We think ranunculus go well with cottage garden favourites like snap dragons, Icelandic poppies and sweet peas. Another of our favourite ranunculus looks is going hard on the luxe-factor (which, yes, is a thing). Paired with roses, spray roses and anemones these little guys stand their ground and add a gorgeous soft finish to arrangements.

When are ranunculus in season?

It’s bad news for summer brides, as these beauties only tend to be available from wholesale markets from around November to June, skipping out on all of the most popular wedding dates.

How much do ranunculus cost?

Perfection ain’t cheap. Once we source, buy, condition, arrange and deliver these chaps you’re looking at about £5.30 a stem. This goes up or down depending on the wholesale cost and how prolific a season the variety has had. We’ll always do our best to keep your costs down, but the truth of the matter is flowers are an expensive treat.

Roses

If we had to put money on it we would say roses were the most popular wedding flower ever. Their ruffled charm and romantic look makes the perfect centrepiece for any bridal bouquet, and with their timeless appearance they’re requested by nearly every bride we speak to. 

What size do roses come in?

Roses can come in all sorts of sizes, depending on the variety you choose. Quite often, too, the size of a rose head depends on the length of its stem. Typically the longer and thicker the steam, the more time the rose has been given to grow – which means you’ll end up with a lovely large flower head in the end. 

The largest roses are often gorgeous garden roses that have piles of petals and a beautiful scent. However, these lovely flowers come with a lovely price tag to match!  

What colours do roses come in?

Roses come in nearly every colour you can imagine, from the classic red roses seen everywhere around Valentine’s Day to the softest shades of ivory. Something brides often ask for are white roses to match their wedding dress, however pure white is one of the only shades that are hard to find when it comes to roses. 

If you prefer something more subtle then earl grey roses are perfect with their lilac/grey finish. For colour-lovers you can go all out and plump for dyed roses that are artificially coloured for a really punchy finish. 

Whatever your wedding day theme or colours you’re sure to be able to find a rose variety to match. 

Which Flowers To Pair Roses With

Thanks to their classic look roses go with just about anything. We love them with other old-time favourites like hydrangeas, ranunculus and lisianthus but really these beauties suit being snuggled up against any flower in toning or contrasting colours. 

When Are Roses In Season?

You can get roses all year round thanks to international shipping! If you’re getting married in the late summer in Scotland then you’ll have the choice of some gorgeous locally grown blooms which tend to have a larger head and beautiful scent. But if you’re getting married at any other time you’ll be sure to be able to get your paws on some roses from some sunny shores somewhere especially for your big day. 

How Much Do Roses Cost?

Roses come in all different price brackets, depending on stem length, flower size, scent, colour and grade (how perfect they are). Our roses start at about £1 a stem and can go up to around £6 per stem for some of the gorgeous English garden roses. 

spray Roses

Spray roses are  just like the big guys’ little brothers. Smaller versions of regular roses, they are the perfect thing to add a variety of size and movement to arrangements. Each stem has multiple buds and flowers, meaning you get good value for money, as well as different shapes from each individual flower.

Spray rose size

Spray roses are generally about one quarter of the size of a standard rose we would say, if we had to hazard a guess. You’re looking at about a generous 50p piece per head on a good day, with the buds obviously coming in smaller. As with regular roses this varies from variety to variety, and the shape of different rose kinds can vary too. Some spray roses have lovely ball-like flowers, while others are more pointed in shape, like a classic rosebud shape. 

Spray rose colours

Just like their big brothers, spray roses come in nearly every colour imaginable. Whether you’re after a deep red to match a valentine’s theme or fancy a soft dusky pink to blend with your bridesmaid dresses, you should be able to get your paws on exactly what you’re looking for. The only colour we sometimes struggle to get is a bright white. There’s not really a bright white rose out there, so if your dress is white you may want to steer clear of cream roses, in case they look a bit drab in comparison.

When are spray roses in season?

Talk about living in someone’s shadow but, again, just like normal roses these mini mes are available nearly all year round thanks to international shipping. If you’re sourcing British flowers, however, then you’re looking at a season of about June-October for spray roses, depending on how the weather has been.

How much do spray roses cost?

Starting at around £1.25 per stem for a spray rose, once we’ve bought it, conditioned it, looked after it to make sure it’s at its perfect stage of blooming and arranged it, we think these don’t come in at a bad price at all. Remember you’ll get quite  a few flowers per stem, so they go further than you might think.