Never Enough Flowers - Planting Love Stories
Photo @krystanormanphotography
“Never Enough Flowers”
I live by a very simple motto of my mother's - "Never Enough Flowers". For each wedding that I plan, I spend a lot of time thinking about the flowers and what I will need to make flower dreams come true for each Beaumont House Design couple. As flowers come into the studio for each wedding, there's always a little devil on my shoulder wondering if I will have enough blooms. I sometimes think of it as having a party and running out of ice. Of course there are always enough flowers (and ice) but to make sure I can always live by mom's motto, I've been slowly expanding the cutting garden.
Last year one of our farm neighbor graciously allowed me to take over a very small section of their 15 acre field next door. We dug in 16 beds on what was the hottest, muggiest day in early spring I can remember. I experimented with zinnias, cosmos, sunflowers, garden roses, gladiola, celosia, dahlias, ornamental basil, dill and amaranthus; all grown from seed or tuber.
The dahlias exploded in the most delicious way to the point that I couldn't keep up. There were charming zinnias (small white varieties that were perfect in bouquets), pink and white cosmos that attracted butterflies and effortlessly floated in centerpieces as well as armfuls of fragrant purple basil, the little black dress of the flower world - it can be dressed up or be charming on its own. It was a luxury to stroll through the field early in the morning and pick blooms to incorporate into the bouquets and centerpieces.
Plans for 2018
This season I have bigger plans for the garden. Seed catalogs and books on flower farming took up all the space on my bedside table during the winter. I'm planting more varieties, starting seeds indoors to get a jump on the growing season and wondering where I will find the space for everything. While some couples like to chat about their day over dinner, my husband and I talk about water catchment systems to reduce our environmental impact, how to best organize the tool shed and outsmart the groundhog population.
I have big dreams this year for the Beaumont House garden. I have my fingers crossed that my first year growing heirloom sweet peas will go well, that the peonies will be crazy-full of blooms, the dahlias will bloom effortlessly and the garden will attract all the local honeybees again (and my neighbors will share some of the honey). The best part of the garden is knowing that the seeds I'm planting now will be part of a beautiful love story in a few months.
XO
Julie