I’ve spent the last few weeks pouring over the seed and plant catalogues deciding what to choose. Chiltern’s seed catalogue is a favourite winter read for inspiration and I like to spend time looking at colour combinations that sit well together, as this is an important part of my designs. Of course what really influences my choice of colours is the seasons, each brings different blooms, depending on their natural growing season.
SPRING
I love working with a mix of brights in the early spring. It’s a time of year of new life and we’ve just come out of a, more often than not, dull winter! This spring bouquet is a real clash of colours – bright pink and orange ranunculus, purple wallflowers, orange geums, perennial cornflowers, white tulips and a splash of blossom to add contrast. If you like the recent colour block trend then this could be the style for you.
EARLY SUMMER
Moving on to the early summer, colours become more gentle and softer, in this voluptuous bouquet we have apricot roses, sugar pink sweet peas, lilac canterbury bells, wisps of larkspur, a touch of blue clematis and some frothy ammi majus. Perfect for the ultimate romantic ceremony.
LATE SUMMER
This arrangement was a favourite mix of late summer blooms with deeper tones of plum sweet peas, apricot and deep red dahlias, creamy hydrangeas, pale pink cynoglosums and a subtle shade of lilac larkspur to tone with the pale flecks of the black scabious. It’s a sophisticated and classy affair.
THIS YEAR’S PREDICTIONS
Every year Pantone selects a “colour of the year” and for 2018 it’s ultraviolet. It’s not surprising as purple shades are popular with my couples. This autumn bouquet I designed last year has lots of violet tones and includes lilac scabiousa, spires of salvias and foxgloves complimented by little wisps of pale asters. White cosmos and ammi bring contrast and movement and the dahlias take centre stage.
If you are planning a wedding or special event we’d love to hear what you think of the colour of the year and what your favourite colour combinations are; will you be choosing ultraviolet for your wedding?
