As the Royal wedding draws closer we’ve rounded up some floral expertise on putting together the perfect wedding bouquet.
Two top florists appearing at RHS Malvern Spring Festival select their pick of the bunch.
Celebrity florist and British Flower Ambassador, who is creating a dramatic display featuring three miniature Morgan cars, Jonathan Moseley chooses:
Peonies, sweet peas, hydrangeas, alchemilla and scabious
Jonathan said: “A May wedding calls for British grown sumptuous peonies. The white ‘Duchess de Nemours’ is amazingly fragrant with layers of soft swan-down like petals – heavenly in any bouquet or for an amazing colour choose ‘Coral Charm’.
Sweet peas with their gorgeous soft colours and wonderful scent are an absolute must have. Lathyrus odoratus ‘Cupani’ is one of my favourites.
The effervescent, frothy, lime green flowers of Alchemilla mollis add drama and movement and are a perfect foil for the larger blooms.
“I love all types of hydrangeas but particularly enjoy working with the paniculata varieties in wedding bouquets and finally Scabious, with their compact rounded flower heads, the powdery blue of Scabious ‘Clive Greaves’ is adorable or for drama choose Scabious ‘Black Knight’.”
Award-winning Florist, Carolyn Dunster, is showcasing a variety of plants at the festival, including kokedama displays.
Her bridal selection includes:
Lilac, Rose, Daucus (wild carrot) and a selection of garden herbs
She said: “I would start with some sprigs of dark lilac – the perfect union of perfume, grace and delicacy. To this I would add another layer of scent with some early flowering roses – my favourites are the small pom-pom heads of Rosa ‘Blush Noisette’ in the palest pink and the darker claret coloured Rosa ‘Munstead Wood’ which is has large blousy blooms.
“I would have wispy stems of Daucus carota ‘Dara’ – the delicate flower heads look like pink clouds and carry a ‘just-picked’ from the hedgerow look.
“My foliage would be a selection of fresh garden herbs – mint, rosemary and marjoram which symbolise happiness as well as leaves of purple sage with its meaning of joy. These would dry out really well and retain their colour and shape but are also good for pressing as a memento of the big day.”
Join us for RHS Malvern Spring Festival, which takes place from Thursday 10 May until Sunday 13 May.