Spring is in the air, and that means flowers are taking center stage yet again.
With graduation and wedding season ramping up, flowers abound—as tokens of appreciation or congratulations, as a burst of color to welcome spring into your home and, of course, as an ever-important element of all things wedding. Here’s a look at the flower trends making news.
Amy Loux and Amyann Plemons, owners of KC’s Daylight Flora, call spring their favorite season for flowers. “That’s when we’re seeing a lot of the new, fresh, delicate blooms pop up,” Loux and Plemons say of this season’s flower trends. “Some of our favorites are spirea, sweet pea, tulips, daffodils and lilacs. In the summer, we’re seeing more flowers that can handle the heat—marigolds, zinnias, dahlias, and one of our all-time favorites, cosmos.”
For spring and summer events, customers tend to gravitate toward bolder and brighter colors than in other seasons, and they include various textures and greenery to add more visual interest. “Color and maximalism are definitely trending in the floral and wedding industry,” says Rebecca Ederer, owner of KC floral shop Beco Flowers, of this season’s flower trends. “Flowers with lots of petals and texture like ranunculus, peonies and dahlias are definitely in demand.”
Every floral expert agrees that the best thing to do is let the florist take the lead and trust their design process. The floral world has changed drastically over the last decade, with more focus on local and sustainable plants and more designs incorporating greenery and textured accents. Loux and Plemons urge folks to choose a florist with whom you align aesthetically and “trust them to work their flower magic” to get something unique to you.
“The more specifications we are given, the more likely the client will be disappointed,” Ederer says. “Trust your florist. It’s ok to give broad instructions such as color palette and style, but don’t overthink it.”
For making flower arrangements at home, Ederer urges folks to stick with arrangements of two or three different kinds of flowers in the same color palette. Even something as simple as a monofloral arrangement, which uses one classic flower like all roses or all hydrangeas, is a great, classic look.
Sarah Jaeger, owner of EverWild Florals, cautions against ordering from “big flower” national chains who are only “order gatherers,” Jaeger says.
“They take the customer’s order, sell it to a floral shop, and the wire service takes a 30 percent cut,” Jaeger says. “So if a customer orders a $100 arrangement through these companies, they only receive $70 worth of flowers. Always call a local floral shop with good reviews to get the freshest flowers and most value for your money.”
One of the biggest mistakes floral experts agree customers make is not remembering to change the water daily to ensure the plants are getting fresh, cold water. They recommend not adding all the “flower food” from the packet at once and instead parsing it out. They also suggest keeping plants out of direct sunlight and in a temperature-controlled environment when possible because heat and excessive air flow will hasten dehydration.
“As flowers age differently in arrangements, I like to pull out the fading blooms, and you will be surprised at how long some of the flowers and greenery keep going,” Ederer says.
