April showers bring May flowers

Posted on May 10, 2014 by Stella Mazza | 0 Comments

I am absolutely ecstatic for spring flowers to start blooming. I just spent some time in Las Vegas and Jamaica and was so dazzled by the abundance of beautiful colours. Now that I’m in Winnipeg, the rain can’t stop soon enough because I’m sure we are all waiting for the overdue flowers and plants that will soon come. Though I love flowers of all kinds, I work with flowers made from silk and French beading. I love working with these mediums because they allow me to be creative with gem and beaded accents. However, one of the most wonderful aspects of these bouquets is that they can be created year round. Flowers don’t grow year round and importing can lead to unexpected costs and uncertainty. Whereas an heirloom keepsake bouquet can be comprised of whatever flower your heart desires, and it will last forever.

Since it’s fun to dream big, below are some of the most expensive flowers you can buy to incorporate into a fresh flower bouquet.

Hydrangea - $6.50 per stem

Hydrangeas are relatively common in wedding bouquets. It’s easy to see why, they are stunning and rich in blue, purple and pink tones. These flowers have a relatively long blooming season, but are very difficult to harvest and cultivate. They also easily droop and wilt, so they must be bought on the day of the event itself or the night before. That tight timeframe adds dollars when it comes to working with this flower.

Hydrangea bouquet.

(www.cache.elizabethannedesigns.com)

Hydrangeas reproduced in silk.

www.stellamazza.com

Hydrangeas reproduced in French beading.

(www.rosemarykurtz.com)

Lily of the Valley – $15-50 per bundle

This dainty, sweet smelling flower is actually quite common in gardens in Winnipeg. They bloom for a few weeks in late spring. The tiny bell shaped flowers look beautiful in a bouquet, but come on stalks only 15-30 centimeters tall. Since it takes so much to make a bundle, and improper picking significantly shortens lifespan, these flowers can cost a pretty penny when they’re not in season.

Lily of the Valley bouquet.

(www.boards.weddingbee.com)

Lily of the Valley reproduced in silk.

(www.silkfloralshop.co.uk)

Lily of the Valley reproduced in French beading.

(www.pinterest.com)

Gloriosa – $6-$10 per flower

This flower is found only in South Africa and Asia. It is a bold, multi coloured flower usually containing deep reds, oranges and yellows. These flowers are showy statement flowers with long, bright tendrils and pronounced, flexed petals. These rare and unique flowers are also very poisonous!

Gloriosa bouquet.

(www.weddingwindow.com)

Gloriosa reproduced in silk

(www.cbimports.co.uk)

Gloriosa reproduced in French beading.

(www.rosemarykurtz.com)

Lisianthus - $10-$35 per bundle

These soft, fragile flowers are sometimes called “paper flowers”. They bloom annually, but can be pricy because one cut from its plant, lisianthus flowers perish quickly. They are known for their ruffled, oval petals and pale white, purple and blue colour.

Lisianthus bouquet.

(www.arnoldfloristmo.com)

Lisianthus reproduced in silk.

(www.hankenimports.com)

Lisianthus reproduced in French beading.

(www.labhousehold.com)

There are also some flowers that are so rare that the only place we’ll ever see them is in our dreams.

Juliet Rose – 5 million dollars

This rose is known as the “£3 million rose” because it took that much to create this unique apricot-hued hybrid flower over the course of 15 years. It was the most expensive rose ever cultivated when it made it’s debut at the Chelsea flower show in 2006. They can now be purchased for much less than 5 million, but the originals were worth that much to create. I think these would look stunning in silk!

(www.therichest.com)

Kadupul – Priceless.

This flower is so extremely rare that it cannot be sold. Native to Sri Lanka, this white fragrant flower blossoms at night maybe once a year, but dies before dawn. It dies immediately after picking and has never made it to shops.