menu

Archives



Latest Podcast

Episode 118: Marsha Parker                      

Botanical Brouhaha Expert Discussion Panel: No. 103

Question:

What is your favorite color palette for autumn weddings? I feel like my brides are stuck in a rut!

An arrangement by Love ' Fresh Flowers for Botanical Brouhaha Expert Panel 103

Love ‘n Fresh Flowers

Answers:

A deep red and yellow floral arrangement by Love 'n Fresh Flowers for Botanical Brouhaha Expert Panel 103

My favorite autumn color palette to propose is “jewel tones” and ask the couple to let me take it from there. This palette almost always starts with a foundation of burgundy in the form of smokebush and ninebark foliage, then burgundy dahlias. Then I layer on pops of persimmon, peach, carmine, magenta, orange, and sapphire (porcelain berries are my favorite autumn accent). This fall burgundy and magenta together have been really making me happy. (photos: Katch Silva)

Jennie Love (Love ‘n Fresh Flowers)

Love ' Fresh Flowers AB101015_0086Love 'n Fresh Flowers | Katch Silva Photography

A floral centerpiece for Botanical Brouhaha Expert Panel 103

______________________________________________________________________

Bella Fiori

I suppose I’m on the traditional side as one of my favorite autumn color palettes is rich, burnt orange and dark reds. Add in fall leaves and seasonal fruits like persimmons and pomegranates to the display and I’m even more thrilled!
My other go-to autumn color palette is the burgundy, plum and cream look. Burgundy dahlias, David Austin Tess roses, tardiva hydrangeas, plum scabiosa, etc. makes for a gorgeous design.

Alicia Schwede (Bella Fiori)

_____________________________________________________________________

Clare Day Flowers | Ameris Photography

Floral photoshoot form Clare Day Flowers for Botanical Brouhaha Expert Panel 103

Floral photoshoot from Clare Day Flowers for Botanical Brouhaha Expert Panel 103

When fall comes I love working with rust, brown, and gold colours. I love the ways these can come into play with cafe au lait dahlias and other pale flowers. The photos here show these flowers blended with ferns, rosehips and heavenly bamboo which worked beautifully with beeswax candles and gold silk ribbon. And the huge squash and pears from my farm were a perfect addition to mark the arrival of fall. (Photos by Ameris)

Clare Day (Clare Day Flowers)

_____________________________________________________________________

Fleuropean

Fleuropean on the Botanical Brouhaha Expert Panel 103

There are so many fun autumnal palettes available to floral designers, and I totally agree that it’s important not to get stuck in a rut. Perhaps by showing brides all of the potential color combinations fall flowers have to offer, you can help them branch out and find something equally beautiful (but more fun for you!). Based on what is growing in my garden, I will suggest several color combinations that are both adventurous and beautiful. The first would be burgundies and blushes. Dark fall foliage mixed with deep dahlias, berries, dark chrysanthemums, and black scabiosa provide a perfect contrast to Cafe au Lait dahlias, blush roses, and pale pink cosmos. The other color palette I tend toward is a very soft “pastel” version of autumn. I use only the lightest gold foliage and dried seedheads as a compliment to the nude colors of Cafe au Lait dahlias and the soft whites of anemones, cosmos, hydrangeas, etc. Autumn is also a perfect season to incorporate cute little veggies, herbs, and fruits! I think looking at what is growing locally at the moment (both in the garden and along the roadside) and finding fun, unexpected color combinations is key.

Emily Avenson (Fleuropean)

Fleuropean | Anna Doshina Photography

Fleuropean | Anna Doshina Photography

Fleuropean | Anna Doshina Photography

a bridal bouquet in burgundy and white for the Botanical Brouhaha Expert Panel 103

Fleuropean | Michelle Lange Photography

Fleuropean | Michelle Lange Photography

____________________________________________________________________

I am in love with muddy tones. Gregor Lersch noted that I love this color and he calls it “dirty solider underwear” (note he is from Germany so insert a strong accent and a bit of a twist from translating). Mixing a muddy brown with anything and everything makes for a new and exciting palette. Even the most vibrant of tones look moody and dramatic with a tinge of brown and it makes them perfect for fall. I use foliages that are showing hints of brown or gold. Sometimes this tone of color is a sign of stress or disease in a plant or is the result of the first frost. Blueberry and grapevine are good examples of a change in leaf color as the season progresses. Some plants just naturally have this color. I love nandina, heuchera, abelia, plum, mauve or muddy lisianthus, some types of fern, and eleaganus are great for this also. I also love the flowers that show that muddy mauve brown tone, like Koko Loko roses from Ella Rose Farm.

Holly Chapple (Holly Heider Chapple Flowers)

_____________________________________________________________________

Botanical Brouhaha Expert Panel 103

Passionflower | Kathy Davies Photography

Although I adore the expected “fall colors”- oranges, reds, and burgundies, I don’t often design with these tones in autumn. I like to try and represent the season by using elements that are plentiful then, such as locally sourced amaranthus and dahlias, but I tend to suggest palettes that are a little subtler, and less expected. Coral, soft peach, and blush may be suggested in place of hot-toned oranges for instance, and this may be paired with deep plum-toned greenery, instead of a more expected bright red fall foliage. I love to add deep-toned berried branch or vine such as wild grape, privet, and viburnum, or white berried branch such as snowberry, or foraged dogwood branch. Lately, I’m loving pale beige and mustard tones found in such flowers as ‘Wonderous Light Brown” lisianthus, ‘Golden Mustard’ roses, and ‘Putumayo Beige’ carnations mixed in with plum foliages, soft blush tones, and soft gray or white accent materials.

Susan McLeary (Passionflower)

Passionflower on the Botanical Brouhaha Expert Panel 103


For more from the Botanical Brouhaha Expert Panel, click here!

FILED IN:

SHARE ON:

Comments:

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Share your Thoughts:

Thank you for subscribing!

Subscribe and stay connected

This site may contain copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. It is being made available in an effort to provide educational information about all things related to floral design and production. It is believed that this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is available for viewing without profit to those who have an interest in reading or viewing the website information for educational purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. If your copyrighted material appears on this web site and you disagree with our assessment that it constitutes "fair use," please contact us and we will remove it from our site.

FAIR USE STATEMENT