Summer Scents

As summer slowly approaches, it’s the perfect time to begin planning the flowers for any event in May or June. Although you can get most varieties imported throughout the year, the buds that bloom in the UK naturally every summer are especially known for having a beautiful fragrance and striking colours, making them that extra bit more desirable.

Flowering in the UK from February through till September, sweet peas have always been popular in the summer season, especially for weddings or romantic gifts. Delicate and feminine, a professional florist will be able to use them in buttonholes, bouquets and centrepieces. As well as their famously sweet scent, sweet peas come in a huge variety of shades – sugary pinks, purples, creams and buttery yellows – and can even be beautifully multi-coloured.

Perfect for adding fragrance and countryside charm to any type of arrangement, lavender is a classic flower and compliments crisp white table linens perfectly. Its tall, slim shape works well in a mixed arrangement alongside other, fuller flower shapes, while its colour ranges from pale lilac to deep, magnetic mulberry.

Irises, whose name means ‘rainbow,’ naturally come in several colours other than the most widely recognised shade of violet; the blue, yellow, white, orange, red and pink varieties, are equally stunning. As the flower which symbolises eloquence (thanks to its link with Iris, the mythological Greek Messenger of Love), irises can be used to send heartfelt messages to loved ones – the blue iris is representative of faith and optimism, while yellow symbolises passion, and white recalls purity – perfect for weddings.