Weekly Wonder | Lady Slipper Orchid

This week I thought I'd bring something a little more 'uncommon' and exotic to the table - Lady Slipper Orchids (properly known as Paphiopedilum).  The use of these orchids in wedding work can be soft and romantic to edgy and more couture.

Just a sample of the many available varieties of Lady Slipper Orchids

Name:  Lady Slipper Orchid or Paphiopedilum (pronounced PAFF-ee-oh PED-e-lum) of the Orchidaceae family consisting of 80 species and over 20,000 registered hybrid forms.  Surprisingly, there are new varieties being stumbled upon in nature - although, not often.


General FYI:  These orchids naturally occur in China, India, Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands.  They are mostly terrestrial; however, some varieties have been found to be growing in trees and on rocks.  The name Lady Slipper came from the cup like appearance of the lower petal or lip.  These occur in a multitude of colours and either have a spotted or striped pattern.


Availability:  Paphiopedilum's (Lady Slipper Orchids) are available year-round.  However, as these are not commonly carried by many local florists and their wholesalers, make sure to ask well in advance for special orders.


Longevity:  As a plant, blooms can last a month or longer; however, as a cut flower, do not expect to have the bloom lasting any longer than a couple of days in dry Canadian climates.  The bloom is not as delicate as one would expect; however, these flowers do love moisture, so don't expect one to look as vibrant at 10 pm as it did first thing in the morning after a long hot day in the summer sun.  


Our Take:  This orchid is amazing and can be used in conjunction with various palates and themes.  Simply the look of this variety of orchid will have your wedding guests dropping their jaws.  As they are not that delicate of a flower, their versatility in bouquets and body flowers is phenomenal.  As this is a less commonly used flower, do expect retail prices per bloom to be anywhere from $10 - 30 per bloom depending on your locale.


We purchase all of our Lady Slippers from Green Point Nurseries in Hilo, Hawaii.  They have never let us down!


Photo Credits:
Bouquet Wedding Flower.com
Rebecca's Silver Rose
Tropical Plants Flowers and Decor


Information credits:
All About Paphiopedilum Orchids and How to Grow Them
Wikipedia

Weekly Wonder | Garden Rose

Wow!  Looking at this site, we see that the last blog post was on July 18th.  Summer Holidays and weddings have gotten in the way of keeping up-to-date with our "Weekly Wonder" posts!


Well, seeing as we have had a few weddings since the last post that have used Garden Roses, we only found it fitting to showcase this GORGEOUS variety of roses.


Although we limit the use of this flower to bouquets and decor as it is too delicate for body flowers, it is one of our favourite flowers!  It's depth and texture is unsurpassed.  What we love about this flower is that it not only looks and actually smells like a sweet rose - scent which is hard to come by in farmed roses these days - it also has the combined look of a peony and ranunculus.  This is advantageous, as both popular flowers are not available year round; however, the Garden Rose is!

Name:  Garden Rose; there is no single system of classification for garden roses as they are mostly hybrid varieties grown in public or private gardens.


History:  It is believed that all early civilizations from at least 5000 in temperate climates had grown roses.  Evidence has been found to link them to growth in ancient Chinese and Greek gardens.


Modern cultivation started but where else, in Europe, from approximately the seventeenth century.


Availability:  Garden Roses are available year round as an ever increasing popular flower among brides - as peonies fall in and out of season.


Longevity:  This flower is extremely delicate as roses are water pigs.  Garden Roses in general maintain a relatively short vase life of up to 5 days provided proper care and handling is followed. The longer these flowers are left out of water, the weaker they become.  Therefore, it is best that your wedding flowers are provided with a simple vase filled with water.  This way your flowers can get a drink between photos and the events of the day.  Also, the vase provides a nice vessel to display your flowers in during your reception.


Our take:  As previously mentioned, we feel that these flowers are AMAZING!  Again, their depth and texture is unsurpassed.  While other favourite event flowers such as peonies and ranunculus fall out of season, Garden Roses which look like the two combined, continue to be available.  As these are a more exquisite variety of rose, expect to see the price per stem be anywhere from $1 - 3 more per stem than your regular variety of rose - but the value is worth it!  Watching a tight bud open up in the bouquet throughout the day is spectacular - symbolic of a woman blooming into a bride!


We purchase all our Garden Roses from Alexandra Farms - we have never been disappointed!


Talk to your florist about Garden Roses in your bouquet!


Photo credits from top to bottom:
All single blooms:  alexandrafarms.com
Bottom right:  Akiko Floral Artistry Inc.


Information credits:
Wikipedia