Best Easy Summer Flowers For Your Garden

Maybe you don't have a lot of time to put into creating your own beautiful garden, however, you do desire a lot of nice summer flowers for your home. All flowers don't bloom during the summer and are hard to come by. This can make planting your garden more challenging then it needs to be. You need the most beautiful, yet easiest flowers of the summer that you can find. You want the flowers that are in bloom during the summer season, not only because they are available in volume, but you also keep more money in your pocket because in-season blooms costs less.

You want growing the Best Summer Flowers to be relaxing and a joyful hobby, not a burden for you. Here are some of the easiest flowers to get a hold of and plant during the summer.

Asters - Asters are beautiful perennials and are one of most popular flowers for a summer garden, as well as in the fall. Its' name derives from the Latin word "star". They bloom through summer and almost nonstop into fall, if you keep the spent flowers picked. If you are desiring a flower in your garden with length, Asters can reach up to 8 feet tall. These are daisy-like flowers that are available in rich purple, lavender, pink, or white. They also make for great, fresh cut flowers for an arrangement or floral decor for your special occasions.

Dahlia - The Dahlia is one of the boldest blooms for its' vibrant, rich colors and it is a well-known cut flower. They grow from tuberous roots. They are adored by many and so fitting for the summer season. You won't have any concern about care for these flowers because they are easy to maintain. Just make sure you provide light shade in hot areas for this elegant flower. Expert dahlia growers do recommend pinching off the first crop of side flower buds to encourage vigorous plant branching and larger Dahlias.

Gloriosa Daisies - These flowers have deep golden petals that radiate from chocolate centers on 2- to 4-inch-wide flowers. This plant reaches up 4 feet tall and 1 ½ feet wide. There are shorter varieties of the same flower, such as the ‘Goldilocks’ and ‘Toto’, that reach 10 inches tall.

Gaura - This airy flower is known as the "whirling butterflies" for its' butterfly-like petals. They can become up to 4 feet tall, and Gauras come in pink and white. Gauras have long reddish stems that bear loose panicles of flowers, which open from pink buds. In beds and borders, they are best massed for greater effect or can be planted in small groups among shrubs. Gaura prefers rich, well-drained soil and they do not tolerate wet feet. Cut back by half after the first bloom flush for rebloom, and they grow best during night time when its' cool.

All of these are easy summer flowers to plant for your garden. If you need floral arrangements made up of cut flowers that you don't grow on your own, you can always count on Peachtree Petals. We are a well-known Atlanta Florist that can provide you with the superior, seasonal flowers in the area. We are a nationally recognized Master Florist, as well as a recipient of Atlanta's #1 Voted Florist. Our professional designers have over 50 years of combined experience and absolutely love their craft. We also offer our signature same-day delivery within the Atlanta and Metro Atlanta areas. Up to 3pm daily, you can place your order and Peachtree Petals can perform your Marietta Flower Delivery the same day in no time at all. Call Peachtree Petals and have your stunning floral arrangement delivered today!

Reference: www.sunset.com, 9 easy summer flowers; www.bhg.com

Negotiating With Wedding Vendors

With the average cost of a wedding reaching a staggering $28,000, many couples are looking for any way to save money when it comes to their weddings. One way in which couples can do this, yet remains underutilized and to some extent unknown, is through negotiating with the various wedding vendors they encounter and work with for the ceremony and reception. When negotiating with vendors it is important to maintain positive relations with the business so you don’t risk losing their goodwill while still keeping your end goal in mind. Here are some helpful tips for negotiating with wedding vendors to help keep your wedding costs within your desired budget.

1. Compare Prices: When beginning to plan your wedding and negotiate with vendors, it’s important to have a clear idea of prices for various wedding related services and goods. Start by conducting thorough research of pricing for wedding vendors and their services in your your market area. A great resource to assist you in this is www.costofwedding.com, which can provide you with the average cost of weddings and the individual breakdown of various products and services associated with weddings in your area and can give you a more realistic idea of how to establish your budget, thus giving you a great starting place for negotiations with vendors as you begin making initial connections.

2. Be Honest With Your Budget: Most wedding vendors, be it florists, DJs, wedding planners, or reception venues, have experience working with couples who have a variety of different budgets and know exactly how to make their services fit the needs of budgets of all sizes. By being honest with vendors about your budget and what you feel comfortable paying for will help establish grounds for negotiations and allow for more open conversations about any discounts they can apply or fees they can potentially waive to accommodate your budget. The worst case scenario with being honest with your spending limits is the vendor’s unwillingness or inability to work with you, and in that case you’ll know you need to set your sights on another vendor.

3. Don’t Be Afraid to Ask for What You Want: When purchasing other big ticket items such as vehicles or homes, people aren’t afraid to be direct and ask for exactly what they want, yet when it comes to establishing contracts with wedding vendors, people are often afraid to ask for what they want. This could be for fear of offending the business or simply because they are uninformed about what is acceptable to ask for. If you have conducted your research and know what’s within the acceptable realm of pricing, there is nothing wrong with simply asking for what you want. Many vendors are happy to price match competitors’ pricing, establish unique packages with special pricing, or work with you in other ways to achieve customer satisfaction.

4. Be Flexible: Remember that negotiating doesn’t just mean the vendor will move to accommodate your needs. You’ll have to remain flexible in order to reach a compromise in some aspects to get what you want. This might mean changing your established wedding date, season, venue, or more. With that in mind, these changes might be insignificant when compared to the amount of savings you’ll encounter by doing so.

4. Pay in Full: Paying in full might seem like counter intuitive advice when thinking about saving money on your wedding, but this can be great leverage for negotiations. Offering to pay in full for the services rendered rather than by deposit or payments can sweeten the deal for the vendors and make negotiating with you more enticing.

For Atlanta wedding flowers, brides needn’t look further than Atlanta florist Peachtree Petals. Peachtree Petals has extensive experience with couples working to ensure their wedding day is exactly as they envision and well within their established budget. Area bride, Sarah, had this to say of her choice to use Peachtree Petals for her wedding flowers:

"I only looked at two different flower vendors, and requested the same amount of flowers from each (bouquet for the bride, bouquets for 7 bridesmaids, boutonnieres for the groom, groomsmen and pastor). The bids came back pretty drastically different and Peachtree Petals was by far the more reasonable option. To be honest, I kind of think I was getting better/nicer/more flowers through Peachtree Petals than through the other florist I spoke with. They also added in a toss bouquet and a cake topper! They were respectful and wonderful to work with. The flowers were beautiful and I couldn't have been any happier with the beautiful bouquets."

Couples can schedule a free wedding consultation to discuss their flower needs and budget with the talented, FTD Master Certified florists at Peachtree Petals. From bride’s bouquets, bridesmaids bouquets, toss bouquets, centerpieces, boutonnieres, and more, Peachtree Petals is your destination for Atlanta wedding flowers. Call the Atlanta flower shop today to get started 800-337-1755.

7 Hot Wedding Flower Trends in 2015

The month of June means we’re officially halfway through 2015. Being six months in to 2015 weddings, industry professionals are able to see a clear idea of what early emerging trends are here to stay throughout the rest of the year, and what carry-over trends from 2014 are likely to continue. Being the preeminent wedding florist in Atlanta, Peachtree Petals prides itself on keeping up to date with wedding trends so we are able to pass them on to brides looking for unique touches to add to their special day. Here are some of the leading trends for bridal flowers in 2015.

Wild Garden: Wild Garden is a carry-over trend from 2014’s obsession with the English gardens. Brides who favor this look prefer a messier, unstructured, more undone approach to the typical bridal bouquet and centerpieces. Instead of neatly trimmed stems of a particular variety of flower, this trend focuses on wild flowers with a just-out-of-the-garden look. Tulips, sweet peas, and garden roses are great options for spring and summer brides who like the Wild Garden trend, while autumn brides can opt for ferns, foxgloves, and blowsy roses.

Whimsical and vintage elements can be added to centerpieces like birdcages, moss, acorns, and clocks regardless of season to round out this look.

Romantic Luxe: Romantic Luxe is on the complete opposite end of the wedding floral spectrum from Wild Garden. This 2015 wedding trend is inspired by recent luxurious, A-List celebrity weddings. This look calls for full-on luxury, high flower content with little to no foliage and exposed stems. Romantic Luxe exudes romantic elegance relying on creamy, pastel colors and large blooms such as hydrangeas, hyacinths, and orchids. With A-list celebrity luxury inspiring this luxurious trend, it’s no surprise this trend comes at a cost. Flower expert Sabine of G. Lily recommends for brides interested in the Romantic Luxe trend, “This is one for brides with a big flower budget, otherwise you risk breaking the bank!”

Classic and Clean: Every year there seems to be some variety of the Classic and Clean wedding floral trend. Brides are drawn to the simple elegance this look exudes. This look is for a bride who prefers cleaner lines and a more put together appearance than that of Wild Garden, but of less ostentatious opulence than Romantic Luxe. We’re seeing a reemergence of a preference of white blooms paired with green foliage in bouquets such as Calla Lilies and roses. Brides in 2015 are opting for lots of stems of one variety in their bridal bouquets to elicit this Classic and Clean look while tapping into the realm of Romantic Luxe on a budget.

Pretty in Pastel: Pastel colors have been the dominant trend in the 2015 wedding season. From the bride’s bouquets to bridesmaids bouquets, to centerpieces, and hanging baskets, pastel colors are seen represented in every aspect of wedding flowers this year. The great thing about choosing pastel colors for wedding flowers is their ability to transcend any current wedding trend. They will fit well in a Wild Garden, Romantic Luxe, or Classic and Clean look while being extremely trendy and complimentary to any other colors chosen for the wedding. They are also perfect for spring and summer weddings, which of course are the height of the wedding season.

Peachtree Petals, has been providing the best wedding flowers for area brides since 2010. As a nationally recognized FTD Master Florist, the Buckhead florist has the experience and quality of flowers to meet your needs be it bridal bouquets, corsages, centerpieces, and more, the wedding florists at Peachtree Petals can help. Atlanta brides are encouraged to take advantage of Peachtree’s free wedding consultation by scheduling online  or by phone 800-337-1755. In this free consultation, brides will meet with one of our talented wedding florists to discuss their vision, review our extensive wedding portfolio for inspiration or share their own inspiration from magazines, Pinterest, or other weddings, and discuss price points and their overall budget. We look forward to meeting you soon to help make your wedding day truly special!