The Blooming Joy Journal
Perfect Pairings: How Annuals and Perennials Can Elevate Rose Bouquets
Recently, I had the privilege of speaking at the Nashville Rose Society’s gathering at the stunning Cheekwood Estate & Gardens. As a flower grower and educator, there’s something magical about sharing my passion for flowers with others, especially in a setting as beautiful as Cheekwood. My presentation, Perfect Pairings: Annuals and Perennials to Elevate Rose Bouquets, was an opportunity to show how the right combinations can bring new life and texture to your floral arrangements.
Cheekwood Botanical Garden is a true gem in Nashville, known for its lush landscapes and vibrant plant collections. The garden was the perfect location for a gathering of passionate flower gardeners and rose enthusiasts. It was such a treat to speak in a place surrounded by nature's beauty, where inspiration was abundant and everyone was excited to learn!
Presentation topic I curated for the event:
Perfect Pairings: Annuals and Perennials to Elevate Rose Bouquets
In my talk, I focused on pairing annuals and perennials with roses to create stunning bouquets that blend color, texture, and fragrance. Roses are such a classic flower, but when paired with the right seasonal companions, they can be transformed into something truly special. From whimisical sweet peas to my fav tough as nails perennial, penstemon, I shared my top picks and tips for creating arrangements that stand out.
A brief outline of what I covered:
Annuals vs. Perennials – A quick explanation of how each type complements roses.
Seasonal Blooms – Tips on what flowers bloom best when Roses are in their prime bloom period.
Textures & Heights – How to balance the visual elements for a dynamic bouquet.
Bouquet Recipes– Choosing blooms that complement the rose during the Spring, Summer and Fall.
Before my presentation started, I had just a few minutes to stroll the gardens. It was early Apri and the tulips were in full bloom! Look at this sea of beauty!
Upon entering the building, I was immediate met with smiling faces for several flower friends! I appreciate everyone that drove from near and far to attend my lecture. I so appreciate you! People ask if I get nervous- no. I am genuinely so excited to talk all about cut flowers to anyone willing to listen! I want to help people grow and experience this joy that I have come to know through growing cut flowers.
I loved seeing the excitement from the attendees as we dove into flower pairings. Several attendees shared their experiences and questions about growing cut flowers, and I was thrilled to offer advice on how to incorporate these companion flowers into their gardens. It’s always a joy to connect with fellow garden enthusiasts!
I also had the pleasure of meeting, Ron Daniels who served as the President of the Nashville Rose Society, member of the American Rose Society, Master Rosarian and Master Gardener. We chatted flowers for a bit and he told me about the book he wrote called Rose Therapy. I always love hearing peoples stories of how they got into growing flowers and what they are passionate about. Ron is really passionate about growing roses. I have already read the book and it was a delight! I especially loved seeing in the book his heart for helping others be successful in growing roses. I share the same passion too with helping others grow a cut flower garden. It truly can bring so much joy that you never dream existed! If you would like to know more about his book, Rose Therapy, visit his website: rosetherapybook.com Thank you, Mr. Daniels!
I got a lot of excellent feedback from my presentation! I am so glad I was able to help others learn more about plants. I especially loved this comment left on my Facebook post:
A quick video vlog of my day speaking for the Nashville Rose Society!
https://youtube.com/shorts/3aA0sxD_YII?si=E9_BYrKdYiQES0VWThank you so much to the Nashville Rose Society for inviting me to your meeting to speak. It was my pleasure and had a lot of fun doing it!
If you are are reading this and interested in having me speak at your event, please contact me so we can further discuss!
Contact Me About Spreaking at Your Event!