Seasonal Flowers for every American Holiday
Flowers, holiday, American – these words have a common association. It’s a celebration! Americans celebrate being Americans. They celebrate their independence. They celebrate the hard work and contribution of every man and woman who toils in every industry to keep an economy moving. They salute the men and women who protect their freedom. They count their blessings and celebrate their bounty. And last but not least, they remember and honor their fallen heroes.
The above simply describes the five major American holidays: Independence Day, Labor Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day and Memorial Day.
All four holidays, except one, are normally celebrated in a popular display of patriotic colors: red, white and blue. Thanksgiving Day is the one holiday that is partial to thecolors of the fall season.
It doesn’t matter how one wants to celebrate these holidays, whether with just family, friends, co-workers, church community, and others, decorations always help set the tone to any celebration. A big part of holiday decorations is the use of flowers.
Your local florists will have appropriate flowers for every occasion, anytime you need them. But if you want togrow your ownflowers so you are able to enjoy them beyond a few days, here are examples of flowers in season for every major American holiday:
Spring flowers for Memorial Day
If you live in one of the northern States, your best bet will be the flowering bulbs, as these plants start their growth when the soil is still very cool. By Memorial Day, if you are lucky, since it is very hard to predict when flowers bloom precisely, you might have blooms in your garden ready to cut to decorate for this patriotic holiday. The best bulbs to grow to produce red, white and blue colors are tulips, iris and Asiatic lily. Red tulips, blue iris and white lily will make a stunning bouquet. Alliums and hyacinths produce blue flowers as well.
If you live in the South, many annual flowers are in full bloom by this time. For whites, try growing zinnias, gomphrenas, snapdragons and roses for cutting. For garden borders and containers, try white marigold, petunia, dianthus and geranium.
For blue flowers,blue astersand roses are good cut-flowers. For containers and borders, try blue varieties of petunia, salvia and scabiosa or pincushion flower. Plants in decorative containers will make good centerpieces if cut flowers are not available.
For red flowers, some of your choices are zinnia, gomphrena, rose and snapdragons for cut-flowers, and geranium, salvia, petunia, portulaca and dianthus for containers and borders.
If you are missing a color to complete an arrangement, try embellishing with ribbons, miniature flags and tiny foil balloons that you can stick in the arrangement.
Summer flowers for Independence Day and Labor Day
The choices for the right color flowers for these two holidays should be vast, as everything is blooming by this time. Red, white and blue roses will be elegant together. Gladioli should be in bloom as well. Try mixing red and white gladioli with blue delphiniums. Red, white and blue hibiscuses will be stunning in planters or in the garden.
Try these arrangements: red gomphrenas, white zinnias and blue asters; red and white gerbera and blue asters.
In a planter, try blue salvias in the middle, surrounded by cascading red and white impatiens.
Patriotic flowers for Veterans Day
Asters, salvias and sabiosas will bloom until fall, so these will be your best bet for fresh flowers during Veterans Day celebration. Asters and Scabiosas come in light blue color, and salvias come in red, white and blue colors. Scabiosas and salvias are not cut flowers, so you have to present them in a planter.
Fall blooms for Thanksgiving Day
This is the season for warmth, richness and elegance, and the colors used around this time are deep and strong. Three of the best flowers available during this season are chrysanthemum, calendula andArizona blanket flower. Choose bronze-red chrysanthemums, red and orange-yellow blanket flowers, and orange-gold calendula, also known as pot marigold. All three varieties are excellent cut-flowers. Grace your Thanksgiving table with these fiery-colored flowers. They go very well with the traditional decorative fall colors of gold, deep purple and olive green.
