Posted on

Crafting the Perfect Homemade Floral Gift for Mother’s Day

Mother's Day flowers, card, and wrapped present

Mother’s Day is a lovely annual occasion to celebrate and appreciate the special bond you share with your mom. While you might already have Mother’s Day traditions or a fun day planned, thinking of the perfect gift for mom year after year can get a little difficult. That’s why your friends at Cascade Foral Wholesale are sharing fun, colorful, creative, and unique gift ideas for Mother’s Day that you can make yourself! Gifting Mom something that you have made with your own hands is certainly a thoughtful gesture that will show how much you care and love her. 

Flower Cards

Homemade Card with Flowers

Nothing says “Happy Mother’s Day” like a card, and why buy one when you can make one? An easy craft that the kids can even enjoy is making mom a homemade card with colorful markers or crayons and fresh flowers. Glue the stems to the front of the card or petals to the inside. Get creative with pictures, patterns, and interesting designs. Then, write a sweet note to your mom telling her all the things you love about her or what you appreciate most. Nothing can beat a homemade card from the heart. 

Corsage on a woman's lapel

Mother’s Day Corsage

A beautiful corsage is a classic Mother’s Day gift that will never go out of style. Whether worn on her lapel or wrist, a corsage is an excellent option for moms who love to dress up and appreciate timeless, sophisticated styles. To make a Mother’s Day corsage, start by choosing her favorite flowers and colors or something symbolic. Then, gather the blooms and tie them together with floral tape. Add a ribbon for a personal touch and elegance. Your mom is sure to love and cherish her new Mother’s Day accessory as she wears it all day long. 

Mom and daughter wearing flower crowns

Floral Crown & Garland

Pamper your mom like the queen she is this Mother’s Day with a beautiful homemade crown of fresh flowers. From matching family crowns to one of her own, this gift is ideal for the mom who likes to have fun and get creative. Additionally, if you’re planning a Mother’s Day tea party, adorn her seat at the table with a luxurious floral garland. As the guest of honor, her chair should be the most beautiful, like a queen’s throne.

Colorful spring wreath for mom's front door

Spring Wreath for the Front Door

A wreath is a beautiful way to welcome spring and celebrate Mother’s Day. You can make a quaint and colorful spring wreath for your mom’s front door by using fresh flowers and greenery. Start with a wreath form and cover it with moss or greenery. Then, add flowers and embellishments to create a charming and welcoming design. Finally, hang the wreath on your mom’s front door for a fresh Mother’s Day surprise. Each time she comes home, she’ll think of you and your love.

Kid kissing mom on the cheek and giving her flowers

Bouquet for Brunch

Presenting your mom with a beautiful bouquet of fresh-cut stems is a wonderful way to begin a Mother’s Day brunch. This thoughtful gesture will undoubtedly make your mom feel loved and appreciated and fill her heart with joy. Arrange her favorite spring blooms in an ornate vase or a seasonal basket, or wrap them in rustic-looking paper for a natural yet chic look. Whether she loves a good centerpiece or always has fresh flowers in her home, this is the perfect homemade Mother’s Day gift.

Child making pressed flower art

Pressed Flower Art

Pressed flower art is a brilliant way to preserve the beauty of flowers for years to come and is a spectacular idea for a Mother’s Day gift. No matter your age, you can create pressed flower bookmarks, framed artwork, or even jewelry using your mom’s favorite blooms. Making pressed flower art is as easy as it sounds. After pressing the stems inside a heavy book, you can glue them to cardstock to create a new bookmark for the mother who loves to read, frame them for the mom who loves handmade home decor, or, if you’re feeling ambitious, create one-of-a-kind jewelry pieces! 

Let your gift stand out this Mother’s Day by putting time, effort, thought, and, of course, flowers into it! Whether making something your mom can use or cherish or something that will simply brighten up her day and make her heart full, Cascade Floral Wholesale has the best flowers for your homemade gift. It’s time to get creative and make something truly special for Mom. 

Posted on

Tips for Incorporating Stunning DIY Flowers Into Weddings and Events

Garlands of flowers

Flowers are an essential element of any special event or celebration, such as weddings, bridal showers, baby showers, and engagement parties. They add a touch of elegance, romance, and natural beauty to the decor and help create a cohesive and memorable style. If you’re planning to DIY an upcoming special event, incorporating flowers is the perfect way to personalize your celebration — and we here at Cascade Floral Wholesale can help you pull it off without a hitch.

Wedding centerpiece with hydrangeas

Centerpieces for All Special Events
One of the most common (dare we say best) uses for flowers at special events is alluring centerpieces. These can range from tall and dramatic to short and round and can be styled in a variety of ways to match your event’s theme, style, color palette, or other floral decor. For example, if you’re planning a rustic outdoor wedding, consider using wildflowers, greenery, and earthy elements like wood or moss to create a natural and organic centerpiece. If you prefer a more modern and chic look, consider using monochromatic flowers, geometric shapes, or metallic accents. The possibilities are endless.

Flowers adorning chandelier

Flower Accents for Engagement Parties
There are so many opportunities for floral creativity at engagement parties. A great opportunity to add some fresh and elegant flower accents is the drink and dessert table. While you look back on candid photos of guests mingling and making toasts, you will appreciate the extra attention to these gorgeous flower details. You can also create miniature arrangements or “centerpieces” for cocktail tables to elevate the look and feel of the engagement party. If you are really looking to create a posh or sophisticated atmosphere, DIY a few hanging floral installations, such as ornamenting chandeliers with blossoms or suspending floral hoops. Accent with string lights for a romantic and whimsical ambiance.

Friends at bridal shower wearing corsages

Wearable Florals for Bridal Showers
Wearable blooms, such as corsages and boutonnieres, are a great way to incorporate DIY flowers into your bridal shower. Whether you’re a part of the wedding party creating these special accessories for the bride or groom, the entire wedding party, or a few honorees, they add a posh touch of elegance and sophistication. Customize the blooms to match the shower’s color scheme or the wedding’s floral theme. Be sure to check out our guides for putting together corsages and boutonnieres for step-by-step instructions on creating your own wearable blooms. 

Boho wedding altar with blooms and pampas grass

Wedding Ceremony Altar Pieces
If you’ve attended a loved one’s wedding, then you know that the ceremony floral designs are a major focal point during the event. When designing wedding altarpieces, go for big, bold flower arrangements that draw guests’ eyes to the main event. These flowers should complement or match the style of the rest of the wedding as well as additional floral designs, such as centerpieces, bouquets, and accent arrangements. Once the ceremony has ended, have the fantastic altarpieces moved into the reception so you can further admire them. A lovely place for these arrangements might be on either side of the sweetheart table. 

FLoral arch with pink roses

Baby Shower Floral Arches
Instead of balloon arches for a baby shower, go for a more eco-friendly option that showcases the beauty of the natural world. Consider using pink, blue, green, or yellow flowers; you can even customize the colors and blooms to match your theme, such as using white or pink peonies for a baby girl shower or blue hydrangeas and succulents for a baby boy shower. Colors like yellow and green make for excellent gender-neutral options, a wonderful way to celebrate all new life. The floral arch can then serve as a backdrop for your baby shower photo booth — a great way to capture fun candid shots.

Incorporating DIY flowers into your special events can be a fun and creative way to personalize your celebration and add a touch of natural splendor. No matter the occasion, flowers are the backbone of stunning centerpieces, wearable blooms, ceremony pieces, and creative statement designs. To get started, shop your style at Cascade Floral Wholesale

Posted on

Fresh Spring Flowers and Accents for Easter Centerpieces

Elegant Easter Centerpiece

Spring is such an uplifting season thanks to the warming weather, perfect for decorating with fresh and colorful flowers inside just as Mother Nature has done outside. Additionally, Easter is the ideal seasonal occasion to create beautiful centerpieces that will bring both joy and festive energy into any space. Wondering how to get started? Let the floral professionals here at Cascade Floral Wholesale in Everett, Washington fill your mind with serious decor inspiration. To that end, here are some ideas and tips for designing Easter centerpieces with fresh spring flowers and accents.
Tulips in many colors

Choose a Color Scheme
The first element you need to tackle is creating the right color palette for your arrangement. For a cohesive and polished look, select a scheme for your centerpiece that harmonizes with the occasion. Pastel shades of pink, yellow, and purple are popular choices for Easter, but you can also mix in some bright colors like orange or even blue for a more eclectic look. The choice is yours.
Flowers and Easter eggs

Select the Flowers
Bearing your color palette in mind, the next step is to figure out exactly which blooms you want to star in the centerpiece. Fortunately, there are many radiant spring flowers to choose from, such as tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, and of course, lilies. Consider the size and shape of each flower when selecting them, as well as their fragrance and durability. This will help you assess which blossoms play well with one another.
Daffodils, ribbons, and egg

Add Some Accents
To make your centerpiece more visually interesting and dynamic, add some accents; popular options include greenery such as eucalyptus, spring berries, sprigs of pussy willow, or Easter-themed elements like eggs or bunnies. Fresh herbs like rosemary or lavender can also add a pleasing and earthy scent to your arrangement, adding to the overall ambiance.
Flowers in mason jars

Choose the Container
The container you use for your centerpiece can have a big impact on its overall look, so make sure the aesthetics align with that of the arrangement. A simple vase or mason jar can work well for a rustic or casual feel, while a more elaborate vase or urn can add a touch of Easter elegance. Be sure the vase or container color aligns with the blooms and doesn’t clash with or overpower them.
Person making floral centerpiece

Arrange the Flowers
Finally, it’s time to bring together the centerpiece as a whole. Start by arranging your greenery and/or accent elements in the container, and then add the flowers in a balanced and nuanced manner. Vary the heights and textures of the blooms for visual interest, and make sure to keep the stems hydrated to ensure a longer-lasting arrangement.
Tulip and daffodil easter centerpiece

Show Off Your Creation
Now that you’ve created the perfect centerpiece for your Easter celebration, it’s time to set it in a place of honor where everyone can admire your handiwork: in the middle of the table, of course. Or, if you’ve just been following along to get some serious Easter inspo, get in touch with us here at Cascade Floral Wholesale in Everett, Washington. We have everything you need to create a centerpiece worthy of such an important holiday.

Posted on

Finding the Right Flowers for Your Favorite DIY Wedding Style

Pale pink protea wedding flowers

Planning a DIY wedding or event always begins with finding your perfect style, theme, look, and feel. While this sounds like the most exciting part of wedding or event planning, it can also be overwhelming with so many trends and aesthetics to choose from. Don’t fret! The experts here at Cascade Floral Wholesale are here to guide you in the right direction and offer the best florals to bring your event to life. Set the tone for your day with gorgeous DIY flower creations that you and your guests will swoon over.

Victorian inspired wedding bouquet

Victorian or Bridgerton Inspired

If you consider yourself a big fan of the hit Netflix show Bridgerton or are entranced by vintage floral designs, a Victorian or Bridgerton-themed wedding might be up your alley. Romantic and timeless blooms like roses, peonies, hydrangea, and amaranthus in muted pink tones, creams, lavender, and mixed with delicate foliage, will capture the essence of the era. For added drama and moodiness, incorporate deep blues, fierce purples, and bold burgundy hues. From dusty miller to seeded eucalyptus, choose flowing stems that can drape, cascade, and create a luxurious ambiance.

Bright boho retro wedding bouquet

Boho Vintage 

Jump back in time to the land of peace, love, and happiness that the ’60s and ’70s embodied. For a relaxed and carefree retro wedding style, turn to bright blooms like sunflowers, daisies, gerbera daisies, carnations, delphinium, lilies, and mums. The cheerful mix of bright colors and fun textures will allow whimsical and eclectic vibes to shine. Whether arranged in a collection of vintage bottles, turned into flower crowns, or utilized in free-flowing bouquets, don’t be afraid to get creative and have fun with this special and unique DIY project.

Black tie formal wedding bouquet

Black Tie Formal

Black tie weddings are all about sophistication and glamour. Elegant blooms like calla lilies, orchids, roses, and ranunculus are refined and classic choices. From winter whites and crisp greenery to rich merlot and passionate red, accenting your DIY flower designs with silver or gold metallics, crystals, or pearls will elevate their allure. While guests dress in evening gowns and tuxedos, your chic blooms are sure to be a stunning focal point of the evening.

Modern minimalist bridal bouquet

Modern Minimalist 

If you love sleek and simple, a modern minimalist style is for you. Brilliant yet understated flowers such as white stock, anemones, peonies, ranunculus, and roses will look exceptionally graceful among lush greenery, especially silver dollar eucalyptus. These quintessential blooms are ideal for any bouquet, geometric container, or artistic vase for a chic and contemporary touch to your event. Consider incorporating your one-of-a-kind personality through unexpected decor, mixed metallic accents, or natural textures such as pods and berries.

Rustic southwest free style wedding bouquet

Rustic Southwest 

A rustic southwest DIY wedding style can be summed up in one word — effortless. This aesthetic heavily relies on the natural beauty of the captivating outdoors, which means earthy tones like rust, terracotta, burgundy, tan, earthy greens, and pastels will be the go-to colors. While embracing Mother Nature, untamed or wild blooms like protea, wax flower, spray roses, scabiosa scoop, veronica, lilies, and thistle are the type of free-spirited flowers you might select. These DIY southwest-style bouquets are sure to be loose and unstructured, and rustic centerpieces or ceremony arrangements can be arranged in woven baskets, wooden crates, mason jars, or milk jugs. Don’t forget the pampas grass for the finishing touch!

With so many unique, inspiring, and beautiful wedding styles and themes, you cannot go wrong when putting together the aesthetic for your dream wedding. To achieve the perfect look through DIY floral designs, check out Cascade Floral Wholesale’s DIY flower combos or shop by style to find the ideal blooms. Then, get creative, experiment, and let your imagination run wild to bring your wedding or event to life.

Posted on

How to Prep and Care for Your Special Event Flowers

Woman placing water in vase of ranunculus

A lot goes into floral design, from selecting a style to bringing the blooms to life and enjoying them with friends and family. With so much effort and beauty, it’s no secret that we want these flowers to last. While creating a jaw-dropping floral design for a special occasion, event, or home is fun, it also involves patience and time. After searching for the perfect blooms at Cascade Floral Wholesale, the first step is to ensure your flowers live long, healthy lives by prepping your stems. Then, once your blooms have been arranged, and your pieces have been finalized, caring for these fresh stems is just as important as putting them on display. Learn from the experts here at Cascade Floral Wholesale about how to prep and care for your event flowers in six easy steps.

Trim and clean flower stems

1. Give Your Stems a Fresh Cut

Clean the stems by removing any thorns, leaves, and foliage. While this makes the stems easier to work with, it also helps extend their healthy life by eliminating any bacteria living on the foliage. This first step is a win-win!

Next, trim the bottom of your stems at a 45-degree angle to allow them to soak up as much water and floral food as possible. Cutting a straight line across the stems will result in your flowers standing flush at the bottom of your vase, which hinders their ability to hydrate properly.

Hydrate flowers in water and floral food

 

2. Food & Water

Before jumping into floral design, it’s crucial to prepare a clean bucket of water and flower food to revitalize your blooms. Once cleaned and trimmed, place each stem into the bucket so they can drink up all the healthy goodness and thrive in your designs. Allow your fresh flowers to soak for two-four hours prior to arranging.

Cutting flower stems for design

3. Cut to Size for Your Floral Designs

One can bet that these fresh flowers will be too tall to create a handheld bouquet and certainly too large for a corsage, boutonniere, floral crown, etc. This means you will need to cut your flowers to size by measuring them against any floral foam, oasis, floral hoop, or even your wrist or lapel, depending on your creation. As mentioned, always make your cuts at a 45-degree angle to keep the blooms fresh.

Storing flower arrangement on shelf

4. Store Your Design

After you have created and finalized your floral designs, it’s time to store them before your event. For designs like bouquets that are not already in floral foam or a vase, keep their stems hydrated in miniature vases or floral water tubes. The best places to house your finished products are in a cool space, preferably a flower cooler. However, if you don’t have this luxury, have no fear! Any refrigerator or chilly location will be just fine as long as your flowers are kept away from direct sunlight, drafty areas, and hot climates. You can also cover your floral designs with a damp cloth or plastic wrap to help keep them fresh and hydrated.

Watering Flowers

5. Water Your Flowers 

The easiest way to keep your flowers healthy and thriving before and after an event or occasion is by watering them. While some floral designs are more straightforward to water than others, it is still critical to replenish your blooms with fresh, clean, and cool water every day. For vase arrangements, empty the old, dirty water before adding new water. Floral designs created in foam or oasis can soak up fresh water poured from a watering can. Easy peasy!

Opening flower blossoms

6. Open Your Blooms

If you are creating an arrangement or floral design for immediate use at an event, you want your blooms to be as full and luxurious as possible. If your flowers have yet to fully blossom by the day of your occasion, gently spin the stem between your palms or carefully shake it. Another tactic to expedite the blooming process for your flower is to expose it to direct sunlight or low heat from a blow dryer. Please note that these processes trick your buds into blooming prematurely and, therefore, can accelerate their entire lifespan.

Any event or special occasion would be incomplete without vibrant blooms bursting with celebration and love. Not to mention, nothing is worse than putting in hard work and effort and watching your blooms wilt prematurely. By taking the proper steps and giving your fresh flowers from Cascade Floral Wholesale a little TLC, you and your friends and family can admire and enjoy your floral designs to their fullest potential.

Posted on

Exploring Viva Magenta Flowers and Pantone’s 2023 Color of the Year

Viva Magenta Flower

Color is a fundamental part of floral design, and exploring the many shades and hues that exist naturally in the world is an exciting and beautiful adventure. This year’s Pantone Color of the Year, Viva Magenta, is one of those stunning and exciting shades. It is a bright and bold color, and here at Cascade Floral Wholesale, we enjoy finding beautiful and artistic ways to incorporate this color into arrangements and all sorts of flower creations. Whether looking for vibrant Viva Magenta blooms or ways to highlight these fierce, confident, and marvelous stems with complementary colors, the experts at Cascade are diving into everything you need to know about styling Viva Magenta flowers.

Viva magenta roses

What is Viva Magenta?

Viva Magenta is a color that shines with power and vigor. It is a shade pulled from the red family and rooted in nature, making it the perfect color to look for in floral blooms and arrangements. The organic origins of Viva Magenta come from the humble cochineal beetle. This scaled insect produces reddish carmine dye, one of the brightest and most precious natural dyes. Viva Magenta is an excellent shade to incorporate into the color palette of your flowers because it is a hybrid color. It is a bold color that is welcoming and not too aggressive, making it an excellent hue for event floral designs.

Viva Magenta Protea

The Symbolism of Viva Magenta

Part of Viva Magenta’s charm is its rich symbolism. Celebrating confidence, empathy, optimism, and most of all, “fierce grace.” As a member of the red family Viva Magenta signifies passion. The hints of purples and pinks in the color also help balance the intensity of red with joy and fun. The blending of these remarkable hues makes Viva Magenta a perfect choice for a fun and bold bouquet full of life and inspiration.

Fresh magenta, pink, and red flowers

Viva Magenta in Flowers

There are many great flowers with hues like Viva Magenta. Roses, dahlias, orchids, protea, calla lilies, and peonies all bloom in magenta. If you want to make a trendy monochromatic design, it is a great idea to consider pink and red flowers like carnations, lilies, yarrow, amaryllis, gerbera daisies, tulips, and alstroemeria. A seemingly endless number of pink and red flowers will fit seamlessly into Viva Magenta arrangements.

Multi colored bouquet with pink, red, purple, blue, green, and magenta

Viva Magenta Color Palettes

Using color theory, you can pick various tones to pair with Viva Magenta in a floral arrangement. If you want to make your magenta flowers pop, you can pair them with pale blues and grays. Suppose you want to create a brilliant bouquet with a complementary color to magenta. In that case, you can add fresh and vivid greenery like eucalyptus or green flowers like button poms, hydrangeas, and orchids. Another great combination is bright purple and lively blue flowers for an eye-catching palette for your arrangement.

Flowers are one of the most expansive mediums to explore color because of the many natural hues and shades in which florals come. The symbolism of both the color and the plant can create profound meanings and thoughtful expressions. Viva Magenta cloaks us in both power and grace and adds a powerful strength to any arrangement or space it inhabits. Brighten your event, home, or loved one’s day with a DIY design incorporating Viva Magenta flowers from Cascade Floral Wholesale.

Posted on

Tips for Coordinating Flower Types and Greenery for DIY Arrangements

Multiple flower arrangements in various colors

Understanding the complexities of design and preparing your flowers and greenery for arranging your bouquet might be easier than you think. While flower arranging is an art, by utilizing helpful tips from the experts, it will be a project that is both fun and simple. The three most critical factors to thoughtfully sort through when planning your bouquet or floral collection for an event is the color palette, shape and seasonality of your flowers, and the fresh greenery to enhance and highlight each bloom. Our experts here at Cascade Floral Wholesale are here to offer the best advice for floral selection techniques so that you can design your own stunning arrangements in no time.

Colorful bouquet of orange, pink, green, white and more flowers

Color Matching and Palette Selection

The most obvious factor to consider when planning floral arrangements is color combinations for creating your perfect theme. Whether a vintage, chic event with shades of blush, burgundy, and green or a bright summertime bouquet with vibrant orange, yellow, and blue, the combinations can seem endless. Deciding on a strict aesthetic will help guide you toward blooms that match or complement one another and create an ideal color palette.

Once you have nailed down a particular look, feel, style, or theme, it’s time to find flowers that enhance each other. Highlight Mother Nature’s natural beauty by consulting the color wheel. Utilizing complementary colors, or those opposite each other on the wheel, will help create a bold and dramatic look. Cascade Floral’s Summertime Brights or Rustic Fall mixes provide the perfect collection to achieve this aesthetic. The flowers included in these packages are also ideal for triatic bouquets that use three colors equidistant on the color wheel. For a more intricate use of this idea with a softer contrast, you could use split-complementary colors, or the adjacent colors to its complement. One example of this is pairing yellow with shades of red and blue instead of its natural complement of purple. If you are looking for a more cohesive, trendy, or sophisticated look, analogous or monochromatic colors are ideal. Analogous colors are any three colors that are connected, while monochromatic colors refer to the different shades of a single color. Our Classic White, Intoxicating Burgundy, and Luscious Lavender mixes offer a great assortment of flowers for analogous or monochromatic arrangements.

Beautiful luxury bouquet of winter flowers, round, fluffy, pink, peach, white, and silver.

Seasonality and Shapes

Another vital factor for creating a magnificent flower collection for an arrangement is to find stems that complement each other’s shape, size, and seasonality. For instance, pairing summer sunflowers and gerbera daisies with winter berries might not look right. Instead, the wide petals of gerbera daisies can pair beautifully with smaller roses. Additionally, the star-shaped vibrancy of gerbera daisies can poorly contrast with the softness and fullness of the beloved hydrangea if you’re not careful. Luckily our pre-selected flower combos are hand-picked to perfection, considering seasonal flowers that perfectly enhance each shape and size to create flawless dimension and cohesions to your bouquets.

Bouquet of fresh greenery

Fresh Greenery

The final element or finishing touch to any floral arrangement is adding greenery. Take some time to appreciate the accents these supporting greens provide. Greenery’s soothing natural elements provide a backdrop for the flowers, making the main attraction pop and shine. Greenery also works wonders for adding unique shapes and textures to spice up an arrangement.

From a mix of various green leaves to a single selection of your favorite to subtly complement the flowers, there are many directions you can go in. One of the most popular types of greenery to incorporate into bouquets for weddings and home décor is eucalyptus, which comes in a wide variety of shapes, sizes, flexibility, and hues. Simply stated, you can’t go wrong with eucalyptus. Salal is another example of a versatile or go-to stem of vibrant green leaves, especially if you want something compact and rich. A pro tip for choosing unbeatable greenery is to match the seasonal trends of your arrangement. For example, if you make a brightly colored summer bouquet, monstera leaves may be an ideal choice to support that fresh and vivid summertime feeling.

While making your own bouquets and arrangements can feel like you’re flying solo, the experts at Cascade Floral Wholesale are here to provide not only quality radiant blooms and fresh greenery but pro tips and advice as well. Before getting started on your next floral project, be sure to check out our collection of DIY Flower Combos and Shop Your Style today.

Posted on

Creating Warm Winter Arrangements with Radiant Red Flowers

Red flowers arranged artfully in a modern red vase and white accent flowers

The winter months can often feel drab and dreary, especially once all the holiday décor has been packed up and stored away for another year. However, the cheer brought into our homes during the holiday season doesn’t have to end once January begins. The beauty, joy, and comfort we find in seasonal flowers may come from Christmas centerpieces, lovely poinsettia plants, and holiday arrangements sent by far-away loved ones, all of which can include rich and radiant red blooms and even those mimicking Pantone’s 2023 Color of the Year, Viva Magenta. Although red is a festive hue, it can also lift our spirits through January, symbolize love in February, and remind us in March of the warmth that is coming soon in spring. This winter, send homemade red flower arrangements to friends and family or brighten your home with your own creations with fresh red blooms from Cascade Floral Wholesale.

Bright and gorgeous bouquet of lovely red flowers in woman hands. No face, close up photo

The Symbolism of Winter’s Best Red Flowers

  • Amaryllis – A symbol of radiant beauty, the tall and sturdy red amaryllis also represents strength and determination. 
  • Anemone – Simple yet striking, the red anemone symbolizes love.
  • Anthurium – Exotic and tropical, the red anthurium bloom represents happiness and hospitality.
  • Aster – a symbol of undying devotion, this daisy-like bloom is a popular flower in Greek mythology.
  • Carnation – Soft, subtle, and pretty, the red carnation is a symbol of admiration.
  • Dahlia – A natural statement flower, the red dahlia symbolizes commitment.
  • Rose – The ultimate symbol of love and romance, the fragrant rose comes in various red hues, perfect for Valentine’s Day.

Bunch of fresh flowers in marsala colors. Boho style

Adding More Seasonal Favorites

When curating the best collection of red flowers for a winter arrangement, be sure to collect variations of red hues that will add stunning dimension. Accenting your seasonal red flowers with bundles of refreshing greenery and white winter blooms will also help bring your arrangement to life. Incorporate hints of blue, purple, or burgundy flowers to create a serene, relaxing, and moody feel, perfect for a cold winter’s evening. For a romantic Valentine’s Day surprise, include red, white, or pink lilies, especially stargazer lilies, and sweet pink flowers that add a touch of grace, femininity, and adoration.

Christmas decoration with carnations, chrysanthemums santini, brunia and fir. Christmas spirit and mood

Incorporating a Touch of Winter

As December’s end nears, the winter season is only beginning. This means seasonal elements and accessories, like pinecones, winter berries, cinnamon sticks, dried oranges, dried cranberries, and even white flocking, are still “in!” Add these winter touches to your arrangements and bouquets for extra warmth, coziness, and texture. Get creative by thoughtfully placing these items among seasonal blooms in arrangements, inside a clear vase for decoration, or on the same shelf you display your winter flowers for a put-together winter look.

If you’re looking for a great way to spruce up your home and banish the winter doldrums, you can’t go wrong with rich red flowers! After the Christmas tree, stockings, Santa Clauses, reindeer, and other holiday items are put away, your home can feel quite empty, bare, or simply cold. Brighten it up with your favorite warm red flowers. Check out our selection of gorgeous winter blooms here at Cascade Floral Wholesale.

Posted on

Winter Blooming Flowers for Your Bridal Bouquet

If you thought there might be a dearth of pretty florals during a cold-weather ceremony, you are about to be surprised. Getting married during the winter opens you up to a variety of gorgeous seasonal blooms that are quite striking and unlike other flowers typically seen throughout the rest of the year. Below you’ll find some inspirational winter wedding bouquets as well as popular cold-weather blooms to consider using in your event decoration. For all your flower needs, regardless of season, Cascade Floral Wholesale is here to make all your special occasions and events perfectly flowerful! 

Winter bridal bouquet wth white, muted blues, and greens

5 Beautiful Winter Bridal Bouquet Ideas

Including seasonal blooms in your event, regardless of the time of year, is the best way to guarantee your floral decor is fresh and harmonizes with the season. Plus, sourcing currently blooming florals is eco-friendly. For inspiration to whet your appetite for beautiful winter bridal bouquets, browse through the stunning styles below. 

winter bridal bouquet of white flowers and greenery

Green & White – Mimicking the look of snow with winter greens, bridal bouquets with white and green have an ethereal, season-appropriate elegance.

Winter bridal bouquet with dusty colored blooms in light peaches and burgundies

Dusty Hues – This sumptuous bouquet has soft-colored flowers in dusty peach and lavender with contrasting dark purple tulips and waxflowers for an enchanting look.

Bridal bouquet with ranunculus in peach, cream, lavender and assorted greenery

Peachy Naturals – Ranunuculas in soft peach and cream shades are joined with other muted colors that emanate warmth and quiet notes of romance.

Winter bridal bouquet of dark burgundies and purples held by bride

Wine & Plummy – Jewel tones are perfect for capturing the magical beauty of a winter wedding as seen in the above bouquet that has purple roses, burgundy blooms, and a striking protea.

dramatic dark blooms in burgundy and wine with green accents

Dark and Dramatic – Moody yet enchanting, these dramatic blooms in dark purple, burgundy, red, and green showcase their stark beauty against a backdrop of winter whites and neutrals.

Popular Winter Flowers

up close of red amaryllis flower

Amaryllis

This large, winter flower comes in colors such as red, pink, and orange as well as bicolored red and white. Their presence is perfect for adding brightness and a pop of color to neutral or muted winter bouquets

small wedding bouquet made up of white and lavender anemones and peach ranunuculs

Anemone

A stunning bloom with a dramatic dark disc at its center, anemones always make a statement. For winter bouquets, numerous white anemones reflect the white landscape in an enchanting and magic way.  

Bridal bouquet of burgundy calla lilies

Calla Lily

Elegant and bold, a bouquet of just burgundy calla lilies adds drama and sophistication at the same time. Against a white dress and snow, it’s absolutely striking.  

up close of white camellia flower

Camellia

A large, stunning flower with an abundance of petals, the camellia bloom is always a good choice for winter wedding decor.  

up close of gardenia flower

Gardenias

For winter weddings, the gardenia is another great choice when going for a green and white look with the added bonus of a divine scent. 

up close of light pink ranunculus

Ranunculus

Ranunculus flowers add instant romance and glamour. Coming in a variety of colors such as white, cream, peach, pink, red, and purple, there’s no reason not to have this lovely bloom in your wedding decor.  

bridal bouquet of white pink and purple bouquets

Sweet Pea

A sweet flower with sweet blooms and a sweet scent, the lovely and charming sweet pea looks right at home in your winter wedding decor. 

bridal bouquet made up of white tulips

Tulips

Always a classic choice and full of romance, tulips are a great choice for winter wedding bouquets. Choose from tulips in white, red, orange, purple, yellow, or peach to blend with any wedding color palette.  

Winter flowers are some of the most enchanting blooms we see all year which is why they’ll make your winter wedding truly exceptional. Beyond the blooms themselves, winter bouquets also typically include natural seasonal elements such as berries, seed pods, blue thistle, and pine cones

Posted on

The 10 Fundamentals of Flower Arranging

pink peach and purple pastel flowers in silver vase

Floral arrangement consists of selecting flowers and foliage to create beautiful and delightful designs. It’s an artistic activity that offers a way to express oneself creatively. It is also an art form in which there are fundamental design elements that are used to create a pleasing outcome. To help you create gorgeous and gratifying flower arrangements, our experts at Cascade Floral Wholesale have put together a list of ten fundamental design principles that are essential to creating professional-looking floral arrangements. 

10 Essential Floral Design Principles 

1. Lines

Flower Arrangement with Pink Roses and Ferns
Flower Arrangement with Pink Roses and Ferns

Whether you’ve consciously noticed them or not, professional floral arrangements feature linear-based designs, which encompass four different types of lines:

  1. Actual Lines – These lines are actually present in your design. Everything you use has lines. For example, stems, bamboo shoots, or a row of red roses are all actual straight lines. The curve of a leaf or twist of a willow branch represents actual curved lines. 
  2. Implied Lines – Your arrangement will create implied lines, where the mind’s eye connects two similar elements or continues a repeated pattern. 
  3. Static Lines – Static lines give the impression of a lack of movement. Vertical and horizontal lines that do not lean or incline are considered static. Horizontal lines tend to represent rest, peacefulness, and quiet, while vertical lines, like the columns of a great temple, represent power. 
  4. Dynamic Lines – Dynamic lines are neither perfectly vertical or perfectly horizontal, but rather slanted, curved, spiraled, or zigzagged. These lines create the impression of movement within your design. 

If a design appears too rigid or cold, add in a dynamic line or two. Conversely, if your design looks too chaotic, give it more structure with static lines. Usually, a combination of different types of lines creates a visually dynamic and well-balanced floral design. 

2. Shape/Form

Pink and Yellow Roses in a Vase
Pink and Yellow Roses in a Vase

Once you’ve considered the types of lines you will use in your design, you’ll need to think about the shape or form your lines will come together to create.

Think of shape in terms of two dimensions and form in terms of three. If you’re creating a design that will only be viewed from one side, then you can focus mostly on shape. If you’re creating a centerpiece or arrangement that will be viewed from all sides, then you’ll need to focus on three-dimensional form. 

Floral arrangements can be created in a variety of shapes and forms, but some are more popular. For example, you can make an endless variety of designs using crescents, circles, triangles, ovals, spheres, rectangles, spirals, and other shapes. Working toward creating an overall shape will create a cohesive look, preventing your design from appearing messy or thrown together. 

3. Balance

Pink roses and lilies bouquet
Pink Roses and Lilies Bouquet

Balance does not mean that your arrangement needs to be completely symmetrical. It’s better to think about balance in terms of visual weight and negative space. If you have a particularly large bloom on one side of your arrangement, it’ll likely look odd, if you don’t balance it with another large bloom or a similarly sized cluster of smaller flowers on the opposite side. View your arrangement from all angles to make sure you don’t have any unsettling empty spaces or overly full spots. 

4. Color

pink peach and purple pastel flowers in silver vase
Beautiful Pastel Flowers

All flowers are beautiful, but when paired within a well-planned color palette, they can truly stun the viewer. When it comes to color combinations in floral design, you can do just about anything you like. Feel free to play with monochromatic designs, contrasting colors, pastels, and saturated hues. When working with multiple colors a good rule of thumb is to choose three basic hues, two complementary colors that will dominate your design, and an accent hue. 

In floral arrangements, color is more than just visually important. Different colors and flowers have symbolic meanings. Before you settle on a color pallet for your design, you might want to look into the symbolism of the colors you plan to incorporate.  

5. Texture

peach violet and pink assorted flowers in vase
Beautiful Arrangement of Flowers in Vase

When you think about texture, you’ll be closely inspecting the surface quality of each element in your design. Due to the way light reflects, rough surfaces will naturally retreat into your design, while smooth, shiny surfaces will pop out with greater intensity. Thinking about texture in your design will help you create more visually interesting creations. Try to incorporate different textures within your arrangement to create a floral design that interests a viewer the first or fiftieth time they see it. 

6. Contrast

Georgeous flower Arrangement in Pink and Purple
Gorgeous Arrangement in Pink and Purple

Contrast adds drama and visual interest to a design. You create contrast when you place opposite elements side by side. For example, light colors and dark colors, soft textures and coarse textures, or big blooms and small flowers. Contrast is an important design element, but it’s tricky to get exactly right. Be careful to avoid incorporating equal amounts of contrasting elements — choose one to be more dominant. With too many contrasting elements, your design can become overly busy and erratic, resulting in the loss of your design’s rhythm and balance. 

7. Space

Wildflower Bouquet in White vase
Wildflower Bouquet

It’s important to think about the spacing of flowers within an arrangement to prevent it from looking crowded or to create an intentionally crowded look that seems to burst from the container. Whether you’re going for a line or mass arrangement make sure your flowers are adequately spaced so that viewers can get a good look at each special flower in your design. 

8. Size/Proportion

red and purple flowers in clear vase in white living room
Gorgeous Floral Arrangement in Living Room

When creating an arrangement, it’s important to think about the location where it will be placed. Create a design that will be the right size for its intended placement, neither overpowering the room nor getting lost within it. For example, you wouldn’t want a tiny arrangement to act as the focal point of a large room or a large arrangement that doesn’t fit into the corner it’s intended to fill. 

9. Rhythm

Exotic Floral Arrangement with red roses and greenery
Exotic Floral Arrangement

Just like repeated beats move us through music, visual rhythm in floral arrangements helps move an observer’s eye through the entire design. You can create rhythm by repeating colors, textures, or even lines throughout the arrangement. For example, long stems that radiate in a fan-like pattern or bright bursts of yellow throughout will give your design plenty of rhythm. 

10. Focal Point

Beautiful Flower Arrangement with Succulent
Beautiful Flower Arrangement with Succulent

While your viewers’ eyes move through the rhythm of your floral design, it’s also important to provide them with a focal point on which they can pleasantly rest their gaze. You can easily create a focal point within an arrangement by using an unusual, large, or unexpected bloom within your arrangement. Consider using a flower cluster like a hydrangea, a peony, or even a large rose. 

Lavender colored flowers on table
Luscious Lavender Standard Mix

Using high-quality materials and applying these basic design principles to your floral arrangements will make all the difference, transforming your designs from home-made efforts to professionally designed works of art. For more floral design inspiration, we welcome you to contact our floral design experts at Cascade Floral Wholesale

Posted on

Fall’s Rustic Textures, Starring Mums, Protea & More

Fall is just around the corner, and with it come florals in rustic colors and textures that will carry us through the season. This is a busy time for fundraisers, galas, school festivals and other events where seasonal florals like sunflowers and mums really set the tone. Cascade Floral Wholesale is giving planners, florists and anyone who wants to get their hands on some harvest-hued flowers a peek at what’s on offer. 

Mum’s The Word

We can’t imagine fall without glorious, vibrant mums, which come in several varieties and colors. Beautiful on their own or in a mix, a spiky, layered spider mum in Pantone’s Color of the Year, Ultra Violet, provides an enticing pop of color. 

Spray mums in that signature gold palette are buildable (can you have too many?). This is an approachable flower that offers that autumnal feel and yet never looks overdone. 

Spider Mums
Spray Mums

A Major Statement Flower

Protea, a South African bloom, has been blossoming from bridal bouquets for the last couple of years. A single bold protea, with its arresting center and exotic appeal, lends a lot of interest to a floral design. A king protea helps create an arrangement of unusual beauty and dimension, bringing life to a tablescape or entryway piece. Combined with grasses, greens and equally dynamic natural elements, this flower delivers tons of texture.

 

Teensy But Textured

No less impactful than a king protea, the scabiosa pod is one of those flowers that will make you lean in to get a closer view. These are also known as pincushion flowers, which makes sense, given their tight little knot of striking, delicate blooms (or seed pods). At their center, a dark star expands, while green leaves wick around the base. We love the neutral counterpoint scabiosa make to a design of richly-colored flowers, as well as their graceful height.

 

Fall is the perfect occasion to design with texture in mind, and the layering possibilities seem endless. Tuck in some curly willow for a spare, haunting look or stack large-stem sunflowers in rustic buckets for an Indian summer feel. The season’s florals and other natural elements are all about enchanting the eye and setting the mood. 

Posted on

Our New Cascade Floral Wholesale Website Is Here!

Cascade Floral Wholesale is thrilled to unveil our new website. For over 25 years, we’ve been providing quality wholesale flowers to florists, designers and other customers in the area. Our revamped website reflects our commitment to quality, customer service, and affordability.

Browse our site’s gorgeous galleries and richly-detailed pages. There are over 800 products available for our current and future wholesale customers to explore, and we’re particularly proud of our garden roses collection. Hand-selected for their best-in-class quality, these blooms are sure to enchant. Our favorite, Romantic Antique, is a prime example of the form.

Fully optimized for mobile, our site can be viewed by anyone and makes signing up for membership an easy process. Become a member today to gain access to the prices for specific products. We have everything you need to make your events gorgeous—all you’ll need is some vases and some water! Our selection includes trending blooms in the hottest color palette as well as classic flowers for a more traditional look. Our Vintage Blush-Luxury Mix is a great example of the sheer range and quality of florals we have on offer.