Most of the photos here are ours (not professional photos) We've tried to note any from the professionals. Check out the FAQ and Newsletter signup below.
All photos were taken the few years. It has become a big hit with brides on a budget. You get high quality flowers, a mix of colors of your choosing, and they are all locally and sustainability grown.
I've included below FAQ about using these flowers for your wedding.
We provide floral food in the water. Just keep the flowers cool, and down in the water especially after transport. Check the water level upon arrival and again after 24 hours. Fill you vases up so they don’t run out of water are you arrange them. Funnels and pitchers, and clippers are very handy!
Shady Grove Gardens 828-297-4098
Frequently Asked Questions about Shady Grove's Buckets of Flowers:
- I'm not sure where to start. We are now offering a Newsletter with tip, hints and planning advise and more detailed answers to these questions. You can signup here: Newsletter Sign up page Once you place and order you have access to all the published newsletter information. New for 2019, it's our way of trying to make your wedding flowers easier.
- How do I get started placing an order? Start by listing all your designs and plan an average number of stems you need. Plan the number of buckets and colors as well and greenery. Fill out the order form or call Susan. Make sure to plan a pick up time and mail the 1/2 deposit check to get your order placed.
- How many stems? and what is in a bucket? We start with at least 7 bunches, which means ~70 stems. We make every effort to offer a pleasing mix of bright 'garden flowers'. The bucket will include filler, focal and line flowers for arranging. All our best flowers go to our wedding clients. You can see which flowers we are working from by looking at our bar charts list flowers by color and the week they are generally available.
- I really want a professional to design my Bridal Bouquet, do I need another florist? No, Susan can design beautiful bouquets for you Call for a consult.
- How long will they last? Down in water, in a cool spot, these flowers will last 4-10 days, depending on the variety. We find wilting occurs when they are put in the sun or out of water. Most of these 'garden wildflowers' do not like to be in floral foam.
- When can I pick up the buckets of flowers? Anytime you need them. Most brides pick up on Thursday or Friday. All pickups are 9AM- 6PM
- Can I pick up buckets of flowers on Saturday morning? If you have a Sunday wedding this can be arranged.
- How far are you from Boone? We are 10 miles from downtown Boone, straight out Hwy. 421 north. Please see the map and address on our website.
- Why should I order your locally grown buckets of flowers instead of from a big company? Not only do we offer a unique mix of lovely garden and wildflowers. We promise they will be perfectly fresh and well hydrated. You don't need to learn flowers to order from us. You can order a mix or by specific color. We work very hard to make you happy and your day perfect. Our flowers offer your a unique local feel of the mountains. You will not get that from other places.
- How many Quart mason jars will one bucket make? It depends on the fullness of your arrangement. But we usually say 5-6 mason jars with a regular mouth jar opening. For bud vases, it's best to practice with a few flowers. Don't forget to plan your greenery if you are using some.
- How many vases will they make? Impossible to say, all vases are different and most brides use numerous sizes. My suggestion is to practice a bit. This will also give you a feel for how much time to allow for arranging.
- What do I need to arrange the flowers? Helpers, plenty of space, funnel, pitcher, strong garden clippers!!! Someone to strip the leaves, so they don't go down into the water, gloves, time, something to transport the vases in, such as a boxes with packing materials.
- How do I care for the arranged flowers? All flowers use the most water the first 24 hours. Arranged or not, check your water levels and fill the vases up. Store them in a cool spot whenever possible. Like all flowers, wind and sun will make them wilt.
- Where is the best place to keep them, I don't have a cooler. An air-conditioned room without the air directly on the flowers. Out of the sun and heat. Not in a hot car an open pick-up, or a beer cooler. NO Food/drink coolers- it's too easy to damage your flowers there.!
- Who should I send to pick the flowers up? Anyone with plenty of room in their car. This is when SUV's come in handy. I often meet Moms and Dads. Make sure to check the water level when you get to where you are going. The pickup person is usually in charge of final payments as well as the cash bucket deposit.
- Is there greenery in the buckets? No, not unless you request it. We use traditional and non-traditional evergreen type greenery. You can order a $80 bucket of just greenery. We sell vines by the bunch too.
- I need specific colors, how does that work? You may order any color or colors you need as long as we grow it. These buckets are $90 each. This allows us the time to choose, maybe even plant, just the right flowers and colors for your wedding. We welcome color swatches of photos of the colors you want.
- Why are the April- May plus October - November mixed buckets $95? Many of these flowers are grown in our greenhouse requiring months of extra care. It is not heated, but is labor intensive. These buckets often include spring bulbs such as tulips and ranunculus. The higher price also allows us to order flowers if the weather does not co-operate or we are short on your colors.
- What if I need more flowers? We often have other flowers cut on Thursday and Friday. You can shop from any that aren't promised, straight out of our cooler. We sell these by the bunch. Bring extra, clean buckets. If at all possible give us 48 hours notice to cut more for you.
- How does it work with the bucket deposit? We charge a refundable $5 cash deposit for each of our buckets. They should be returned within a week or two; clean and not broken of course. We return to you all of the deposit. Please understand we can not put this on a credit card without charging a usage fee. Another $5. Otherwise, we are losing money on this service. Plan on this separate expense/deposit.
- Can I just bring my own buckets? Yes, of course. Bring 2-3 gallon CLEAN buckets. Wastepaper baskets work too. The dollar store usually has some cheap ones. I repeat clean buckets that hold water. Your flowers will last so much longer.... so no ash buckets, tar buckets, concrete buckets or horse buckets. Plan to bring a few extra buckets.
- When do you need a deposit for the flowers? With the buckets of flowers we make work with 6-8 brides a week. To insure you get on our calendar for your color needs, ASAP - as soon as you know. Certain colors are popular at certain time of the summer, so book ahead if that shade of purple is important to you or if you need 10 buckets of white.
- What is the deposit to order flowers? For buckets or designs it is 1/2 of the expected total. For buckets only, the remaining may be paid on the day of pickup. Cash, credit card or in-state check.
- Do you take credit cards? We do. We prefer checks for the deposit and credit cards for the balance. Cash is welcome too.
- How do I place an order for buckets of flowers? You can call, e-mail or download the order form below. Please fill out this simple form, listing your contact information, dates, names and flower order. We try to keep it simple. All correspondence requires the Brides name and wedding date. Especially mailed checks from your Dad.
- Wow, I didn't realize there was so much to it. Can I really make this work? Yes, just plan plenty of time and space, get that manicure afterward. Grab someone with an artist flare and don't forget to cut down/up the taller flowers to fit into your vases or jars.
I feel like I need a consult. If you don't see the answers here or elsewhere on our website call me @ 828-297-4098. Otherwise, a standard sit-down consult will be $50/hour if we are not designing flower arrangements for you.
- Other things to consider? Plan your pickup time to allow several hours to put together your flower arrangements. Storage, transport to the venue, transport after the wedding, setting up in wind or sun? No hot cars, or too cold coolers. Order a few extra stems for back ups.
- If this seems like too much, we can arrange the flowers for you. There is no minimum on personal flowers, just our base price for each item.
