Tropical flowers are being used more and more in weeding related flower arrangements such as bridal bouquets and centre pieces. Thanks to green houses and rapid transportation, tropical wedding orchid flowers are no longer an option for summer ceremonies only. Also, the trend is to use other tropical flowers than the traditional calla lilies or combine stylish callas with something more spicy, personal and flamboyant.
Below, you will find a few inspirational examples of tropical wedding flowers.
Heliconia
The genus Heliconia contains about 150 different species native to tropical Americas and different islands in the Pacific Ocean. Lobster-claws, false bird-of-paradise and wild plantain are a few of the many common name these flowers are known by?
Heliconia produces its flowers on long, erect or dropping panicles and all types can look stunning in wedding arrangements. The flower consists of coloured waxy bracts from which small flower peep out, it is usually the bracts we are referring to when we say flower..
Heliconia flowers do best if they allowed to tale centre stage. If you wish to use heliconias, make sure to give them the place in the limelight they deserve by not smouldering them in millions of other showy plants.
One of the main exporters of Heliconia is Costa Rica who sends heliconias to florists in Europe and North America year round.
The highest number of orchid species can be found in the tropics but there are orchids to be found all over the worl except for Antarctica. The genera Cymbidium and Phalaenopsis are among the most popular in wedding arrangements but don’t hesitate to look at other genera as well for a more personalized wedding bouquet.
Cymbidium orchids have grown popular not just because of their beauty but due to their surprising robustness as well. They might look sensetive but can survive several days in an arrangement without loosing its crisp beautiful look.
Calla lily
The white calla lily is one of the most iconic flowers for wedding bouquets, especially when worn alone in a sheet bouquet. If you want to keep the stunning white tranquility of the calla lily but at the same time do something a little more daring you can combine calla lillies with another more colorful species like ginger flower? You can also choose non-white calla lilies, e.g. bright yellow, peach coloured or purplish black.
Tropical foliage
Tropical foliage can be a very good choice to balance the intense color of many tropical flowers and make the flowers stand out even more by creating contrast. Many types of palm tree will for instance produce big, lush leaves that form the perfect base for a wedding bouquet or centrepiece. Monstera deliciosa, can be used in much the same wasy as palm leaves and have glossy heart shaped leaves. It is a vine that originates from the rain forests in Central America.
Strelitzia
Strelitzia flowers are stunning additions to a wedding bouquet and an intereting piece of trivia about the genus is that it is namned after the duchy Mecklenburg-Strelitz. The flower is commonly known as Bird of paradise or parrot flower, the names is derived from the fact that the flowers look a little like a Bird of Paradise or a parrot. The genus contains five different species, all native to South Africa, and all five look truly stunning in floral arrangements. These easily regonizable flowers consist of a horizontal inflorescence that emerges from a stout spathe. In the wild, sunbirds will land on this spathe and sit on it while drinking nectar and Strelitzia flowers will therefore only release their pollen if their spathe is weighed down. The pollen is desgined to stick to the feet of the birds and thereby be transported to another flower.
In addition to the striking flowers, Strelitzia leaves can also be incorporated into arrangements; they vary in length from 30 to 200 cm and look similar to banana leaves but with longer petioles.
