Seasonal Ethos | Prairie Rose

Seasonal Ethos

A glimpse into the flower varieties that are in bloom on our northern Minnesota farm, May through October. Our weddings and events are rooted in this seasonal ebb + flow and we invite you to come along for the floral dance.

At Prairie Rose, couples choose their wedding florals based on seasonal availability. The aesthetic and ephemeral qualities of flowers naturally shift throughout the season along with bloom types and color palettes. We work diligently as farmers to keep a wide selection of color palettes available throughout the heart of harvest season, but certain colors are available only if requested during specific seasons. As designers, we work diligently to bring the feel & style of your event to whichever part of the season it takes place in, all in tandem with nature's flow.

This information is curated specifically for our unique northern Minnesota climate and includes seasonal suggestions for flower types, color palettes and styles. It is certainly not an exhaustive list of all that we grow or a guarantee of what may be available at anytime, but rather a starting point to better understand how seasonality drives our practice and may compliment your wedding.

We recommend a minimum notice for booking times, but booking as far in advance as possible is always encouraged. We always recommend booking with us in our off season November - April as we are most limited on time in the heart of our farm/wedding season.

See below for flower type reference by season.

Early Spring

May to Early June

Flower Types

daffodil
tulip
pussy willow
flowering braches
allium
hyacinth
early ranunculus

bleeding heart
choke cherry blossom
muscari
fritillaria
lilac
lily of the valley
apple blossom

There is a natural ephemeral quality to spring blooms and a fairy-like feel.

Specialty tulips + daffodils offer an array of options with many different textures, shapes and colors that offer exciting design possibilities. Palettes depend on which bulbs end up producing flowers come spring and what is available from bulb suppliers each year.

Colors tend to lean towards softer pastel shades, with additional bright + bold shades and dark + moody shades. Specific palettes we can do for spring weddings upon request include: whites/neutrals + greens, berry shades, soft pastels, bright tropical shades, and dark + moody.

If you have specific colors in mind for a full service spring wedding it must be booked 9 months to a year in advance so we can tuck those bulbs in for you in the fall prior.

Late Spring + Early Summer

June to early July

Flower Types

lilac
late season tulips
ranunculus
anemone
delphinium
curly willow
columbine
phlox

iris
peony
lupine
butterfly ranunculus
lilac
lily of the valley
viola
poppy

The shift between spring and summer is a time full of lush and romantic blooms. Spring flowers carry into the first two weeks of June here in Northern Minnesota and combine beautifully with the late spring flowers that follow.

Ranunculus is the star of June alongside their best friend anemone. Delphinium send their first spikes, and perennials like peony, iris, columbine and phlox have their big moment.

Soft, romantic palettes are common for flower varieties blooming at this time. Ballet pinks, baby blues, buttery whites, as well as gentle lilac + deep rich purples. Brighter bold shades like reds, orange are less common during this season.

For full service late spring weddings, we highly recommend booking 9 months to a year in advance for specific color preferences. June blooms take a meticulous amount of attention and care.

Peak Summer

Mid July through August

Flower Types

snapdragon
larkspur
late ranunculus
cosmos
delphinium
nigella
campanula
phlox
agrostemma

veronica
bachelor's button
queen anne's lace
poppy
sweet pea
zinnia
scabiosa
amaranth
rudbeckia

The heart of summer is one of the most abundant times on the farm with the biggest bloom of our first annuals. Ranunculus and anemone hang around through mid July and cool loving annuals such as larkspur, sweetpea, snapdragon and poppy take over. By August, there is a shift into heat loving annuals like zinnias, cosmos and rudbeckia in full force. Mid to end of August the first dahlias start to arrive!

Colorful candy colored palettes are common for flower varieties blooming at this time, as well as bold and bright shades of almost all colors. This time of year is great for couples with a variety of styles. Dark and moody or autumnal palettes are less common at this time of year in our crop plan.

Weddings in the heart of summer can be booked the winter or spring before. We recommend reaching out further in advance if you are seeking highly specific color palettes, monochrome palettes or palettes that are dark and moody.

Late Summer + Fall

September through early October

Flower Types

dahlia
rudbeckia
lisianthus
cosmos
amaranth
ornamental grasses
seedpods
phlox
snapdragons
laceflower

delphinium
bachelor's button
queen anne's lace
zinnia
sweet pea
coneflower
scabiosa
amaranth
rudbeckia
sunflower
dried flowers

The fall is an abundant time on the farm, with September being the heart of harvest for the majority of the varieties we grow. Dahlias come en masse and takeover the show. Unique ornamental grasses add extra layers of textures and flowers begin forming seedpods that are often added to our designs. Annual varieties are contiuing to produce through our final succesions and the plants tend to take on more wildness at this stage in their life. Lots of winding stems, curly branches, and grasses with movement are birthed from autumn on the farm.

There is an array of color palettes available and almost nothing is off the table this time of year. Dark + moody, pastels, colorful wildflower, oranges, monochrome palettes, whites+ greens, autumnal tones and more.

Fall weddings can be booked the winter or spring before. For full service weddings with specific color palettes, we must have weddings booked at least 6 months prior to prioritize those flowers to be in bloom for fall. We recommend reaching out advance for September as it is our most popular month. Late October requires more openness to what the farm has to offer due to fluctuations with frost, but we can certainly accommodate specific requests if placed in advance.

Late Fall + Winter

Mid October and beyond

Fresh Flower Types

dahlia
rudbeckia
lisianthus
grasses
amaranth
sweetpea
seedpods
delphinium
snapdragons
queen anne's lace

Dried Flower Types

celosia
strawflower
larkspur
ornamental grasses
amaranth
gomphrena
ammobium
delphinium
craspedia
poppy + nigella pods
statice

The fall gives way as frosts come and fresh flowers start to dwindle. Our late season weddings in the last half of October and beyond incorporate dried elements and seedpods + branches and other bits from the beautifully browning farm. Oftentimes, our end of October weddings include both dried elements and the last of our fresh blooms, like lisianthus, snapdragon, rudbeckia and dahlia. As the frost takes hold, we shift into more focus on vibrant dried flowers.

The color palettes begin to become more subdued, but variety is still available. Our late season weddings tend to be more earthy in tone and rely on the natural, land based palettes paired with our blooms still coming off the farm or in our cooler stash. Our dried flowers can be designed in bright + colorful palettes, subdued pastels, or white, warm browns + greens.

Late fall weddings looking for some specifics should book with us 6 months to a year in advance to make sure certain colors will be available for that time frame. Couples at this time of the year must be more open to what the shoulder season offers, much like our Spring couples. Couples seeking dried flowers from November through April can place an order at any time, although larger amounts or specific color palettes for dried must be placed before the start of that drying season so we can grow and dry with you in mind.