Buckets of Blooms FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions about Buckets of Blooms …

What is in a Bucket of Blooms?
* Each Bucket of Blooms contains a generous collection of 90 stems of flowers and foliage carefully grown & curated by Ella June Gardens to chosen style of “Bright and Vibrant” or “Soft and Classic”. Each bucket includes 5 Premium blooms!! Imagine a beautiful mix of textures and shapes, ready for you to arrange and bring your vision to life!

I am not planning a Wedding, can I still buy Buckets of Blooms?
* Yes! Absolutely!! Buckets of Blooms are well suited for any event, but because weddings are the main reason they are requested, I use that terminology. If you are planning a baby shower, bridal shower, community event or a flower bar, these will still work great for you!!

What flowers are Premium Blooms?
* Premium Blooms take extra time and care to make them wedding worthy. These beauties are often the focal point of bouquets and arrangements, adding that extra 'wow' factor. Depending on the season, you might find Tulips (April), Ranunculus (May), Peonies and Phlox (June & July), Sunflowers (July), Lisianthus and Dahlias (August - October) depending on the season.

Am I able to purchase additional Premium Blooms?
* Yes, absolutely! If you have your heart set on a few extra of those stunning premium blooms, you can order them individually to fit your needs. Just let us know on your 'Inquiry Request' form. I am happy to chat about adding specific flowers up to two weeks before your big day.

How many bouquets can a Bucket of Blooms make?
* Each Bucket of Blooms contains a curated group of 90 stems of blooms (foliage is included if requested). This is enough to flowers to create: 1- large bridal bouquet with extra stems for boutonnieres or bud vases or 2-3 medium sized bouquets. So, whether you're dreaming of one show-stopping bridal bouquet with matching accents or a few lovely bouquets for your bridesmaids, one bucket offers a wonderful starting point.

How many buckets do most brides’ order?
* For a cozy, intimate celebration, around 3 buckets often provide enough blooms for personal flowers and some table decorations. If you're planning a grand affair with 100+ guests and want to get creative with centerpieces and more, 6 buckets are a popular choice.

How much does each bucket of blooms cost?
* Great question! I like to keep the cost as low as possible. For 2026 each curated bucket of 90 stems will be just $200.

What do most Brides order?
* Many of our couples find that a combination of a beautifully crafted bridal bouquet, a matching boutonniere (through my a’la carte options), and 6 buckets of blooms gives them a fantastic foundation for their wedding flowers, offering both convenience and the joy of DIY.

I have a pretty specific design that I'm looking for, will you match what I am looking for?
* A' la carte and DIY Buckets of Blooms options are not well-suited for couples looking for specific flowers, require in-person consultation or have a more complex design vision. I can definitely recommend amazing full-service designers that will do exactly that!

Can I choose the flowers that come in my Buckets of Blooms?
* Think of DIY buckets as a delightful surprise of seasonal beauty! While we can't guarantee specific individual flowers, we absolutely want to know if there's anything you'd prefer we avoid. To help us curate the perfect mix for you, just let us know if you're leaning towards 'Bright and Vibrant' or 'Soft and Classic' in your style!

I want one(or two) specific color of flowers is that possible?
* If having specific colors (like white & blue or blush and burgundy) is a top priority, our 'A La Carte' options are the perfect way to go! With DIY Buckets, I focus on a color palette (like 'pastel' or 'jewel tones') rather than exact shades to give you the best of what's in bloom.

I'm having a bigger wedding (over 150 people), Can I still do DIY?
* Absolutely! A larger wedding just means you'll want to gather your flower-loving friends and family for a fun 'flower party'! Having a team of helpers who aren't afraid to get their hands on some blooms will make the process much smoother. It's definitely a 'many hands make light work' situation!

How far in advance should I order my Buckets of Blooms?
* As soon as you have a wedding date set is best. Available dates get booked quickly once the calendar opens for the next year.

* To get on the calendar, fill out the inquiry form linked here. This begins the process. Next I will get back with you with a color plan and types of flowers you can expect. Once you approve that, I’ll send you an invoice. 50% of the invoice should be paid within 3 days. That down payment puts us in a contractual agreement and you will be on my calendar!

Are your flowers locally grown?
* Yes! Absolutely!! Ella June Gardens is the Treasure Valley’s original farmer florist. This means that 99% of the flowers you see will be grown and designed by me right here in Middleton Idaho.

How do I secure my date?
* Great question! We both have a few steps prior to securing your date for flowers. Step 1: You fill out the inquiry form here or click on the “Inquiry Form” button at the bottom of this page. Step 2: I review it. If your date is available create an Inspo Page and a Wedding Flower Estimate based on the questions you answered in the inquiry form. Step 3: You review the Inspo Page and Estimate and get back with me with an “A-okay” or changes that might need to be made. Step 4: Once you approve the Wedding Flower Estimate, I send you an invoice through Paypal. Once you have paid 50% of the invoice, your date is secure and I go to work growing and creating beautiful blooms just for you and your perfect day!! The second 1/2 of the invoice won’t be due until 2 weeks prior to your wedding day!

Do you offer any instructions or tips for arranging DIY wedding flowers?
* Absolutely! I have blog posts available to give all the tips. Also, multiple times each year I host flower arranging workshops in the gardens. You might consider joining my Flower Friends Newsletter to find out when these are happening!

What if I need to cancel or change my order?
* I totally understand that things happen. You are welcome to cancel, however because of the nature of growing flowers for your event and time spent the 50% down payment is not refundable. Increases can be requested up to 2 weeks prior to your wedding date. If the flowers are available, I will do my best to accomodate your request!

Do I need to bring anything when picking up my Buckets of Blooms?
* Your buckets will be ready to go in standard grower buckets, nice and hydrated! If you have some sturdier buckets you'd prefer to transport them in, feel free to bring them along! You will receive an email the week of your wedding giving great advice for transporting and caring for your flowers!

What if I have more questions? How can I get in touch?
* Absolutely send them my way! Send your questions to ejm@ellajunegardens.com.

A little note from Mother Nature:

After years of growing, I have a good sense of what will be blooming when, the exact availability of each flower can sometimes be a delightful surprise. Rest assured, after years of growing beautiful blooms, I will always curate stunning buckets that perfectly match your chosen style ('Soft Classic' or 'Bright Vibrant'). I promise to provide you with the freshest, most beautiful seasonal flowers available!

More Details...
The DIY Buckets of Blooms are only available during our peak growing season, mid-May through the last week of September.

To give each bride the best flowers available, I only take 1 large wedding or 2 medium/intimate weddings each week. It is best to book early to ensure your date is available.

Why do I sell Buckets of Blooms?
Thank you for asking! Designing wedding flowers with family and friends is one of my daughter's and her bridesmaid's favorite memories around her wedding day. I want to offer that to you!

If you are like me and prioritize building fun joy-filled memories over perfection, you are in the right place!

Here's The Link to Get Started.
https://tinyurl.com/Ella-June-Gardens

The Problem with Peonies

Peonies were the very first perennial my husband and I bought when we purchased our property in Middleton almost 25 years ago. At the time I knew little about them other than the poof of blooms simply took my breath away. At the local nursery I simply had to buy every single plant they had that was currently blooming. Fortunately for my bank account, there were only 6 available.

We planted them immediately and had a beautiful show for a couple of weeks- until they finished blooming that year. Then we did not see another bloom for 2 years. 

Two entire years...

Even though the plants grew thick and pretty foliage each spring, no blooms appeared. I honestly thought something had gone terribly wrong, so I started asking questions.

This is when I learned the true problem with peonies.

The problem isn't that they are:
*   Too big and fluffy
*   Too sweetly scented
*   Too many varieties and colors to choose from

No, the problem with peonies is that even though they will grow for more than 50 years if taken care of properly, they simply do not like to be moved or transplanted.

Don't get me wrong. Transplanting will not kill a peony. We’ve all seen them at nurseries which means they can be in a pot for a short time and then transplanted. However peonies will focus on putting on roots for a year or two before they begin blooming again. 

NO BLOOMS??

The big bodacious blooms are the entire reason we grow these tough plants, but in reality this plant looks to the future. To give those blooms for decades to come takes a lot of energy and energy comes from their roots and shoots. Before I tell you how to improve your odds of getting blooms the first year or two after planting, let me tell you a bit more about the peony.

On a root in the fall you will find little white or pink nubs called "eyes". Each eye represents the probable number of shoots or stalks that will grow in the spring.

When you buy a plant at a typical nursery or store, they may or may not tell you how many eyes the root has.  Typical is 2-3 eye. If you are buying through a reputable local nursery, it may even have 3-5 eyes. Rarely, but in extra special times you can find a 6-8 eye plant. These will probably give you flowers the first year!
More shoots in the spring = more energy to create and grow deep foundational roots. So typically, the larger the root, the more likely you are to get flowers.

Typically anything less than 5 eyes, the plant will focus on making more roots and eyes for the next year rather than putting up blooms. Once it get’s to that size, the plant will happily gift you the blooms that you are looking for.

Knowing what I know now, I must have purchased plants with only 2-3 eyes. This made the plant take 2 years before enough energy was provided to the roots for it to safely produce flowers. 

Once those initial plants started blooming, it was simply spectacular! They have almost always been perfectly on schedule for the second week of June each year. I couldn't love them more.

So I dig and divide my roots to make more plants and this year I am buying more colors. :)

I am running out of spaces to put these beauties, so this is the first year I am sharing my peony roots.

I'd love to hear from you.

Now that you know about the problem with peonies and root sizes,

Do you pay extra to have blooms the first year?
Or do you get a good price and have patience?

It’s totally up to you!

Whatever the size you plant, here is some basic care information...

Pro Tips:
•    Plant in full sun with the eye(s) 1" below the soil level.
•    Give a good deep watering right after planting and whenever the soil is dry. (approximately 2x per week through the growing season)
•    Fertilize plants in April and August
•    Grows 24”-30” wide and 32”-36” tall 
•    Cut and remove foliage in the fall after first frost

If you enjoy this chat, you may want to join my flower friends newsletter where we talk about how flowers bring us joy. 

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