Summer Wedding Flowers in South Africa

Which wedding flowers are available in Summer in South Africa? Our beautiful country is blessed with a huge amount of sun, depending on where in the country you are, you’ll have between 2 400 hours to 4 000 hours of sunshine a year, and as a result, summer is the most popular season for weddings with colour schemes generally focusing on soft, romantic pastels, or bright summery colours.

Summer wedding flowers are fairly abundant in terms of the varieties available, and the good news is that generally flowers are a little less expensive in summer due to flowers enjoying the rain and warm sunshine and thus flowering more profusely. In drought years, flowers will be more expensive due to the cost of water (for irrigation) and the damage to flowers when the temperatures are too high for too long. They can also get wind damage from hot dry winds, which is typical in the Western Cape during summer.

Also note that around Valentine’s day, the cost of all flowers increases, but particularly the cost of roses and any pink, white or red flowers.

“A flower cannot blossom without sunshine, and a man cannot live without love.” Max Muller

Contact Wedding Florists

Here’s a list of cut flowers available in the period of November to February in South Africa – that can generally be found at the flower market or via flower wholesalers, floral designers and florists. But the list may vary slightly from region to region across South Africa, also, depending on what your local wholesaler can source:

Note: The list is not exhaustive, and there are also other flowers that grow at summer time but that might generally not be sold as cut flowers due to their fragility or inability to be stored and/or transported to flower markets.

List of Wedding Flowers Available in South Africa in Summer

• Agapanthus
• Alstromeria or Inca lily
• Amaranthus
• Amaryllis lilies
• Alium
• Alstromeria (or inca lilies)
• Amaranthus
• Anthuriums
• Artichokes
• Arums – coloured varieties and still some white in early summer
• Asclepia or Melkbos
• Asiatic lilies – also called Umbelatum lilies or some people call them day lilies or tiger lilies, which they closely resemble, but are not
• Astrantia
• Banksia
• Bupleurem or Cat’s eyes
• Brunia (dark green variety, not the grey, some grey in early summer)
• Carnations – large and mini’s
• Carthumus
• Celosia or cocks comb
• Chinese or summer asters
• Chinks or Chincherinchees
• Chrysanthemums – large singles and sprays
• Craspedia or Knobkierries
• Crocosmia (late December through January)
• Dahlias (late summer) and limited areas and availability
• Delphiniums (early summer)
• Dendrobium orchids (generally on import)
• Dianthus or Sweet William
• Eremurus
• Equisetum or snake grass
• Eucomis or pineapple lily (December/January)
• Fountain grass
• Gerberas – large and mini
• Gladiolus
• Godetia
• Golden rod or Solidago
• Gomphrena
• Gypsophila or Babies breath
• Heliconia

• Hydrangea (late summer, although some of the deeper colours and pure white may still only available via import)
• Hypericum berries
• Kalanchoe
• Kale (early summer)
• Kangaroo paw (sporadic supply & limited colours)
• Lace flower (Queen Anne’s lace)
• Larkspurs (early summer)
• Latifolia/Limonium
• Leucodendron (fynbos, but it gets more scarce as the summer gets hotter)
• Liatris
• Lisianthus – get more abundant as the summer matures
• Lysimachia
• Melkbos or Asclepias
• Monte casino or Michaelmas daisy
• Nerines (late summer)
• Oncidium orchids
• Oriental lilies – Casablancas, white and stargazers, shades of pink and pink/white(some people mistakenly call these St Joseph lilies)
• Peonies (end of October till early November only)
• Phalaenopsis orchids
• Pincushions (early summer)
• Proteas (some varieties, but king proteas are more scarce in summer)
• Roses & cluster roses
• Scabiosa
• Sea holly or eryngium
• Sedum
• Snapdragons
• Statice
• Stocks (early summer)
• St Joseph lilies
• Sunflowers
• Tuberoses
• Rudbeckia
• Veronica
• Waxflower (early summer still available)
• Waratah proteas (early summer for a limited period)
• Zinnias

Using seasonally available flowers is always more budget-friendly and better for the environment as their footprint is so much more eco-friendly than flowers imported from other continents. Not to mention they are usually better quality as well and are more suited to the local climate.

Have a look at our Wedding Flowers Directory to find your perfect florist, also see our Wedding Flowers and Decor Inspiration board on Pinterest.

Written by: Coral Short of Epanouir Flower Studio