Buttonhole flowers are a classic and elegant touch for formal occasions, especially weddings.
Strictly speaking, a buttonhole is a single flower, perhaps with some of its foliage, and a boutonnière (which is French for buttonhole) is several flowers tied together, typically with foliage from other plants, such as asparagus.
Many flowers could be used, but roses or carnations are the most popular choices.
Roses are beautiful, easy to find, often fragrant, and come in a range of colours to match any outfit.
Roses are relatively sturdy flowers: with proper pinning and a bit of tape to seal in the moisture, a rose buttonhole should remain beautiful for most of the day and evening, making them a reliable choice for long events.
Colour Selection
When selecting a rose for a boutonnière, consider the colour scheme of the event and the outfit it will adorn:
- Red Roses: Perfect for romantic and passionate settings, such as weddings and Valentine’s Day events.
- White Roses: Ideal for weddings and formal events where purity and elegance are desired.
- Yellow Roses: Represent friendship and joy, great for celebrations and less formal gatherings.
- Pink Roses: Suitable for any joyful occasion!
Making a Rose Buttonhole
Triangle Nursery in Suffolk deliver flowers for every occasion, and their simple guide on how to make buttonholes is all you need to know to get started.
The convention is for men to wear a buttonhole on their jacket’s left lapel with the flower head pointing up.
Ladies wear theirs on their right side with the flower pointing downwards so that it sits better on their bosom and won’t tug their dress.
Is it cheating to use dried rose buttonholes like the gorgeous ones at Florence and Flowers? Surely not just this once.
Growing Your Own Roses for Buttonholes
Which rose variety you choose is up to your personal style, but what could be more personally stylish than roses grown in your own garden?
Our pot-grown roses are ready to plant out this summer, and they will have the most time to establish and produce some perfect flowers for weddings next summer.
Bareroot roses that you plant at the start of the winter planting season in November won’t be far behind. The soil should still be warm, and they will begin to root before Winter settles in.
To receive your bareroot roses in the post at the start of the planting season in November, you would do well to order soon
Best Rose Varieties for Buttonholes
These are some of the best rose varieties for buttonholes, conveniently delivered by the nice people at Ashridge (disclosure: this is the Ashridge Blog, which is known for shameless self-promotion).
Hybrid tea varieties are usually the best, and their season lasts all summer; plenty of other old shrub varieties are great too, but they only flower once around June.
Climbing roses also bloom in a couple of waves during summer: