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Homegrown Wedding Flowers

Amy LathwellAmy Lathwell Posts: 102
in Plants

Hello!

My very good friend is getting married on 20th June 2015 and wants a 'homemade' themed wedding. Part of that is to have home grown flowers as decoration (not sure about bouquets...it's a 'maybe'). The amount that they should save is a real plus too!

I have said that I will dedicate as much of my garden as possible to growing whatever she wants for the wedding.

The only issue is that neither of us are gardeners! We've done bedding plants and easy stuff but as far as starting from scratch - haven't a clue!

She would like whites, pinks, purples and blues.

So, please give us as much tips and advice as you can muster! It's all welcome!

p.s - neither of us have greenhouses but are willing to invest in the little pvc kind.

THANK YOU!

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Posts

  • WelshonionWelshonion Posts: 3,114
    Sweet peas are a must! The smelly kind.
  • SweetPea93SweetPea93 Posts: 446

    I was going to say sweet peas too. I like the delicate nature of willowy sweet peas and sweet williams, but I'm old fashioned! SW kaleidoscope would look lovely in a display I think.

  • Beaus MumBeaus Mum Posts: 3,550

    Why don't you and your friend first search pics of such bouquets, very popular now and then your friend will see what actual flowers she loves and then we can advise from there image Will you be doing bridesmaids,button holes, table decorations too? If yes how many and then we can advise what plants and how many you need to get going with image

     

  • Amy LathwellAmy Lathwell Posts: 102

    Aw - thanks so much! Yes, we've already bought some sweet pea seeds as those are my fave and I kind of pushed her towards them! image

    I think I will ask her to join the forum and see if she can shed more light on what she actually wants as all I know is that she does NOT want anything red, yellow or orange.

  • Green MagpieGreen Magpie Posts: 806

    If you can get cornflowers to bloom by then, there's nothing to match their deep, clear blue. Or  Love-in-a-mist (nigella) is pretty. Lavender should be in bloom then and can add scent and colour, but you can't grow it from seed in a season.Maybe you can find a friend with a lavender bush?

    At our daughter's  wedding we made all the buttonholes and corsages for the main wedding party and several guests too. If you get the proper florist's tape and wire, it's really not difficult. If you want to know more about this, just ask me. We did buy some flowers - cream rosebuds from a supermarket - and added other stuff from gardens, plus pretty ribbons etc. 

  • WelshonionWelshonion Posts: 3,114
    Sometimes if you go to a garden centre they will do you a good deal on plants suitable for the tables if you buy lots.
  • jodie snowdenjodie snowden Posts: 2
    Hi I am the friend image

    I have sweet peas

    linaria

    candytuft

    wild flowers

    Stock

    dianthus

    and nemophila five spot

    im hopping to do centre pieces and decorations

    not sure what else
  • Amy LathwellAmy Lathwell Posts: 102

    Hi Jodie image

     

    We would like to know if we NEED to invest in greenhouses, best times to sow the seeds and any tips on the best feed etc......THANKS IN ADVANCE!

     

  • hogweedhogweed Posts: 4,053

    I would add cosmos and Virginia stock to the list.

    'Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement' - Helen Keller
  • Green MagpieGreen Magpie Posts: 806

    Most of those mentioned will germinate out of doors in a seed bed, but you'll get more reliable results if you start them off indoors in seed trays, and you'll be less at the mercy of our variable seasons.

    You might be able to find space  for seed trays somewhere in the house (conservatory? windowsill?) or in a garage or shed if you can arrange a place with enough light.  Once the seeds are germinated, you should be able to plant them outdoors or tranfer them to pots or modules until they get a bit bigger. These would probably be OK in a sheltered corner of the garden. The seed packets will give you more detail on when and how to plant. If you do need a dedicated space, those plastic mini-greenhouse are probably the cheapest way. Or find a friend with a greenhouse?

    Don't be afraid to have a fallback plan. For a start, remember that you can buy trays of seedlings ready to plant out. This year my sweet pea seeds didn't germinate so I bought a tray of a dozen little plants from the local shop, which romped away and gave a  lovely display. They're still home grown, all you're doing is let someone start them off for you.

    And if even that fails,  a few bunches of cut flowers from your local market or supermarket can always be bought at the last minute to top up. Another way of cheating is to keep an eye on other people's gardens - I've just let a neighbour cut some of my blue hydrangeas for wedding decorations in the church.

    And please do let us know how it all goes!

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