Flowers for in pots at July wedding

Hi all,

This is my first time posting here and I'm hoping for some advice from more experienced gardeners than myself!

I am getting married next July (3rd, so early July) and would like to grow the flowers for my wedding. However, rather than growing flowers for cutting I would like to grow the flowers in small pots (I guess pots that are around 20cm tall?) and then have these as the centrepieces. It's a village hall wedding so a rustic appearance won't be a problem! One of the reasons for pots rather than cutting flowers is that I'll be growing them at my home in Oxfordshire but the wedding itself will be taking place near my parent's house in Yorkshire so they'll need to be able to withstand a bit of a journey.

So my question is, what flowers can I grow from seed or bulb that will flower reliably through summer so that I don't have to worry about them not being in flower on the day itself? So far I've thought of Mexican Fleabane and violas for the table pots, but any other ideas would be gratefully received.

Also any thoughts on plants I can grow in big pots (50cm+) for by the front door that have impact but again, will be flowering reliably in early July (or at least structurally interesting)?

The colours I'd like in my bouquet are deep gold ('Golden Celebration' rose), apricots and creams, so any suggestions in these colours would be ideal, but I'm not set on having a colour scheme so really anything pretty and reliably flowering would be great.

Asking so far in advance as I'm planning on a trial run this summer

Thanks very much!

Steph

 

@SWales , congratulations and I hope you have fun planning for the big day. Marley Farley has come up with some good suggestions for shorter plants for your tables. I wouldn’t want anything that blocks the view or impedes conversation! There are many marigolds and calendulas (taller plants so more suitable for your entrance door) which come in your preferred colour palette, ranging from cream to apricot to rust. Have a look through some of the on-line seed catalogues for suggestions. Marigolds, can have quite a pungent smell though so you may not want them on the tables.

Other statement plants you might like to consider are aquilegia ‘Lime Sorbet’ and trailing begonias ‘Show Angels’.

If you are having a practice run this year, I would suggest that you sow successionally (a few seeds of each type on a weekly basis say) and keep good notes. This will give you a better idea of timescales to ensure that you have a good display for the beginning of July - assuming no adverse weather conditions of course!

 

@SWales
If I was you I would look around at bedding plants, they'll be in garden centres soon. I say this because I think they will be your most reliable option and, in my opinion, growing from seeds for your own wedding is an added pressure you really don't need

All bedding plants will need to be kept frost free as would plug plants ( even cheaper ) and potted on. Still a lot less faff than seeds though.
I'm not a summer bulb grower so can't advise on them, sorry.

The choice of bedding is huge, in both colour and height, I'm sure you would find something you love. The beauty of bedding is it can be in your chosen pots from early June with only watering, feeding and deadheading to worry about, job ticked off

You'll find all the info about height etc on the label in good garden centres but don't hesitate to ask here. I will add, supermarkets and and the likes of Aldi are good too.
Good luck, keep us informed and any questions, just ask

 

Hi @SWales I'd agree with @Loki - the pressure of the wedding will be more than enough without the risk of losing new seedlings to changeable weather. Plug plants reduce the risk.
How about nemesias? They come in all sorts of colours (including cream, yellow), are sweetly scented, and flower over a long period. The mail order sellers are offering them (as will garden centres) and you can just keep potting on the plug plants. Then if they try to flower too early, pinch out the heads.
Or lilies? There are some smaller ones. The only snag with them is getting the timing right, and also avoiding the pollen getting on guests' clothes...
Be warned that some flowers eg gazanias may not open if the pots are on tables indoors away from sunlight.

 

How about coleus has amazing folliage and no worry about timeing with flowering