Specialty Gardening: growing cut flowers for my sisters wedding, need advice., 1 by kosk0025

kosk0025 wrote:
Many of the flowers listed aren't ready for cutting in my garden until July-August. However, you are probably 3-4 weeks ahead of me being south of here. (I'm a zone 8b).

It sounds like you know your stuff, and everything will be fabulous. It sounds so fun!!!! I can't wait to do wedding flowers from my yard someday.

I think you could do many of the arrangements the night before.

One of my favorites for arrangements are 'Billy buttons'. Sturdy stems and so cute. And they last for weeks as a cut flower.

I agree: sweet pea will wilt in a hair comb rather quickly. The best flowers for hair combs are the same flowers that are best for drying (yarrow, statice, strawflowers to name a few. Billy buttons would be good also.) But I would avoid any flowers with petals---these would all have risk of wilting)

Cutest boutonniere I've ever seen was made from sea holly (eryngium).

Pic is of my favorite June arrangement I did last summer. I lined the basket with a large ziplock bag. Inserted floral foam. Then flowers. David Austin roses, peonies, and lady's mantle. Covered any evidence of the ziplock bag with moss.

If you use floral foam, start soaking it at least 12 hours before inserting flowers.

You can also submerge all greenery (even hosta leaves) in water for 24 hours before the event to make the foliage last much longer.

Use lots of greenery from your yard such as laurel to really make the flowers stand out. You need much fewer flowers also when using greenery as a filler.

My favorite floral filler is yarrow. which comes in all shades of pink, orange, yellow, red, white.



This message was edited Mar 21, 2013 6:49 AM