My niece is getting married July 12th. She just wants a casual reception, in my sisters back yard. Her colors are red and white, so we want to plant lots of red flowers. I figured we could plant a lot of pots, then wrap the pots in paper, and use them everywhere.
So, I'm looking for suggestions for red annuals, including vines, that would be nice by July 12th. Any ideas?
Thanks!!
Geraniums
Petunias
Coleus
Maybe these?
http://cgi.ebay.com/SNAPDRAGON-SNAPPY-NIGHT-DAY-35-SEEDS_W0QQitemZ200200308687QQihZ010QQcategoryZ2033QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
http://cgi.ebay.com/NEMESIA-DANISH-FLAG-RED-WHITE-BICOLOR-25-SEEDS_W0QQitemZ190198708182QQihZ009QQcategoryZ3183QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
Thanks Dawn.
Those are beautiful Celeste!
I forgot to mention she's on a budget, so seeds are great! I just want to make sure they are blooming in time. I haven't grown many annuals from seed.
Boy that's a tough order to get flowers from seed by then.
That's why I was wondering if there are fast growers that do well in containers. I'm sure we can splurge on some plants from the nursery.
Could you get a local nursery to rent you plants for a day? (I just invented that!)
That would be neat ha?
I'll look into inexpensive plants from a nursery.
Red and white impatiens for any shady areas? You should be able to get some pretty inexpensive plants from HD and then blast them with Bloom Booster to plump them up....How exciting, Deb!
Yes, very exciting! Congratulations!!
Most places will give you a discount if you buy whole flats of annuals or you could bring a senior citizen and get the discount. Tell them what they are for and see if they will give you a good price if you put their card out for people to see.
We really could transform her back yard if we got enough flowers. And I know a senior citizen!
Actually I shop at a local, small family run nursery - the owner knows I'm in the store when he sees my car in my parking space. I'm in there almost weekly, and have contributed to his kids educations. I bet he would give me a deal.
One time when he said thanks for customers like me, I said I know, I should get a frequent shoppers discount, he said you're right and he gave me a freebie.
This will be fun. Thanks for the ideas!
Sounds like fun, Deb. Good luck!
Red and white verbena? i'm not sure in containers, but the itty bitty nursery ones i've bought grow like crazy in the ground.
Red lobelia? i've never grown it, but it is bright.
Celosia?
Portulaca?
i'm not much of a red kind of girl...
Thanks Amy, I've never tried much from seed, so don't know if there are fast bloomers, or how they would do starting indoors. My sister has a sunny, warm kitchen, so should be able to get something going. She has a large back yard, chain link fence for the dog - I would have covered the fence with vines long ago, but thought if we could get something blooming there it would be pretty. Too bad morning glories wouldn't last all day, because they would be fast color.
I have family and friends with large yards, that if I had, I'd have already filled.
Verbena do real well in containers.
Gerbera daisy
verbena are often one of those 6 for $2 at the nursery plants.
I'm thinking more and more of flats, and if they are in containers, I could bring some home after the wedding!
Well, verbena are cheap, and you can get red ones, white ones, and red and white ones. And it's a different look than petunias or typical "bouquet" flowers.
Mine always get a lot of comments here, though i have never grown much red.
a tiny cell phone pic of my once wild cat with 2/3 of a 6 pack of mixed verbena, + one perennial purple verbena in late summer.
I like it Amy!
sorry- i must totally sound like a PSA from the Verbena Association.
i don't usually give them much thought...
Amy - Did you ever name your cats?
um. nope.
Eric calls the boy Buddy - i call him Dude. We call the girl a lot of things, mostly things i can't repeat here. (She is a very energetic cat.)
i tend to call them Furboy and Furgirl a lot.
We are trying to figure out their future - just when i was beginning to ENJOY having cats, i found out that it is very possible that they are making this interminable problem with my eyes even worse. We'll learn more when i go to Houston for a week mid-March.
She is sad when Eric leaves. (well, so am i...)
he seems to be adjusting to life inside pretty well...
he digs the brushing thing, that's for sure!
last one.
And now, back to our regularly scheduled red and white wedding thread, already in progress...
Howzy bout Cypress Vine? I would imagine that in your zone, you wouldn't have to worry about it being invasive(?). http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/93/ Debilu, which lake(s) are you nearest?
Pretty kitties!
The cats are beautiful!
Thanks wrightie, looks like they are invasive in warmer zones, might be worth a try - they are pretty. We are nearest to Canandaigua Lake, kind of in between there and Lake Ontario.
Pretty area - I spent a lot of time on Owasco, Cayuga and Skaneatles once upon a time.
All the Fingerlakes are beautiful! Cayuga Lake and Ithaca are my favorite.
I think you might be able to get red and white zinnias to flower by July 12 if you plant the seeds early indoors and coddle them a bit! I also wondered if you could buy spring tulip bulbs (the ones that you can buy that have been forced into spring bloom) and just keep them cool and then plant them later than usual and have them in pots for tables, etc. I am sure red and white tulips would be quite stunning.
Claire
I couldn't agree more. I've toyed with the idea of buying a cottage up there as an investment property or 2nd home.
My dad and I drove up for a visit to his home town (near Owasco) back in September. He's in his early 80s now and hadn't been back for about five years - it's been closer to 10 yrs for me though. Boy, was it a shock to see Ithaca and the various farming communities near there after having been away for years. Several of my favorite haunts in Ithaca are long since closed down. What a bummer.
Thanks Claire, I was looking at one of the seed catalogs, and now I don't remember what, but a few said early blooming... I think I'll try zinnias from seed, and if they aren't ready - well, we'll have flowers later.
My friend has a cottage on Seneca Lake, and I visit when I can.
I loved the Geneva area when we were there. Would definitely go back to the Finger Lakes region.
Our local nursery does rent plants for weddings. He grows huge baskets of bacopa and white petunias, and he custom grows other colors. He also does pots and baskets for the local high school graduations in the school colors, and then rents them after that for the graduation parties. The plants get rented all summer long at far more than he could sell them. It's worth looking into. He did special baskets for his niece's wedding last summer - OMG, they were incredible!!! But he starts from plugs in February.
Hey Victor, on your vacation thread, I was contemplating suggesting a cottage rental on one of the Finger Lakes ... or Lake George area ... or the Thousand Islands. :) I have many fond memories from childhood of time spent on the lakes & St. Lawrence.
Thanks wrightie. We liked Lake George when my older guy (now nine) was about 1 1/2 yrs old. We will go back there too. NYS has lots of beauty.
I was thinking again....you could always use some red flowers like a geranium for example and then use little white flowers. Sorry I forget the name of them but they are very small and they overhang in baskets.....the red and white would look very pretty together! Just an idea......
Bacopa? Like a bridal veil!
I have a plant stand that holds 9 pots, how about white flowers and bacopa in all except the center one with red flowers to look like a bride holding a red bouquet? Maybe get a few of those plant stands - cheap at Michael's.
