My son is getting married at the end of September and I’ve offered to grow the flowers for his wedding. I have a large polytunnel and greenhouse, and propagation is my passion. He and my future daughter-in-law would like a natural garden flower look, using some bright colours such as orange, yellow and russet. I know there’s lots of choice at that time of year, including dahlias, gladioli and rudbeckia. But my challenge is when to start plants off. Is there some sort of guide to how long it typically takes different species to flower? Also, can I speed up or slow down growth as it gets nearer the date? I would appreciate any pointers.
This is a very kind and generous offer on your part, but one I’d suggest should come with some conditions attached. The first is that the couple employ a florist to supply any personal flowers such as bouquets and buttonholes. These are high-profile arrangements best left to a professional to assemble, not only for reasons of durability on the day, but also to save you additional stress at a time when this can already be a tough juggling act. You can always provide the florist with some buckets of beautiful home-grown blooms, requesting that they’re incorporated into the arrangements. But this takes away some of the pressure, leaving you free to concentrate on arrangements for the ceremony and reception.
Next, bear in mind that late September is a key transition time in the garden, when the first of killing frosts and autumn storms are not unusual. The worst-case scenario is that one threatens to badly damage your plants just days before the wedding. For this reason, I’d suggest reaching out to flower farmers in your vicinity (see flowerfarmersofireland.ie) to find out if they can supply you at short notice if required.
You’re also correct to wonder how long it will take plants to be productive. Not only does this vary widely according to the variety, but manipulating the process is a complicated, nuanced procedure with a host of factors in play, including sunlight and temperature levels over the extended growing period.
For this reason, successional sowing of small amounts of good-quality seed of fast-growing hardy and half-hardy long-flowering annuals is your best approach (see seedaholic.com; mrmiddleton.com; lilysfield.ie; gardens4you.ie; and bellemeadowireland.com). Stagger these sowing periods into two to three sessions starting with the first batch now in late March, timing any subsequent sowings to coincide with the appearance of the first set of true leaves on the seedlings of the prior sowing.
Suitably productive varieties include Cosmos ‘Apricotta’ and ‘Rubenza’; the strawflower Helichrysum bracteata; Limonium sinuatum; annual rudbeckia, tagetes (taller varieties) and orache. Heat-loving species that will flourish in your polytunnel include zinnia, clarkia and amaranthus. Make sure to prepare the ground well in advance with well-rotted manure and some slow-release, pelleted organic fertiliser before planting them as young seed-raised transplants, keeping the plants well-watered and protecting them from slugs. Dahlias (pompon-types are best), planted as tubers, should also do well both outdoors and under cover. Best of luck.
