Allotments 4 All
Produce => Non Edible Plants => Topic started by: daisymay on May 27, 2006, 08:43:08
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Manuel and my big day is fast approaching now....... (end of August) and I am very keen to do the flowers for the reception myself. Just want about 8 big vases of flowers to brighten up the room, is a gorgeous manor house so does not need that much help really.
I have got a variety of sunflowers on the go, which I am hoping will be flowering at the right time. Planted some Gypsophillia plants which have taken off, so likewise, hoping they will be flowering too.
Is there anything you guys can think of that I can get going now which will be in flower at the end of August? either from seed or an annual they would make a great display I can buy as a plant??
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early flowering spray chrysanthemums planted soon should give you plenty of cut flower by the end of August, make sure you ask for early varieties.
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Cosmos flowers freely if you're looking for whispy type flowers. Have you also thought about foliage to mix in with your flowers, perhaps fennel or something like that.
I tell you who might have some good ideas, a friend of mine has a wedding forum and her nephew (who is also a member at the forum) does flowers for weddings, I'm sure he's be able to give you lots of ideas. His username there is Adam Prest http://denisebydesigns.forumup.co.uk/index.php?mforum=denisebydesigns (http://denisebydesigns.forumup.co.uk/index.php?mforum=denisebydesigns)
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There should be lots to choose from, Dahlias is another that comes to mind.
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thanks for the ideas so far everyone - keep em coming!
choice is not the problem - narrowing it down to things that are good cut flowers and are guaranteed to be flowering on August Bank Holiday weekend, I am struggling with!! :)
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Gladioli are in season at the florests then but not sure how long they take from planting...
;D
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ooh - that is a good one. I planted a load of gladioli in the garden this year, had almost forgotten about them.... they are white ones - acidentra??? I think, so they would work well.
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I don't think Acidanthera will be in flower for August, they are very late flowering I'm afraid.
You could have Crocosmia and some lilies though.
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Excellent - got both of those too......... this is great - so many of the things I already have it seems should be performing well this time of year. I feel a spreadsheet coming on of our existing plants v when they flower........
(for those who do not know me BTW - is our first full year with a decent sized garden, having spent winter converting it from 80 ft of grass with an 18 inch border, so I am just learning when and what stuff does, be patient with me! :))
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How exciting! You are brave doing your own flowers. Sunflowers sound great!
If you need any flowers for the big day I'd be happy to help. I have some dwarf sunflowers and crocosmia that should be ready around that time (just incase you've not got enough). I will also have some gladioli (orange ones i think?).
I'd love to see how your garden has changed from when I came round. Have you got any photos?
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Hi Emma
that would be great! my sunflowers all got zapped in the frost last week on the allotment so am a bit behind now, will let you know if I need bailing out nearer the time.... :)
There is always the Bedford flower market on the Friday before too, am not going to get too stressed about it - I will do them myself if I can but is not the end of the world if it does not work out.
as for the garden - you would not recognise it. This was about 5 weeks ago, everything has doubled in size now and we planted out lots more... really pleased with it so far.
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The garden is looking lovely! Looks so much better without the concrete path.
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Wow- that garden's lovely!
(I neglected mine badly in the run-up to my wedding - though was doing dresses and cake*... that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it!)
If you want some ivy then you're welcome to harvest my garden. It's supposed to mean fidelity or something similar. I had it in my bouquet and used piles of the stuff from the garden to decorate the reception.
Oh, if you want satin ribbon for cars and tying bouquets etc I've got most of a 100m reel left...
moonbells
*heck of a way to learn sugar flower making. In at the deep end!
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Hi,
Thank you, have attached a photo of spring time last year for comparison, we have come a long way, it was about 5ft high in weeds when we moved in so have done quite a bit here already........
Thank you for the kind offer - What colour is the ribbon? ivy could be useful too - will let you know nearer the time.
DM x
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Oh wow, Daisymay, what a transformation. It looks so much easier on the eye for a few curvy bits.
You must be very pleased with yourself. :D :D :D
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very nice
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Hmm I think it's cream rather than white but I'll try and remember to check tonight. I assume cream as everything else was...
I got it from the local party shop (along with the table sprinklies, the balloons and a load of pull-bows)
moonbells
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HI MB
That would be fab, if you can spare it. Can use it for the cars - my dad is driving me and Manuel's dad is driving him, we were wondering where to get ribbon for them from!
Have to meet up some time before the wedding to get it...... am thinking a round trip on the Thursday before the wedding to take in you and Emma may be in order, she is not far from you..... :)
as for neglect! went to the lottie for the first time in about a week, nearly cried at the amount of bind weed growing back..... :(
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Hi again
It's 2" wide satin white florist's ribbon (and can be stripped into narrower widths). :) :)
There's enough to do rather a lot of cars - but if you're decorating the venue too, you might be able to have some fun with loops and bows and have something to tie up Emma's sunflowers! :) I shall have to make a mental note of 24th Aug...
moonbells
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Hi Daisymay,
Just wanted to share with you that i am getting married myself very soon :o ;D
Just under six weeks to go and i will be trotting down the aisle.
Unlike you ive not been brave enough to attempt putting together my own flowers, so good luck with that, sounds like it will be lovely with all of the sunflowers.
Your garden looks lovely, you can see the hard work you have put in over the last 12 months.
I decided to keep my garden very simple this year, what with organizing my wedding ect, i wanted to make things a bit easier on myself. I usually go crazy with hanging baskets but this year ive only made up seven ...lol
Then over the last few weeks, i started to think that we might use the garden for photographs before we leave the house, so then it was all systems go, adding a little bit more here and there, and ive spent all day in it today, and am now becoming slightly obsessive making it tip top.
So much for not bothering this year, well i am a woman, i am allowed to change my mind ;D
Anyway good luck with your wedding :)
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OOoooh how exciting! 6 weeks to go eh! wow ;D
Good luck with yours too ;D
My flower plans are not going well, all my sunflowers died so have started again and not sure if they will be ready in time.... but got plenty of other stuff in the garden and there is always the flower market... is only for the party in the evening - not the actual wedding and everyone is usually too drunk to notice anyway!
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Thanks Daisymay ;D
Its exciting isnt it? If not a little nerve wracking too. :o
I hope you are sucessful with your sunflowers, mine havent really started throwing themselves up yet, but i had a new tactic this year.
Usually they are beautiful but always turn their heads away from me, making spectacular displays for my neighbours and not for me who can only see the back of the heads, so this year, refusing to be beaten, ive planted them in huge pots so that i can turn them to where i want them to face....lol
We shall see what happens there :)
How are the rest of your wedding plans going?
We are more or less organised, just got a few little things to sort.
What area of the country are you in?
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Daisymay I thought of you today because in this months edition of Country Living magazine there's an article about a summer wedding and doing the flowers yourself. The bouquet had sprigs of herbs in with the flowers and looked very pretty. :)
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What an exciting time for you Daisymay. Your garden is looking lovely and will be perfect to take photos. I love it when folk do something a bit out of the ordinary as weddings are becoming a bit of a 'set' thing. You know what I mean, as if the same person is organising them all. Doing your own flowers etc will give you lots to look back on in your years to come as a couple. As well as that its great fun. We had two daughters, my niece ,husband and me all chipping in to do the flowers for eldest daughters wedding two years ago. It was a great time but as we only had 6 weeks notice of the whole event it wasn't much time to organise stuff. I always do loads of baskets etc in the summer so that wasn't a problem. We couldn't get a venue so decided to hire a marquee etc and have the do in our garden. We had caterers to do the nosh and we did all the flowers for the house and the tables. We had such a laugh (and a few bottles of wine) the night before the wedding sitting around with bunches of carnations roses chrysanths all from Tesco's and greenery from the garden to make the displays. Wonderful memories now. Have a great time and enjoy every minute.
Just dug out this photo where you can just about spot some of the table flowers that we did about 15 of.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v175/mimi4555/weddingpreparations039.jpg)
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wow mimi - these look good! I had the philosphy that if I did not know why we were doing it, then we are not bothering.... been to far too many identical weddings, watched my friends getting bossed about by photographers and mothers/in laws etc.. and not spend any time with their friends!
Autumn Beauty - thanks for thinking of me, very sweet :)
Honey bee - am starting to get a bit excited, all seems a bit real now!! invites went out 2 weeks ago and getting the replies now. I need to get my shoes and then I am pretty much sorted! Just the bits and bobs for the party then - streamers, balloons, sweets etc....
You must be all sorted now? what flowers have you gone for?
I heard that sunflowers always follow the sun - so you may have a fight on your hands, but let me know if it works, and I will do the same as I never see the face of my sunflowers either!
I am in Bedford. Do you live near Silverdale? my future in-laws have just come back from a holiday there. Had a super time.
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Mimi that looks a fantastic display, you did your daughter proud :)
Daisymay i am also at the bit and bob stage too, not too much to do though, we go shopping on Wednesday and that should be it then, well unless i dream up any more wierd and wonderful ideas up in the mean time.
OH just rolls his eyes and quietly agrees to everything ::) :D :D
We live in Cheshire by the way :)
For my bouquet i am having, cream roses, some kind of feathered rose that i forget the name of and singapore orchids trailing down with some grasses, so it will be all cream with a bit of green.
Its so exciting isnt it? ;D
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That sounds gorgeous Honeybee. Hope that we get to see some photos>
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I've just lost this reply for the second time. I could cry.
I hate the refresh button if you press it. You can never get back to what you typed.
Ideas:
Ikea tealight holders/candles on tables: http://www.ikea.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10103&storeId=7&langId=-20&productId=13122
Battery candles if they don't allow real ones: http://www.tantronics.co.uk/acatalog/SmartCandles.html
table confetti's fun! You can match to colour scheme - most party shops will order from the catalogue of colours. Ditto balloons.
(http://www.babblings.moonbells.com/Weddings/JanePaul/OfficialPhotos2/8-7.jpg)
We had guest photo instead of guest book - informal shot of us, enlarged up to 7x5" and with a frame that had a wide border. Stuck photo in position behind border and passed it about with a gold pen. Photo now on wall in house!
extra stationery: www.blackmouse.co.uk (we did all our own invitations etc to save ££)
I have a three-tier offset step cake stand if anyone wants to borrow one - couldn't hire the one I wanted so had to buy it as cake design depended on it!
shoes: if you want practical ones or ones you can dance in, try
http://www.stagestruck.co.uk/acatalog/Shoes___Bridesmaid.html
We had that cava too, Mimi!
We named our tables after Arthurian characters rather than just numbering them. I was going for flowers but P. put his foot down and I challenged him to come up with something else!
Good luck with the table seating plans... that was the WORST bit!
Put coded colour dots on the name cards to indicate veggies or special meals to serving staff so they don't have to ask or be told.
right, am going to post, and will edit later if I think of anything else!
ok edit 1: flowers - I really lucked out with my florist. Picked the left hand pic out of a book of ideas and she turned it into the one on the right. I was so pleased with the flowers I nearly cried!
(http://www.moonbells.com/A4Apics/bouquet.jpg) (http://www.moonbells.com/A4Apics/bouquet_actual.jpg)
edit 2: Get beanie toys, colouring/sticker books and coloured pencils (not felt tips!) for bored kids. We had the problem of getting the beanies back off the adults... ;D (there's a leopard in a napkin in the table pic!). It worked - not a peep out of any of them!
moonbells
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is annoying when you spend ages writing a reply and it disappears, does not happen that often on here though.
Flowers and table looks great MB!
I ordered my bouquet and button holes last week - having passion roses (dark red) and ivory roses, blue and ivory freesias and the odd bit of lavendar with ivy and dark green foliage - sounds really hectic now I have written it down :-\ but sure it will be lovely. Having roses in my hair too and on the Sunday for the party having a wrist corsage with roses and lavender.
those tea light holders are very cheap from IKEA too. We are having plastic tables though - as we are having a BBQ outside (very risky I know - no rain dancing on 27th Aug please!) - so not sure if they will melt the tables or not, going to ask if we are allowed them!
Going to go to costco and IKEA a bit nearer the time for lots of the little bits and bobs
I love the idea of signing the photo and not a guest book, one of our friend did this too last year. Need to get in touch with our photographer and find out if we can do this...... failing that - just get the frame made I guess for one of the wedding photos to slot into!
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We cheated - with about 4 days to go, set up my big digicam outside on the lawn, got P to stand there while I focussed it etc, and then he grabbed the cat. I used the timer remote to take pics. We have a series of hilarious ones of a Houdini cat trying desperately to get down while P hung on for dear life... and I waved the remote about to get her attention... finally she got the hint and we got a pic of her glaring at the camera while I squinted at the sun (last time we saw it for rain clouds!) and P tried to look as if he hadn't just gone 10 rounds with a cross spiky feline!
moonbells
pm coming!
another edit!
If you're going for the traditional canteen of cutlery for a wedding pressie, then you can usually buy a cake knife in the same design, which you can get engraved with your names and the date, and then use it for the cake cutting, with flowers either real or icing to match the cake/bouquets
And another!
I forgot - one of the funniest diversions was leaving small champagne-shaped bottles of bubbles on the tables... the adults were worse than the kids! They only cost 50p each and were a bargain...
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Good idea that.... considering where I work should be able to get a decent print done, which we can then frame! ;D
getting loads of good ideas today..... just need to find some time.
Bubbles are a definite - I will be playing with them the most!
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Hi daisymay,
It all sounds lovely!
If you are going to be outside in the dusk/evening are you going to have any candles around? I was working at a wedding last weekend where they had put a couple of handfulls of soil in paper grocery bags (to hold them open) and put a lit tea light inside. They were then dotted around and used to light the paths. So simple yet so pretty!
Also if you are having reception drinks outside, you can sprinkle a handfull or two of dried lavender on the grass to scent the air as people walk over it.
I hope you have a wonderful day,
lottief
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yet more great ideas! thanks for them..... :)
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This all sounds soooo exciting, so much more inventive than my wedding 33 years ago.(mind you , my bouquet was similar to Moonbells,even then).
Sadly in a way, no 1 daughter has just had all her wedding money to help buy a house-they take possession tomorrow. Maybe in the future, who knows........ ;)
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these are august flowers, not sure if they are seasonal or not...
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v186/legless/wog053.jpg)
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wow - you look stunning - (if that is you that is!)
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hell no that's not me! ;D
she is absolutely beautiful (as were the flowers) but i'm a wedding photographer, i took it.
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Wow - not long til the big day now!
Let me know if you need any help with flowers.
If I don't speak/see you soon, GOOD LUCK and best wishes!
Emma
x
PS: Post some of the photos when you get them!