Why go to the trouble when your local flower stall will have all you need and more? I thought along these lines, until I mistakenly grew a bed of sunflowers.
Amongst what we feed our chickens, I sprinkle the type of sunflower seeds you would give to parrots. My chickens are semi-partial to them (not as much passion as they express for coconut), so they leave a few. And these inadvertently got worked into the soil (they do love to scratch).
Within a month there sprang an entire bed full of sunflowers (in amongst the nettle and mustard lettuce) – without my having to plant a single seed!
Suddenly I had visions of growing other flowers – give them to the chickens to work through the soil and bingo – all the blossoms you need. Of course you don’t need chickens in order to successfully grow blooms.
Here are a few tips on Growing your own:
- Timing is of the essence – blooms like sunflowers, lavender, arum lillies, strelitzias and agapanthus can be coaxed into bloom in one growing season. Speak to someone who knows and grows flowers, read the seed packets – see which flowers are mostly likely to bloom in the season in which you will marry, and how many weeks they will need to be perfect for the day
- Go with all year round blooms – the type of flower you can almost guarantee will grow at any time of year – roses, chrysanthemems, asters, carnations, lilies, fynbos, germini, gerbera daisies, beautiful gypsophila and sunflowers – are a safe bet
- Make use of your shrubs – have a good look around your garden; you’ll be surprised at how many of the shrubs you can use for your bouquet – dog roses, fynbos, hydrangeas, lilacs
- Involve others – ask your family and friends if they’re prepared to each grow a bed of flowers, or contribute the blooms of a shrub
- Feed the soil – make sure the soil in which you plant is rich in compost, and use worm castings and worm liquid often to feed the soil
Wedding Links
Happy Wedding Planning!
♥♥♥
Oh, and please “Like” us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter – we’ll ♥ you so much if you do x
