I’m thinking of growing my own wedding flowers for my early July wedding next year. I’m in England and I really want pink and orange flowers like in the picture I have.
The problem is, I have no idea what to plant or when to make sure they bloom at the right time!
Any advice on what flowers to grow and when to plant them to make this work?
If I were you, I wouldn’t take on the stress of growing flowers for your wedding. Timing bloom cycles is tricky:
Hiring a professional florist will save you a lot of stress.
Are you sure you want the extra hassle of trying to time flowers to bloom exactly for your wedding?
You could try ‘Falling in Love’ Shirley poppies—they’re pretty and come in pinks and oranges. For roses, hybrid teas with long stems work well, and mature bushes give better results. Chamomile might be a good filler, but it can cause allergies, so check first.
Prepare your garden by weeding, tilling, and adding compost as soon as the weather allows. Poppies are easy to grow, and using an organic fertilizer with beneficial microbes will help. Just keep in mind, poppies and some others don’t last long after cutting.
Sable said:
@Jesse
The thing with poppies is they fade really fast. You can try sealing the cut stems in hot water, but it’s hit or miss. This is why I’d avoid DIY flowers for something as important as a wedding.
You can also use a lighter to seal the ends. It works but takes time.
Sable said:
@Jesse
The thing with poppies is they fade really fast. You can try sealing the cut stems in hot water, but it’s hit or miss. This is why I’d avoid DIY flowers for something as important as a wedding.
I’ve heard the lighter method works okay too, but even then, poppies only last a couple of days.
Check out Alma Proust—she’s written books on growing flowers and has a seed company where you can search by bloom time. Zinnias and cosmos are popular and easy to grow. For roses, David Austin has some great orange varieties. Since this is your first time, make sure you have a backup plan, like a florist or a local flower farm, just in case. For fillers, try fennel or carrot flowers—they add volume to arrangements.
This sounds so lovely and personal! Try growing cosmos, zinnias, and snapdragons—they bloom well in July and have the pink and orange colors you want. You can do this!
For my wedding, I ordered bulk roses a few days ahead. They hadn’t opened yet, so I got to arrange them myself. It was affordable and felt personal. Maybe consider that as an option?
You should ask around on forums dedicated to cut flowers. There are people who’ve done exactly what you’re planning and can share their experience.
Such a lovely idea! 
England’s growing season is short, so look for quick-blooming flowers like sweet peas or violas that can be ready by early July.
Those flowers look amazing, but they might actually be really good artificial ones. If timing and weather are concerns, you could consider that as an option too.
Snapdragons, cosmos, and zinnias should be blooming by July. Poppies don’t work well as cut flowers and bloom earlier in June. If you start dahlias indoors early, you might get some by July too.
