Our guide to growing your own wedding flowers

With wedding flowers accounting for just over 2% of the average total cost of a wedding here in the UK, making savings on such a small part of your wedding budget may seem like a drop in the ocean. But as you’ll quickly discover as you delve deeper into the wedding planning process every penny saved counts.

With spring well underway, now is the perfect time to begin your quest for more cost-effective – or even free – wedding flowers and foliage, and all you need is a little time, patience and outdoor space.

Using the great outdoors to your advantage and growing your wedding flowers is possible not to mention affordable, fun and extremely satisfying. You don’t need to be particularly green-fingered to get started either! Read our tips for growing your wedding flowers, and cultivate the blooms that will make your big day extra beautiful.

Choose your varieties wisely

You’re already certain to have a few ideas about which varieties of flowers you’d like to see at your wedding ceremony and reception. Before you rush out to buy the associated seeds and seedlings, however, do your research.

You’ll need to know which flowers you can realistically grow to full size in the time you have available, and which are suitable for growth within your garden space. The soil conditions, available shade and sunlight, and the current climate will influence your shopping list too.

Decide on your style and identify the most suitable, in-season varieties for your needs and garden early.

Make your selection based on looks and yield

In addition to considering the aesthetics of your shortlisted varieties, you need to think about the yield they’ll produce. A certain number of stems will be required to complete your bouquets, buttonholes, aisle décor and table displays.

English flower grower Georgie Newbery gives her recommendations for wedding friendly flowers with high yields:

“Flowers to sow now which will give generously on the day: ammi majus, cornflowers, snapdragons, cerinthe Major Purpurescans, Clary sage, and of course sweet peas. They are all surprisingly bountiful. This is the key if you want to grow your wedding flowers. One cornflower will provide for three weddings: just keep cutting and feeding it. Three rows of sweet peas, grown like runner beans–not entwined around something pretty–will give you 700 stems at exactly the right moment.”

Start sowing your seeds little and often

Your grow your own project doesn’t have to be time-consuming. By starting small, and sowing little and often, you can refine your gardening skills and test the waters with your chosen varieties. For the best chances of success for your seedlings, follow the instructions on each seed pack to a tee.

We recommend undertaking additional research to hone the techniques that will make your project fruitful. Resources like the Gardeners’ World and Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) websites offer some great tips. As you’ll see there is much to learn to give your flowers the five-star treatment they need to flourish.

After your seeds have been sown, you can put that newly acquired gardening knowledge to good use, watering, feeding and pruning your blooms until they’re ready to be cut and given a place at your wedding ceremony and reception venue.

Make your green-fingered mission a family affair

Your loved ones will be eager to help throughout the wedding planning process, so why not put them to work growing your wedding flowers? By enlisting the help of others, you’ll not only reduce your workload during this rather stressful period but give them the satisfaction of contributing something extra special to your wedding.

Give your beautiful, home-grown blooms the perfect backdrop by choosing Holmewood Hall as your wedding venue. Contact our team today to find out more, check availability or book a viewing.

To get in touch with a member of the team, please email or call us via the contact details below. Alternatively, if you'd like to request a brochure or enquire about date availability, please click 'Enquire Now' in the menu at the top of this page.

Katie Davies

T: +44 1487 829 555
E: info@holmewood-hall.co.uk

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