Selfsufficientish.com

Hello

I'm getting married in December , and in self-sufficientish style we'd like to grow the flowers ourselves. Having only grown veg in the past, and getting married at the start of December, I'm not sure how possible this is though!

I have access to a greehouse, and a sunny windowsill, but is there anything that can be guaranteed (or as close as possible!) to flower at the end of November to early December? As possibilities we've started doing some research into daffodils and anemomes, with the possibility of forcing daffodil bulbs. Any tips/hints/ideas would be greatly appreciated!

Jon

amarylis? you see the kits for sale in woolies and supermarkets.. you can buy the bulbs seperately at garden centres.. big showy flowers.

or...go all pagan and have holly and ivy and other winter greenery. ok techically not flowers...
or how about winter flowering jasmine - little yellow flowers on stems. though its a bush.. so maybe you could find a family member who has one...

I did accidentally manage to get some narcissus bulbs to flower in the conservatory in December but I couldn't tell you how to do it.

I like Red's suggestion of holly and ivy which you could jolly up with some ponsettia flowers - they come in all colours now. My pelargoniums and fuschias do well in the conservatory all through the winter but I'm not sure how long they would last as cut flowers though.

Hyacinths can also be forced indoors.

What about mistletoe? I know it's not a flower but it does link romance with the time of year. If you are in South Wales I know someone just on the Bristol side of the Severn Bridge who has loads if you are interested.

Oh - and those ornamental winter cabbages. Not a true flower but they are really pretty.

Zoe

I got married in green, and decked the village hall out with ivy and other greenery and fairy lights, for a ceilidh. I asked for no gifts, but help instead - so friends and family were happy to turn out with an armful of green stuff and set to making the place look nice as their gift to us. It was great if I say so myself...

Thanks for all the replies We've just made a list of the ideas, and are going to start researching them. We'll let you know how it goes, and get some pictures of the finished result!

Thanks for the offer of Mistletoe Thomzo, I may well contact you nearer the time to ask for some if thats ok :)

No worries. It's not mine though so I hope my friends don't mind me offering it. I was round there over the easter weekend and their apple trees are full of it so I guess by Christmas they'll be glad to get rid.

Zoe