Planning a wedding can be thrilling and overwhelming, especially when you get around to selecting the perfect blooms. The ideal solution is walking down the aisle surrounded by flowers you’ve grown yourself. Nurturing your own wedding flowers not only adds a personal touch but can also be more cost-effective. In this article, we’ll explore 12 wedding flowers you can grow yourself, making your special day even more unique.
Dutch Iris
Dutch irises are ideal for wedding bouquets and floral arrangements thanks to their elegant shape and diverse color palette, including shades of pink, white, and purple, often accented with a yellow center. They grow 18-24 inches tall, are extremely easy to cultivate, and require low maintenance. Plant iris bulbs in the fall to ensure they bloom in mid or late spring, right on time for a late spring wedding.
Celosia
Celosia is a stunning choice for wedding celebrations, symbolizing love, passion, and commitment with its vibrant colors and unique appearance. With varieties like the plumed type with upright spires and the crested type with twisted forms, celosia blooms are showy, stiff, and waxy, making them perfect for bouquets. These easy-to-grow flowers thrive in well-draining soil and need at least six hours of full sun daily. Celosia flowers abundantly from late spring to the first frost.
Calla Lily
Calla lilies, with their long elegant trumpet shape and classic creamy white hue, are a natural choice for wedding flowers. They also come in stunning colors like yellows, pinks, and purples. These blooms last up to 10 days after being cut, making them perfect for tall flower arrangements. Calla lilies are versatile and can be grown inside, outside, in pots, or garden borders. They bloom for 6-12 weeks throughout summer. Plant plenty of bulbs to ensure a plentiful display, as each bulb produces up to six blooms.
Cornflowers
Cornflowers, also known as bachelor’s buttons, symbolize tenderness, friendliness, and fidelity. These friendly flowers pair well with other plants like roses, peonies, daisies, irises, poppies, and even ears of wheat or barley. In ancient Greece, cornflowers held symbolic value in religious ceremonies and were associated with gods and goddesses. They are one of the easiest wildflowers to grow for weddings. Sprinkle the seeds on bare soil, water them, and watch them grow. Originally bright blue, cornflowers now come in pink, purple, bicolor combos, and white.
Zinnias
Zinnias stand out for their versatility and longevity, fitting seamlessly into any wedding style, from rustic to elegant. They are perfect for couples with limited space and budget, as a single plant produces masses of flowers. Grown as annuals, zinnias prefer warmer temperatures (68-72°F). They come in various colors (except blue), sizes, and petal formations, from single to double blooms. These flowers are an excellent choice to grow yourself if you don’t have a long time to plan for your wedding, as the flowers start blooming 60-70 days after they are planted.
Cosmos
Bright and beautiful cosmos flowers are an excellent choice for weddings, complementing the typical white hues with vibrant colors. Perfect for summer weddings, cosmos bloom through fall, making them suitable for fall and winter weddings as well. Easy to nurture and ideal for new gardeners, the cosmos can be showy enough for formal affairs. After the last spring frost, Directly sow cosmos seeds in the garden. Spread the seeds on the soil surface, lightly rake them in, and keep the soil evenly moist. Seeds germinate in 7 to 14 days.
Pincushions
Few flowers can match the beauty and charm of pincushions. These whimsical blooms, resembling button-sized cupcakes, are perfect for bouquets. Available in raspberry, rose, burgundy, ivory, and stunning blue, pincushions are versatile and bloom from spring until the first frost, making them ideal for weddings from spring through fall. You can use the plant and flower at various stages, from greenery and buds to blooms and seed pods.
Carnations
Elegance and resilience make carnations a quintessential choice for wedding floral arrangements. Carnations symbolize love, purity, and admiration, which makes them ideal for wedding bouquets, centerpieces, boutonnieres, and corsages. Since Carnations bloom from early spring to mid-fall and are available year-round, they offer flexibility for any wedding season. They thrive in bright sun and well-drained soil, and you can start them from seeds indoors or directly sow them after the last frost.
Gladiolus
Gladiolus plants offer a stunning display with their tall, impressive stalks and various colors. Growing up to four feet tall, these flowers are perfect for making an impactful wedding statement. Plant gladioli close together or provide support to keep their stems straight, as they can bend toward the light. You can also grow Gladioli in pots. They are an excellent choice for early spring weddings. Plant the corms indoors with supplemental lighting or in full sun a few months before your big day for the best results.
Stocks
Stocks are a great choice of wedding blooms, as they represent beauty, purity, and sweetness. Their delicate petals and sweet fragrances bring joy and happiness. These flowers come in various shades, including pink, purple, white, pastel yellow, and ivory, which makes them perfect for vintage-style weddings. The seeds are readily available. Opt for double blooms for bigger wedding arrangements. Stocks thrive in cooler temperatures and prefer to bloom before the summer heat.
Dahlias
Dahlias are available in a wide range of shapes, sizes, and colors to suit any ceremony. From massive dinner plates to sweet pompons and eye-catching cactus types, there’s a dahlia for every vision. Color options range from pure white to nearly black, including solid and multi-hued varieties. Dahlias are best grown from tubers to ensure true-to-type blooms. They begin flowering in early summer and peak by late summer, which makes them ideal for summer or fall weddings.
Larkspur
Larkspur’s tall, spiky blooms and diverse colors symbolize love and happiness. They have delicate, ruffled petals and slender, towering stalks. Available in lavender, purple, white, and pink, Larkspur suits any wedding theme. Blooming from early spring to late summer, they are perfect for warm-weather weddings. Larkspur thrives in full sun, moist but well-draining soil, moderate watering, and cooler temperatures, making it an easy-to-grow flower.