This National Garden Month, put your green thumb to work to add your own personal, floral touch to upcoming 2013 weddings. Whether it’s your own wedding or you’re tasked with floral responsibilities for a friend or family member’s wedding, growing your own flowers for this special day can save a fortune in florist fees. Brush up on your planting skills and consider these eclectic, wedding-worthy perennials for 2013.
Flower Garden
If you haven’t planted your flowers already, you’ll be able to do so swiftly and easily by transplanting the flower from its pot and into your garden. Plant your wedding flowers on a cool, cloudy day to ease the plant’s transition, suggests Flower-Gardening-Made-Easy.com. Insert the flower into a hole that’s wider, not deeper than the container. Plant one perennial at a time so you don’t dry out the root hairs. Always grab plants by their root mass, not their delicate stems. Gently rub off clinging potting soil and ensure the roots aren’t forming a circle pattern. Carefully set the plant into the hole at the same depth it was in the pot, lightly pack loose soil on top of the roots and water liberally.
One of the worst things that can happen to your flowers is accidentally mowing over them— and jeopardizing the wedding’s floral display. Mowers like Husqvarna riding lawn mowers can easily maneuver around flower beds to avoid damage while mowing. SFGate.com recommends keeping the mower as close to the bed’s edge as you can. The remaining uncut grass around the garden’s perimeter can be dealt with by a string lawn and weed trimmer.
2013 Perennial Varieties
New perennial varieties are available in 2013 and Better Homes and Gardens has a few recommendations. These flowers can be used as a bouquet, corsage, boutonniere or assembled into decorative table pieces.
Hibiscus
- Hypnotic: Likely named after the surrealist spinning circle of hypnosis, this perennial blooms brilliant white with a diameter of 10 to 11 inches. Hypnotic features magenta pinstripes protruding from a deep red center and may even induce a trance upon prolonged staring. Purple leaves resembling maple complement the flower’s rosy bloom. The hypnotic requires full sunlight.
- Heartthrob: The silky, dark crimson petals of Heartthrob will surely tug on gardeners’ heartstrings. It can grow to a maximum of 4 feet high and 6 feet wide, which makes it a suitable neighbor for shrubs or isolated in a pot.
Photo by Flickr user Ratna Rajaiah
Echinacea
- Julia: This coneflower blooms with sunburst orange petals and in its center— crimson florets. Julia is ideal for the tight crannies in your garden as it grows to a mere 15 to 18 inches tall. Not only is Julia heat and drought tolerant, but it requires little maintenance as well.
- Passion Flute: The Passion Flute coneflower blooms from mid to late summer. Its plumed, fluted petals glare out from the center like ultraviolet rays as if trying to mimic the sun. This perennial extends skyward up to three feet and two feet wide in pale sunbeam yellow.
Photo by Flickr user Dennis Des Chene
Sedum
- Pure Joy: Easy to care for and drought-tolerant, Pure Joy is a transformative perennial that alters its appearance every season. During the latter half of summer, Pure Joy blooms in a pink cloud of small, starry flowers. The perennial grows up to 12 inches tall and 20 inches wide.
Photo by Flickr user Jacinta Lluch Valero
Lavender
- Phenomenal: In midsummer, this hybrid lavender flowers into a brilliant purple color. Phenomenal grows up to 32 inches tall and wide to create a violet-blue field of swaying spikes. Lavender Phenomenal is best grown in well-drained soil.
Photo by Flickr user audreyjm529