Grow Your Own Wedding Flowers: A Complete Planning and Planting Guide

Growing your own wedding flowers can save hundreds of dollars in floral costs. The cash investment is minimal; the real cost is time spent planning, planting, and tending—spread over months or years, making it manageable and enjoyable.

Planning Comes First

The most vital aspect is starting early—one to three years before the event, depending on the flowers you want. This time allows flowering shrubs (hydrangeas, roses) and perennials (daisy, purple coneflower) to mature and produce enough blooms for bouquets.

Annual flowers: Zinnias, sunflowers, snapdragons, and others reach full bloom in one growing season. Check seed packets for days to bloom to ensure your flowers will be ready by the wedding date. Timing is critical; for example, zinnias won’t bloom for a mid-May wedding in Maine without a greenhouse.

Perennial flowers: Peonies, asters, yarrow, lilies, and others bloom at specific times. Be realistic about when your desired perennials flower in your region. Most take a couple of years to establish, so plant them 2–3 years before the wedding—or plant extra for first-year abundance.

Shrubs: Hydrangeas, forsythias, lilacs, flowering quince, and dogwoods also have set bloom times and may take years to establish. Add shrubs to the landscape several years prior, or purchase large specimens. Amend soil with compost at planting and fertilize consistently.

Don’t hesitate to enlist help. Family and friends who garden can contribute by growing beds of zinnias or asters, making them part of the celebration.

Prepare Soil

Once you’ve selected flowers suited to your area and bloom window, calculate how many plants you need and the space required. Whether starting a new bed or enhancing an existing one, work plenty of compost into planting areas. For a new bed, eliminate weeds first. If seeds need warm soil and you’re planting in early spring, cover the bed with black plastic for a week or two before sowing.

Water Faithfully

Adequate water is crucial. Drought stress delays bloom time and can cause bud abortion. Conversely, overwatering leads to rotted buds and fungal issues. New shrubs need 1 inch of water per week (rain or irrigation) during their first growing season, soaking soil 4–6 inches deep. Ensure consistent irrigation for annuals during early growth and for summer/fall ceremonies.

Growing Tricks

Plan for disaster. Overplant key flowers. Fill gaps with duplicate annuals; for perennials and shrubs, plant extras from the start or have family grow backups in their yards.

Beat too-soon blooms. If a warm spell triggers early flowering on annuals, simply remove buds—but not right before the wedding, as new buds need time to form.

Count on one stem. For fewer, larger blooms (e.g., peonies, sweet peas), remove side shoots to direct energy to the main stem.

Coddle with covers. Have frost blankets or plastic sheeting ready to protect plants from unexpected cold snaps, especially early-spring plantings for a June wedding.

Feed for flowers. Weekly diluted liquid fertilizer keeps annuals growing steadily. Switch to a bloom-booster fertilizer about four weeks before the wedding.

Bloomers to Consider

Peak flowering windows vary by region; research bloom times for your area.

Annuals

Angelonia, Bachelor’s button, Blue salvia, Dahlia, Poppy, Statice, Sunflower, Sweet pea, Zinnia. See more annuals for cutting.

Perennials

Aster, Baby’s breath, Black-eyed Susan, Blue salvia, Coreopsis, Daffodil, Feverfew, Lady’s mantle, Peony, Poppy, Purple coneflower, Shasta daisy, Tulip, Yarrow. See more perennials for cutting.

Trees and Shrubs

Crabapple, Forsythia, Hydrangea, Lilac, Rose.

Foliage Fillers

Artemisia, Black Lace elderberry, Boxwood, Camellia, Coleus, False indigo, Ferns, Hosta, Mint, Ornamental grasses, Purple ninebark, Variegated redtwig dogwood.