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Let's
celebrate with flowers 
Sometimes people find my website because they have been searching
for plants to give as gifts or to mark a special event and I have
had nothing very specific on the site to help so far. So I thought
I would look at plants that could be given and grown to celebrate
weddings, anniversaries and birthdays. Weddings Very often people want to grow some of their own flowers to decorate the church and reception to add that personal touch. I recently bought a beautiful peony, Festiva Maxima [a rich cream with red flashes] at a local plant sale, the lady who sold it to me said it always reminded her of her son's wedding, as the blooms were cut from the garden and used to decorate the church. Other peonies for weddings could include, Bridal Gown, Bridal Veil and Bridesmaid. Roses are very traditional - Wedding Day however is not really one for picking although a fine gift if there is space for it to ramble which it does vigorously. The Bride, a pretty and reliable rose from 1885 might hit the spot though. Consider David Austin's English roses which are generally well behaved and display a romantic old fashioned style. There are themed plants which can be grown from seed for summer weddings. Sweet peas for example are available in a wide range of colours including white through cream and pastel shades; Royal Wedding is a ruffled well scented white; Champagne Bubbles, a delicious pale gold suffused with pink; other creams and whites include Juliet, Cathy and Castle of Mey. An easy shrub for a garden gift for newly weds with arching sprays of beautiful single white flowers and fresh pale green foliage is Exochorda x macrantha The Bride. Wedding anniversaries There are plenty of roses to commemorate anniversaries including, Ruby Wedding, Ruby Anniversary, Golden Anniversary, Golden Celebration, Golden Memories, Silver Anniversary and Silver Wedding, and that is just a small selection of what is available. Camellias make a good, long lasting present, and most are happy in tubs of ericaceous compost if the soil is too alkaline in the open garden - Golden Wedding and Silver Anniversary are among the choices. Birthdays and Christenings You can have a bit of fun researching and giving named plants for birthdays and christenings. Joan Trehane, Laura Boscowen, Tiffany, Margaret Davis, Mark Alan, Fred Sander and Roger Hall are all camellias. Rhododendrons are another rich source of named cultivars including Ben Morrison, Isabel Pierce, Saskia and Sheila. Roses include Sophy's Rose, Sue Hipkin and Paul's Lemon Pillar, or perhaps you know a Rambling Rector or a Racy Lady! Beautiful peonies include Sarah Bernhardt and Shirley Temple. For christenings you could of course make it easy and pick a plant first and then name a child - aside from the obvious Daisy, Poppy and Rose how about Freylinia and Eucryphia or perhaps Hebe and Seseli? Not forgetting Valentine's month, you may wish to shower your beloved with flowers. Romantic roses include Valentine Heart, Love Knot and Pure Bliss. Moving away from the more traditional lover's flowers, how about fuchsia, Love's Reward, gladiolus My Love or dahlia My Valentine and Valentine Lil? These won't be blooming on Valentine's Day itself of course - it's the thought that counts. If you are interested in a particular type of plant then contact specialist growers who will have a wider stock than garden centres, i.e. Trehane for camellias and the local Kelways Nursery for peonies.You can have a plant named after someone but it is generally expensive, contact individual breeders for more information i.e. David Austin Roses. This article was originally printed in The Bath Magazine 2005 @Karisgarden.com |
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