In case you don’t have reason enough to think me crazy, here’s one more. I am growing my own wedding flowers. I know, I know, there are so many variables that could go wrong here, causing floodgates of tears to open. But I don’t think like that. I’ve got a yard full of glorious zinnias, and they are going to make a gorgeous bouquet.
In our first meeting with a potential florist, we learned that most wedding flowers are imported. That’s not surprising, but what IS surprising is that they usually come from far away places like Ecuador. Those kind of oil miles are NOT in our environmental budget, even if they are cheaper to buy than the ones from the Farmer’s Market (ridiculous, right?). Suffice it to say, we opted to keep it local — like our front yard.
I don’t mean to brag, but I can grow some stuff. Houseplants aren’t really my thing, but my garden is out of control. My neighbors can attest to this — at least to the out-of-control part. I don’t believe in regular weeding, having found that the watermelons and tomatoes are hardy enough to fight off the Creeping Jenny without my help. Occasionally, I’ll pull out those annoying grass-type weeds to make it look nicer, but that’s only when I’m avoiding bookkeeping.
Another crazy thing that’s not really so crazy? It’s all organic. I’m sure that some of the next-door-neighbor’s fertilizers creep through my soil, but I try not to think about that, mostly hoping that the wall of concrete between our lawns prevents too much icky chemical seepage. To his credit, his lawn is absolutely gorgeous and perfect. My lawn is mostly mint. And now zinnias.
Still, I’m pretty happy with the results. I grew all but one of the flowers from seed. A panic attack lead me to buy a pot of zinnias just in case, but I never should have doubted myself. See for yourselves. (And sorry, I was having a little fun with the Hipstamatic.)
Point of information: I do have a florist doing the arranging and stuff. But she is so awesome and wise-to-the-environmental-freaks-like-me that she didn’t balk at using my flowers. She also said she had no problem buying from the Farmer’s Market if my garden failed at the last minute or she needed more. Yay for vendors who understand Green greenery. Message me for her info if you’re looking for someone.
