The main annuals that I use as a wedding florist for cutting

One of the main subjects that florists wanted to know more about on my giveaway was annuals. What to grow and any tips.
So, I thought I’d share on a blog what I’ve been growing over the past 7 years and my favourites that are easy to grow and don’t require much care.
I start a lot of them off in autumn so that I have some earlier flowers to use in weddings but as it’s currently April I’ll share what I’m sowing now.
I don’t have a lot of space and I’m not a ‘grower’ so I choose annuals that give me a lot of filler flowers. I don’t use them as part of my wedding flower budget but I do use them in weddings if I feel that the budget hasn’t gone as far as expected, or on shoots so they don’t cost me a fortune and on Instagram to fill in on the times when I don’t have weddings.

I can’t give you a date when I start them because last year it was probably around the start of March but this year I’ve only just tentatively started in the past two weeks because it’s been so cold. I do have a 6 x 8ft polytunnel but you can start them in your windows or once before I had the tunnel, I made a makeshift greenhouse with things I had in the garden. I used pallets to keep them off the floor that were covered in cardboard, then bricks to make sides that were covered with fleece with glass on the top. It’s just to give them some protection and warmth for the first few weeks before the last frosts have passed which can be up to the first week of May!

Cornflowers and Ammi. Photo taken by Oxi photography

The annuals that I grow can just be planted straight outside and they won’t mind the few frosts. I’ve read that this can actually give much better stronger results but I have found that I’m too much of a control freak and I like to know what’s going on and to be able to see them and care for them.
So, to what I’m sowing now. About two weeks ago I started Ammi, Cerinthe, Cosmos, Cornflowers, Field scabious and Linaria. The last one ‘Linaria’ was a new one that I tried last year and I just loved it enough to do again. The other one that is new for me is Agastache Rugosa (Korean Mint) I actually planted this into my borders rather than my cutting bed last year. It was such a beautiful flower and the bees absolutely loved it so this year I’ve sown more but it’s really just for me and the bees, I doubt I will cut from them.

I only grow around 10 of each of these because I don’t have enough space for any more but that tends to be enough for what I need. I’d love to grow more but my kids aren’t quite old enough yet for me to get rid of their climbing frame and dig up the grass for more beds. One day!
My biggest struggle with growing is Easter holidays! In normal times, we go away for a few days with the kids and this is usually when the seedlings are at the prime time for needing looking after and either covering with fleece on freezing nights or watering lots on hot days (another reason why I’d like to try directly sowing outside)
I also tried Zinnias for the first time last year and found they were incredibly hard working and gave so much! I won’t sow these until the middle of May though and I plant them in the tunnel as they are more tender than the others.
Lastly, some tips that I’ve learnt over the years. I have a small three tray heat mat and it really helps to just get them going when March temperatures can be so erratic. If you can be patient then wait until the Spring equinox (which was 20th March this year) before you start sowing. That’s when the days officially start getting longer and you will have a much higher chance of success.
All of the annuals mentioned at the start germinate within a week if they’re at the right temperature and sown at the right time and the Ammi, cornflowers, field scabious and Cosmos all need staking. Put a big stake in when you plant them out and tie them in as they grow otherwise they all start squashing each other once they get taller. Although one year I just didn’t get around to staking my larkspur (haven’t mentioned them here as I sow them in autumn) and look what it meant I could make with them.

Larkspur, Calendula, Covent garden Gyp and Roses all grown in my garden used for an instagram photo

Once planted out, other than tying in, they don’t need much care. They benefit from regular watering because their roots don’t go very deep and a weekly feed always helps along with deadheading but to be honest I don’t always get time to do this and they’re fine (they will just be better if you can)
As I grow these annuals each year I make sure that I collect the seeds in Autumn because why would you want to pay for more when you’ll have lots!

Finally, if I do have any flowers left that I haven’t been able to use then, I dry or press them.

These are my main stay annuals for cutting that are easy to grow, require little care and give lots! I think that the best thing to do is to start. You’ll find what you like and what you want to grow again next year. I hope that’s helpful and if you have any questions then just ask.

Ammi, Cosmos, Field Scabious and Chive flowers

Ammi, Cosmos, Field Scabious on a photoshoot

Making my own backdrop for flower photography

I always want to do better, I love learning new things and I’ve been seeing a lot of stunning backdrops used on Instagram for flower photography. Until now I’ve always used a wall inside or out to photograph against. So, I thought that I’d give one a go. Now, it would obviously be easier to go on a course but, well, that costs money, so I looked at a few you-tube videos. There’s only so many that I can watch before I feel like I’m being told the same thing in different ways but not how to actually do it and I find that the best way to learn is to just give it a go!

I had a cheap canvas that I’d bought last year and had taken some photos on but as an amateur I find White so hard to photograph. It always either glares on blurs or both.

I heard in lots of the videos that the backdrop needs to be ‘primed’ first before painting. Now, my experience in art is very limited so I didn’t really understand what that meant but it seemed that a canvas is already primed so I just started painting.

I had some normal house tester paints in the shed and as the canvas was small thought they would do. As it’s Spring I thought pale Blue and Yellow would look pretty with the undertone of Green suiting the flowers. I had seen people using rollers but I didn’t have one small enough and so thought a big brush would do the job.

DIY painted backdrop for flower photography

I decided to paint a very very watered down mix of the Blue all over the canvas first using the brush and let it dry. It was a bit too pale and so did another coat. I then watered down some Yellow and tried to paint areas over the top.

Erm, well, that didn’t quite work. I just ended up with lots of lines and it looked a bit ‘muddy’

So, then I tried ‘dabbing’ instead of painting. With some kitchen towel, I used the watered down mix and lightly dabbed it just on the Blue areas. It probably took about another 3 coats to but I eventually started getting closer to the look I wanted. I then also did the same with the Yellow and just lightly dabbed over the areas to try and achieve a look that I liked. I wasn’t really too sure what I was aiming for because it’s not something I know anything about so I just kept going until I liked it.

Would I recommend going on a course. If you have the money then definitely yes! Or, would I recommend just giving it a go. Why not! Next time, I’m going to try and be a bit more confident with more colour and see what happens and I’m sure that the more I do it and the more I experiment, the more I’ll make sense of it. My patient side completely enjoys the process of trying and learning. My impatient side just wants to know how to do it well now!

Here are the final results and as a bonus, I also found a new function on my camera for close up photography.