may i be blunt.. with all due respect .. and all good intent .... AND THANK FOR YOUR SERVICE TO OUR COUNTRY ... i did this myself ... IT WAS THE WORST SUMMER OF MY GARDENING LIFE .... i spent all summer stressing over the flowers .. like i didnt have anything else to worry about with EVERYTHING ELSE about the wedding ... ever have a hail storm in august in MD??? i dont understand if you are planning on doing all the flowers.. or just some ... what i ended up doing... i found a good florist who was willing to work with me ... we ordered what we needed with the understanding that i would bring all additional flowers that i could to add to it all ... it did end up working out very well .... but that was because i had a failsafe plan ... PLEASE DO THAT FOR YOURSELF ALSO ... you cant call florists a week before the wedding and hope you can find someone to cover for what ma nature did to your garden ... i ended up taking 5 five gal pails with about 100 EXTRA roses ... it ended up being wonderful .... PRIORITIZE AND DECIDE IF THE DAY OR TWO BEFORE THE WEEDING.. YOU WANT TO SPEND IT COVERED IN DIRT IN YOUR GARDEN.. or decide whether there will be about a million other things that will be more important ... like the dress .. the food.. the hall ... the honeymoon packing.. the guests.. the rehersal dinner ... the.. the.. you get the idea ... i wish you and your daughter all the luck in the world ... ken PS: is she thinking this will save money ... or out of respect for you [from your bio i suspect it is the latter] .... the money and labor you put into it all would be better spent by you by actually buying the flowers and adding some floral goodies .... this should be about you and her and her wedding .... not about your garden ... and being about as hardcore in the garden as you seem .. i had the rehersal dinner in my garden ... after rehersal .. we all just met back at the house and had pizza and relaxed ... i got all the accolades i needed for the garden ... and it helped relax me for the big day ... i keep rambling on ... sorry .... thanks for bringing back a part of my wedding that i let slip out of my memory ... men arent supposed to well up about all this .. are they????

There should be some already that formed at the top of the bunch, after a few rows of those, all the others will fall off because they are just male flowers. If you did not get any of the first (female) flowers to form into fruit then it may be a nutritional issue, but if you fed the plant well thru-out its life there should not be a problem. Check to see if the first bananas that formed are swelling or at least not falling off.

For a large quantity of blooms to cut, you will probably be better off with annuals than with perennials, especially if you're growing them from seed. I grow mostly perennials and woody plants, but do have a few thoughts for you. Zinnias will grow and bloom quickly, but I find the water turns very smelly after just one day; so if you're going to arrange them the day before the wedding, that's a consideration. Cosmos also grow quickly, make good cut flowers, and should give you masses of blooms in colors ranging from white through pinks to deep red. Snapdragon is another quick grower, blooming in late spring to early summer. I hope someone will chime in with more suggestions for you. If not, perhaps try the Cottage Garden forum - there are lots of very friendly and experienced gardeners there from all over the country ... there's bound to be someone who grows annuals in your climate. Don't forget fillers (like baby's breath, gypsophila) and greens - you can choose from solid or variegated leaves, smooth or rough textures, large & bold leaves or long and narrow, even trailers like ivy, whichever best suits your arrangements and your fancy. A trusted friend to help with the arrangements sounds like a good idea. Have a wonderful time with the preparations and best wishes on your wedding day.

Maryanne: I'll post pics as soon as I get them. It WAS wonderful in its own simplicity. The expense for this wedding was truly minimal. I have 4 sisters, and 2 brothers that we did weddings for and we've learned that simple becomes elegant. My younger sister had lavendar as the color of her wedding in May. With white peonies and mock orange (from the old homestead)as the only decor in the social hall and the tables set in lavendar and white... LOVELY!!!! And the smell....you woundn't believe! No...we dont believe in wasteful extravagance. Simple IS better.