Congrats on your upcoming wedding. I can't answer all of your questions, but a few thoughts. Moss on top of your containers would be nice, here in the pacific northwest we have a native moss which is green and lush. You can put it on the day of or day before the wedding or put it on when youn plant. Irish moss would be pretty also. I'm not sure you are giving enough info, what sort of plants are you thinking? Annuals, sedums, very small shrubs....you mentioned alpine looking. To me, it makes me think of a bonsai look, a twisted knareled looking bush with leaves on the top. If you are doing annuals, the sky is the limit and your nurseryman would be the place to start. Getting them done now would be best and yes, leave them in an area of good light and some warmth or they will sit and not to a thing. Don't worry if you don't get the bloom you want. You can always buy flowers and attractivly add a blossom here and there. Roses, carnations, orchads, Alstrameria, dasies, are a few that would work well for this. Get a hold of some water picks,usually from a florist, and cut the stem short, put it in these tiny vials of water and push into the soil, attractivly. Another great florist trick is to get some dead twigs, they usually use curly willow, and have an airy artful wisp of that coming up out of the center. You see, do not stress over the planters if they are not perfect, because you can 'kicking it up a notch' when the time comes. You might even be able to puch tapers into them and have a soft glow of light as well. The law of table center pieces is to keep them low enough for conversation to go on over the tops. Canles and twigs don't typically cause a problem with people talking. If I am thinking alpine, I'm looking for 'less is better' Rocks, dead wood, sparse looking plants. Recreate what you see when you are out on your hikes. I hope that helps. Good luck, Smiles, D...

Hi Carrie, I think you could probably get calla lilies (Zantedeschia aethiopica or albomaculata) to bloom for you in time for your wedding, but it would be cutting it a little close. According to my records from last season I planted calla bulbs on April 20th and coincidentally I harvested my first stem on exactly June 6th, 2008. I think you could push them to bloom a week or so sooner if you planted them a little earlier, maybe April 1st, and then covered them with a cold frame or small plastic hoop tunnel to warm the soil up to at least 55 degrees to get them growing. They are also commonly grown in pots, so if you have some room indoors you should be able to get them blooming earlier in a warm house. If you really wanted to try to grow callas outdoors in time for your wedding it would be a good idea to try and find a gardener or botanical garden near you that leaves callas in the ground over winter and keeps good records. Ask them what day their first calla bloomed and on what date you could expect to cut enough for your wedding given that you plant them on April 1st. - Steve Here is a link that might be useful: Pacific Callas

Right. I live in Northern California so would not be in the best position to help you; the best people would be local nurseries and gardens. They can give you the best advice on what to plant, when to plant it, and maybe even some tips on what wouold be attractive together in a bouquet for you. Then you could have a great time buying some of those seeds and bulbs to get it all going! Good luck on your marriage. I will say, though, that I would go for the June wedding. There is an old saying in my culture that goes "Marry in May, rue the day..."

Last May/June my Lychnis Flos Cuculii and Lychnis Vascaria were in full bloom. I planted them as seedlings the fall prior to them blooming. Everyone at my plant sale commented about them; I was impressed with them too - nice airy/delcate looking blooms. Also blooming were - pink yarrow, Spiderwort (Tradescantia) both 'Red Cloud' & 'Pink Chablis' varieties, Salvia Maynight, Centaurea Montana (established plants) and several varieties of Iris.