Hi Matt, Do you already have experience starting from seed? If so, start these plants as you normally prefer and the keep potting them up until they are in the size container you want for your centerpiece. By July they will be full and in bloom with no forcing necessary. If you don't have experience starting seeds, then you'll need a little more information from us ... I'm not sure how to answer your question #3, since I don't know what size your peat pots are. a 5" pot is *slightly* larger than I'd use for direct from its germination tray, but it's not too big. however, I'd make sure those babies had a good root system before you put them in the final pot, otherwise the soil won't hold any water and they'll probably get stressed trying to establish themselves. It'll be for more than 2 weeks after germination. personally, I don't start anything in peat pots anymore unless they don't transplant well (like nasturtium, for instance!), but you have to go with what you personally have had success with. 5" isn't too small for the root systems exactly... it will be by august and september, but if you're timing it so the plants look fresh and proportinate to the pot for july, then it'll be ok. i know it's a galvanized pot, but consider whether having those pots in your gh, getting watered, in the elements, etc. will discolor the pots. they may not be too pretty for a centerpiece after a few months of that. I don't have a good suggestion though, unless you can find a plastic or fiber pot to use as a liner (ie, grow in the other pot, then on that weekend pop the whole thing into the decorative pot. I have 4.5" square pots, so I know they exist, but I can't say the same for 5" square pots. so some extra tips: nasturtiums prefer nutrient poor soil to flower well, otherwise you'll get more leaves than flowers. what type of chrysanthemums were you planning on growing? unless you're good at timing blooms, I'd go with plants that continuously flower, otherwise the mums could bloom at the wrong time. for your favors, skip the pansies and violas. they'll look awful by a MD July with the heat. trust me, i'm here too. substitute impatiens, vinca, begonia or geranium. geranium are really easy from seed and grow faster than the others. petunias are great, but kind of sticky. 3" pots are pretty small, so start the plants a little later than most guides would say.

I never got good repeat from either AWAKENING or NEW DAWN, and the fragrance was never more than moderate in strength. Most of time I couldn't smell a thing. The VIKING QUEEN I gave my MIL repeat bloomed the first year as a tiny own root band. Last year my MIL sprayed VQ once a month and the glossy, deep green foliage remained spotless. This year she hasn't sprayed at all and the gorgeous climbing rose is still clean as a whistle. The fragrance IS consistently stronger. My MIL lives in MD, USDA Zone 6a. As for which rose is more beautiful, judge for yourself. Here is an image posted by Zeffyrose on the "Your favorite climber for a pergola" thread back in June, 2010. VIKING QUEEN is on the left, and NEW DAWN is on the right.

I neglected to emphasize that the olive trees are in clay pots and come inside during the winter. They cannot survive below 25F no matter what, and through trial and error, I've learned that fact. Even if they survive, when the sap rises, the stems all split and the plant will die, just like my big bay laurel that was in the ground this past winter, and the mission figs (but the Celeste fig had no damage at all.) Last year i didn't take the olive trees out soon enough and the flowers arrived while inside and quickly got burned up by too much heat. This past year, the trees came inside in late November and went out in late February. It was a cold spring, but not below 25F after i took the trees outside (but I was closely watching the weather station.) The budding started very late this year - about three weeks ago. Most years, the buds appeared in March or April. This year, very late. I was told that someone else had trees in the ground in St. Michaels for the last ten years, and those had survived many winters. But not 2013/2014 - this was the lowest temp since 2002 for me. About 5F, and in 2002, it was -5F. Again - 25F is the lower limit that I have been able to count on.

Late daffodils, tulips, alliums, spiderwort, flowering quince will be in bloom then if we have a cool spring. Foxgloves, irises, some lilies, spiderwort, glads, calla lilies, will be in bloom with a normal to warm spring. That's the trouble with growing in the ground for a wedding; you can't predict whether the weather will cooperate for your date. And then a late minute rain storm could take out all of your flower petals. You might be better off growing annuals in pots that you then place around the site with a choice of decoration to cover the pots from sinking the pots into the ground to mulch around them in an assortment of colors to putting them on risers and draping colored sheets around them. If you think annuals and forced bulbs in pots, the sky is the limit from daffs, tulips, begonia, calendula, zinnias, marigolds, allysum, baby's breath, statice, Dill for greenery. You can always start under lights what wouldn't bloom ordinarily in time and wintersow the rest. The pots also give you flexibility for arranging the site too.