wedding preparations

We've got a lovely wedding on this weekend, or I hope we'll help to make it lovely, so today was getting the materials together. I don't know how conventional florists manage this, we are so lucky having amazing things to pick so don't have to worry about ordering in but can rush out and pick what we want. But it still takes about a day to pick what we need, it is unbelievable how much foliage we have gathered, but it will still probably not be enough! We have a full church door garland plus three other garlands and a large hanging globe and tent pole decorations to do, and these all take buckets and buckets of greenery as the bases. Meg arrived with sack loads of wonderful mature eucalpytus from a tree that desperately needed pruning which we will use in the bases and other arrangements, with viburnum, malus, lavender, stachys, golden philadelphus and ivies before we start on the flowers - mainly a mix of Solomon's seal, camassia and scillas with lily of the valley and the most delicious double white scented tulips and beautiful white lily shaped tulips which are obligingly in their full glory and look so delightfully bridal. Bridal wreath spirea and the other lovely Bridal white arching shrub whose name I've currently forgotten will brighten the globe, and some of the tulips will go in the church arrangements, others on tables and the very best in the bouquets and buttonholes. Or so I hope, I will post photos when they exist!

But first we had to make more garland cages, out with the chicken wire and snippers which is a job I don't enjoy doing and happily Steve who helps here on Wednesdays is a dab hand with the wire cutters - he has made the sweet peas such superior wired supports this year I dare them not to do their best.....

And now an early night - it's sometimes a good thing being an insomniac because it means there are a few more hours in my day than most people have, but sometimes just a drag, and today was one of those days when I was working a lot slower than usual. Thanks so much to the charming Martha who came along to see what we were getting up to and stayed and weeded for most of the day. The weeds are definitely beginning to gain ground now, but that's just the way it is at this time of year, hopefully we'll keep on top of them in most areas but we're going to ignore them in the new big patch and hope for the best. Even for someone who has little sleep there are only so many hours in the day.

I saw the photos they're putting in the article this Saturday and had to laugh - I had jokingly said to the photographer (Jamie Harris, charming as well as talented but usually shoots fashion so he got a very raw deal here though he told me that it's OK as being unfashionable is actually very fashionable) ) that my mother would be horrified that I hadn't brushed my hair. She will be more horrified when she sees the main photo of me clutching some flowers as my hands are utterly utterly ingrained and filthy, serious gardening paws...........