| Hello, My wedding is September 2nd 2006 and I really wanted to use Heather as a secondary flower to add scotish flair. My florist JUST informed me that it will be VERY difficult to find enough heather that is in bloom at that time. At this present moment she thinks that the heather will be coming from New Zealand and will be very expensive. Do you know whether there are any flower shops / nurserys in Delta BC Canada that might have Heather that is in Bloom for my wedding. If it's not in bloom is it possible to force heather to bloom? Thanks for you help, The frustrated Bride, Heather McGuff |
| I can't direct you to any flower shops, but I may be able to provide some useful information, which may help you decide what you'll want to do about the flowers. First, there are two plants which are commonly called heather; Calluna vulgaris (Scotch heather) and Erica carnea (also called heath). Of the Calluna varieties, many bloom in late summer (August through October) and many are termed "winter bloomers" because they begin blooming in September in the Pacific Northwest. Erica ciliaris and Erica cinerea also bloom in late summer (mid-June through mid-September). Both Calluna and Erica bloom for about 6 weeks once they've started to bloom. So based on the above, there should be plenty of local sources of cut heather for your wedding. I'd begin first with local nurseries to see if they carry the above mentioned plants. If so, you may want to purchase the plants themselves so you'll have a ready source of flowers. If you aren't interested in growing your own, you might check with local wholesale flower supplier to check availability and pricing (Mayhew's Wholesale; (604) 432-9809; 5-3979 Marine Way; Burnaby, BC V5J 5E3, Canada). I think if you use the botanical names (Calluna or Erica), you'll have better luck finding reasonably priced blooms for your wedding. Best wishes! |
