the link.. is about half way down the page ... let us know if we can expand on what was said there .... i believe the bottom line is that you need a plan that involves NOT you .. and anything you can ADD is a bonus ....

you might want to also try the GW search engine ...

as you suspect.. you are going to be severely limited in Sept in z5 ...

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: link

In early September--the time you are talking about-- have you usually had frost. I don't think you would have, but most annuals bought in the spring would be well past their prime.

The exceptions would be Impatiens for the shade and Geraniums for the sun. They just get better looking as the season goes on. Both these are not actually annuals, but tender perennials, and put on a good show. Be sure to deadhead the geraniums, but the Impatiens don't need it.

Plant some asters this spring. You could start these from seed--they grow all summer and bloom in the fall. You could ask a greenhouse to plant some annuals later for you so the plants are at their peak then. The Mums will be coming out at that time so fill in any spaces with them.

I hope you have a nice time at your daughter's wedding. This is a joyous time in a parents life

I don't know how radical the zone difference is, but I still have lots of flowers in September in zone 6 (southern CT). Zinnias, sunflowers, cosmos, come to mind immediately, as well as possibly rudbeckias and echinaceas. I usually have some chinese asters left - I wonder if you can sow them later for later bloom...? Maybe do the same with glad corms..?

There are many dahlias that bloom that late also. And yes, as oilpainter said, mums and perennial asters are wonderful too. And perhaps you could do a late sowing of bachelor's buttons and calendula. I usually use these as spring flowers, but maybe you could look into growing them later, as the weather cools.

Sounds like this might be a lot of work for a parent of the bride! But I hope you have fun with it!

:)
Dee

some nice small 3 inch pots of impatiens might make nice table favors ...

find a nice one in spring at a nursery .. slice off pieces which root very easily.. and grow them on ...

mums may or may not be blooming in early sept ... in my z5 ...

ken

Ken, that depends - if you grow your own garden mums, no, they most likely won't be blooming.

If you were to purchase potted mums, they are on sale here as early as late June! It's ridiculous, lol! But certainly poppa could find potted mums in September - might be nice to have some of the really huge potted ones - white perhaps? - around the grounds.

:)
Dee