Basically, I'm just looking for suggestions on which flowers/how to plan my garden so it's full of as many beautiful fall flowers as possible, as cheaply as possible. I want to see if I can grow flowers to add to my wedding decor, so I'm specifically looking at fall flower suggestions (not planning a spring/summer garden).

I am trying to focus on flowers that are in the white and orange color families, so if you know specific breeds I should be looking for, that would help.

I have about 100 sq. feet of garden. Tends to be thicker-clay soil. I don't know if its acidic/alkaline. I'm pretty new to gardening, so I'll take any suggestions....i.e, how to prepare the garden, maintaining it, what flowers to NOT put next to each other, etc. I'm in zone 5.

Thanks!

The first thing I would do would be to edge, amend, and mulch the bed. You don't want to end up with a big weed patch. Generally, the less you spend (money or effort)- the harder it will be to fill the space or get nice looking flowers.

I may be able to help with seeds...
DD

The site is partial sun, although I've got some areas for container gardening in full sun. My budget is as cheap as I can - but yes, I know I'll need to spend some for quality. Do you think $125 is realistic for supplies, seeds, etc. ?

I did some gardening this past year, and the bed is edged well. Couple problems: there are weeds...the kind that have networking underground roots that I couldn't kill no matter what I did (several rounds of Round Up, pulled by hand, etc.). Not sure how to address them this year before I plant?

I don't know how to go about amending/mulching the bed? What do you mean by that? I know that I have clay soil, and that I should mix (...?) into it. And test the alkalinity? Add fertilizer?

I really appreciate the help!!

Gardening for cut flowers takes quit a bit more space and effort if you want a variety of forms and colors. Getting plants to bloom prolifically at a specific time often requires detailed knowledge about the plants habits and how to prune it. I'm afraid it's unlikely you'll be able to get very many flowers blooming at the same time that aren't damaged by birds, insects, or weather.

Look into Lasagna Gardening. Any exposed soil will sprout weeds. I think the simplest way to go about it would be to smother your existing weeds with something relatively sterile that will amend the garden as it decomposes.

Take a look at my list and PM if you want some seeds.
DD