The Natural Wedding Book

October marks the start of bulb season, with garden centres bursting with all types, from daffodils to hyacinths, in a bright array of colours. They can be used in two ways for weddings: either as favours for autumn celebrations, or as growing plants for winter and spring weddings.

I have planted two types here – pretty delft blue hyacinths and elegant white crocuses. Hyacinths grow well indoors in any wide container; I have used a reclaimed terracotta bowl here. The crocus bulbs have been planted in antique hand-thrown terracotta pots, which I found in a local reclamation yard for 50p each. Experiment with jam jars (you can wrap them with fabric later for display), mini metal buckets, pretty ceramic vases and vintage tea cups to match your theme.

I will look after these and show you how to decorate the pots once they have flowered (fingers crossed!). For details on how to grow all types of bulbs, visit www.gardenersworld.com. Happy planting!

My tip
If your container does not have drainage holes, make sure you use peat-free bulb soil to keep the plants healthy.

Today is a very exciting day for me, as my first book, The Natural Wedding Book, appears in shops across the UK. I had the idea for it a couple of years ago and together with my talented team of three – Caroline, the editor, Marc, the photographer, and Shelley, the designer – we have, I think, produced a very lovely book full of inspiration for how to have a beautiful, eco wedding. I wanted it to be a bit of a bible for the new Bride to Be and hope you find that it is filled with ideas (and the most gorgeous photographs) to help you create your perfect, unique wedding day.