How To Grow African Daisies?

African Daisy is an easy to grow annual flower. It is native to South Africa.
African Daisy plant grows approximately one foot high. The plant grows quickly. It blooms in just 50 to 60 days. Deadhead spent flowers to produce a continuous bloom into the Fall months. Soft colors include white, orange, yellow and apricot.
Try African Daisy plants in containers and pots on your deck. In the flower garden, place them towards the front.
Other Names: Cape Marigold, Star-of-the-Veldt, Dimorphotheca
Propagation:
African Daisy are grown from seeds. They can be directly seeded into your flower garden. Or, start African Daisy plants indoors eight to ten weeks before the last frost date in your area. Sow African Diasy seeds early in the season, and cover lightly with 1/8" of fine garden or potting soil.
Ideal plant spacing is 10" apart. African Daisy plants will tolerate a little crowding.
How to Grow African Daisies:

1. Grow African Daisy in full sun. They grow well in sandy, loam, light, well draining soil. Keep the soil moist, not wet. Add a general purpose fertilizer when planting them, then once a month after that.
2. Apply water regularly. Avoid getting the leaves wet, as these plants are susceptible to fungal disease.
3. African Daisy is easy to grow. Weed frequently early in the season. Apply mulch to keep the weeds down.
4. Deadhead spent flowers to promote continuous blooms.
5. African Daisy are good re-seeders. Plant them where they can drop their seeds and grow undisturbed for years.

Insect and Disease:
Aphids can be a problem. Apply insecticides or repellents.
African Daisy plants can get fungal diseases. Keep leaves and stems dry. Apply fungicides as needed.

Birds Of Paradise Are Native To South Africa

Birds Of Paradise

Birds of Paradise, also known as Crane flowers is one of the most beautiful Exotic Flowers. Birds of Paradise are native to South Africa. Birds of Paradise bloom from September through May.
The flowers of the Birds of Paradise resemble a brightly colored bird in flight and so the name Birds of Paradise.
The unusually beautiful shape and brilliant colors of Birds of Paradise have made these flowers not just a designer's favorite, but also a popular symbol of paradise.
The popular Birds-of-Paradise plant bears a unique flower that resembles a brightly colored bird in flight, giving it the common name, Bird of Paradise. The Birds-of-Paradise flowers make the plant an exceptionally attractive landscape plant.
The Birds of Paradise foliage resembles small banana leaves with long petioles. The leaves on the Birds of Paradise plant are arranged strictly in two ranks to form a fan-like crown of evergreen foliage, thick, waxy, and glossy green, making it a very attractive ornamental plant.
The leaf blades are 6 inches wide and 18 inches long. The Birds of Paradise plant usually reaches a height of 4 feet. Birds of Paradise flowers are produced in a horizontal inflorescence emerging from a stout spathe.
The Birds of Paradise flower inflorescence is borne atop long scapes, or pedicels, that grow to 5 feet or more in height. The flower on the Birds of Paradise plant is the most unusual part.
A series of highly colored bracts, or modified leaves, are formed into green, red, and or purplish canoe-like structures. Bracts vary between 4-8 inches long, depending upon the age and size of the Birds of Paradise plant.
Each Birds of Paradise flower is made up of three upright orange sepals and three highly modified vivid blue petals. Two of the petals are joined together in a structure resembling an arrowhead with the third petal forming a nectary at the base of the flower.
Each bract contains 2 or more protruding Birds of Paradise florets of bright yellow or orange elongated petals and a bright blue tongue. The female part of the Birds of Paradise flower is the long extension of the blue tongue, which is extended well away from the stamens.

Do You Know The Meaning Of The Calla Flower

Flowers have been associated with certain feelings and ideas for thousands of years, and many flowers have kept their meanings through the years. The calla lily is a flower with a long history, and it is an interesting case because it carries with it contradictory meanings.

History

Calla lilies are natives of southern Africa, particularly from the range of South Africa to Malawi and the island of Madagascar. It is not known when the calla lily first made its way to Europe, but the plants have been grown for centuries, and they can thrive in greenhouses.

Mythology

In ancient Greek and Roman mythology, the lily represented the goddess Hera, from whom it was believed the flowers came. The myth is that Zeus brought his mortal son Hercules to his wife Hera to nurse from her as she slept. Zeus wanted his son to have divine powers from drinking Hera’s milk, but because the child was from another woman, Hera flung Hercules away from her when she woke up. Her milk flew out through the universe to create the Milky Way, and a few drops fell to Earth, where beautiful white lilies sprung from the ground. In Roman mythology, Venus, the goddess of love and lust, saw the flowers, and in a fit of jealousy over their beauty, she made them grow a large pistil in their center.

Meaning and Symbolism

The calla lily has meant different things at different periods in history, but its classic meaning is considered to be magnificent beauty. For the ancient Romans, lilies symbolized lust and sensuality because of their large pistils, which were considered to be very phallic. However with the rise of Christianity, the calla lily was thought to represent chastity, virtue and purity, and was associated with the Virgin Mary. Both cultures considered calla lilies to be symbols of fertility and abundance. Calla lilies have become a common favorite in wedding ceremonies, but in contrast, lilies are also associated with death. They were often used on the graves of youths who suffered an untimely death.

Growth Habits

Calla lilies thrive in tropical environments where it is consistently warm with rainy seasons and dry seasons. As long as the plants receive enough warmth and moisture, they can bloom all year long.

Uses Today

Although calla lilies are thought of as classically white, today they are available in a wide variety of colors, including yellow, orange, pink and purple. Calla lilies make great cut flowers because they are long lasting, which makes them a popular choice for everything from wedding bouquets to decorative flower arrangements.

To Grow and Care for Aster Flowers By Yourself

Asters are an easy to grow perennial that grows well in average soils, but needs full sun. Asters come in blues, purples and a variety of pinks. All Asters are yellow in the center of the flower. They are daisy-like in appearance, even though they are a member of the sunflower family.

Did you know? The yellow center of Asters is actually comprised of many tiny flowerets.

Asters come in a wide variety, with some less than a foot tall, while others are two feet tall or more. Both large and smaller varieties make good cut flowers for vases and arrangements.

Propagation:

Asters are easily grown from division. Aster plants do best if divided every two to three years. Simply dig out half to two thirds of the plants, leaving the remainder in place. Then separate the portion you dug out into two sections and plant in another location or give them to a friend.

Aster seeds can also be directly seeded into your flower garden, or seeded indoors for transplanting later. We recommend planting Asters in pots and containers indoors, then transplanting the seedlings outdoors in early spring. This allows you to make the proper spacing.

Sow Aster seeds early in the season, and cover lightly with soil. Water thoroughly once. They germinate easily and will grow quickly, producing their first of a continual display of blooms by mid-summer.

Transplant Asters into your garden into an area where they can be grown for years. Spacing depends upon size with miniature varieties spaced four to six inches apart, and Giant varieties one to two feet apart. Place smaller varieties around the front of your flower garden as a border. Put larger varieties towards the back of the flowerbed.

How to Grow Asters:

Aster plants will grow well in average soils. But, like all plants, they will reward your with bigger blooms and a healthier plant if you add plenty of compost. Also, add a general purpose fertilizer once a month.

Once your Aster are established, they should grow well for years. Soil should be moist, but not wet. They will withstand dry periods. Water them during dry periods, once or twice per week to keep growth vibrant.

Add mulch around the plants for appearance and to keep weeds down.

Around mid to late summer, your plants will begin to produce flowers and will continue to do so until frost. You do not need to remove dead flower blooms, except to improve plant appearance. For giant varieties, trim back any stalks that have become gangly in appearance.

Alstroemeria Well-known As Peruvian Lily

Alstroemeria well-known as Peruvian Lily or Lily of the Incas represents a genus with approximately 50 flowering plants’ species. It The genus originates from South America. It was called after the Swedish baron Claus von Alstroemer by his friend Carolus Linnaeus.

The plants are distinguished by a rootstock made up of group of rhizomes or "crown". Depending on the definite species the plants’ height may vary from a couple of cm to about 1.5 m.

One of the attractive characteristics of Alstroemeria is its resupinate leaves twisting from the very base in such a way that its seems to be the upper leaf surface being in reality the lower leaf surface. This very unordinary botanical feature can be noticed in the leaves on cut flowers.

The flowers of Peruvan lily are very attractive and are pollinated by bees. All six petals of the blossom have the same size and shape. However some species of Alstroemeria have two petals that are much larger that the rest serving as "flags" for pollination. The blossoms of Lily of the Incas may be of white, golden yellow, orange, apricot, pink, red, purple and lavender colors and shades.

More Info:

The pronunciation of Alstromeria, commonly known as Ulster Mary or Peruvian lily, is Alstro-MARY-ah. The flower was called in honor of famous botanical classifier Carl Linnaeus. Claus Alstroemer, who was a pupil of famous botanical classifier Linnaeus sent the seeds of this plant while visiting South Africa.

Thus Europe has got the species of Peruvian lily in the 18th century. Nowadays, this plant is widely spread and bred throughout the globe. Native to South America, alstroemeria represents the Amaryllidaceae family and relates to the onion, daffodil, agapanthus and nerine.

The availability of the Peruvian lily is Readily all year-round in various shades and colors of including white, pink, yellow, salmon, red, lavender, orange, bronze and bi-colors.

Although alstomeria is very sensitive to ethylene being cared and handled in a proper way, its life lasting may reach up to two weeks.

Symbolizing wealth, prosperity, and good fortune Alstroemeria is extremely attractive flowers. The vast variety of colors and special form is the hallmark of this plant. That’s why it commonly used in designs and floral arrangements.

Knowing Wild Flowers

Wild flowers are plants that grow without any care from man. Some wild flowers are just as beautiful as garden flowers or hothouse flowers. The lovely plants that bloom in early spring in the woods often give more pleasure than any cultivated plant. The cacti that grow in the southwestern United States, and the marsh marigolds (cowslips) that grow in wet places from the Carolinas to the Arctic, add bright spots of color to the desert and marshes.

Many wild flowers are very hard to grow and are sometimes impossible to copy in gardens. The flowers that grow in the woods need an acid soil. Most of them need shade. Some can only grow in soil made of rotted oak leaves, or pine needles, or very special material.

Fringed gentian seeds must fall in exactly the right place to grow or they die very quickly. They could not be put in a packet and sold.
Many other plants, that are lovely in their showy enough for cultivation. They may only bloom for a day or the flowers may be very small. In the woods or waste places, however, they are a bright spot of color for people who enjoy the out-of-doors. Other wild flowers grow too well for gardens. The many varieties of bright wild peas and beans that bloom on southern wastelands grow so fast that they would quickly choke out garden flowers.

Of course, some wild flowers are cultivated. All cultivated flowers were once wild. The poinsettia is a wild plant of tropical Mexico and Central America. Geraniums grow wild in South Africa. It is interesting to find the wild ancestors of cultivated plants. Some plants that are wild in one part of the United States are cultivated in homes and gardens of other parts. Lupines grow wild in the west, but are sometimes raised in eastern gardens. Fields of wild California poppies brighten the western countryside. In the east, California poppies may be carefully planted in gardens.

Perhaps the best way to enjoy wild flowers is to learn to know them where they grow. Finding a patch of bloodroot, or arbutus, or hepatica in the woods can be a lot of fun. Finding some of the wild orchids like pink lady’s-slipper or the showy orchids of the spring is like finding a hidden treasure.
Sometimes when people find these flowers they feel that they must pick them and take them home with them. Usually this is selfish and often against the law. The petals of the bloodroot drop as soon as the flower is picked. Most woodland flowers wilt when they are carried in warm hands. Hepatica, spring beauty, and many others are too small to make good arrangements even if they do not wilt.
Picking the flower also keeps the plant from making seeds and new plants for people to enjoy. In some plants when the leaves are also picked the parent plant is killed too, for no food factory is left to store food in roots or bulbs for next year’s flowers.