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.

Choosing Birthday Flowers

Flowersfor Birthday are one of the best and original presents. People will be always glad to it such presents are always long-awaited and cheer up. In birthday, a bouquet, a composition, a basket can be not too magnificent. And a present for an anniversary is always a beautiful bouquet or, a more preferably flowers basket. Besides there can be not only flowers in the basket, but also fruits, a bottle of good wine, a box of chocolates.

But it is worth to remind that any bouquet presented with love even if it consists of only one carnation or spring tulip, sometimes means much more, than a huge smart bouquet which is difficult to keep in hands.
If a girl is brunette – for her will suit red roses, large gladioluses, dahlias, bright orchids, and bright carnations. Bright red colors make the brunette even more attractive.

If a girl is blonde – everything is absolutely on the contrary. To her will suit gentle-pink, white and light yellow colors. And it doesn’t matter what kind of flowers these are – whether roses, chrysanthemums, callas, lilies or orchids.
To red-haired girls will suit dark roses, violet and dark orchids, violets, hyacinths, gladioluses and many other flowers, especially of dark blue and violet color. And if there is a lot of green in the bouquet, than such bouquet will perfectly suit both a red-haired girl and a brown-haired girl. Though brown-haired girls usually like simple field or wild flowers.

For any bouquet is extremely important a psychological implied sense of visually perceived general color scale: the prevalence of red tonality creates solemn, cheerful mood; white tonality creates – sensation of freshness and cleanliness; orange and yellow tonality – warmth and light; blue tonality – confidence.
Everybody knows that rose is a symbol of love and beauty. And do you know that the color of roses is very important too. And other flowers can tell a lot of interesting things.

The rose origin doesn’t matter it is undoubtedly the most known symbol of beauty and love. Pay attention on the sense of roses color.

So, red and white roses in one bouquet mean unity, pink mean grace and elegance, and yellow mean pleasure or pleasure of communication. It is possible to express your feelings and desires with the help of orange or coral roses. Dark red or claret roses will tell your beloved person that she is very beautiful. Pink roses mean hope and tenderness.

A single rose means modesty, and is good in addition for a present. A person who chooses violet color is deeply and thin feeling person who is guided by eternal values and very seriously concerns to his environment, in this case to you. The fresh orange tone symbolizes the optimistical relation to the validity, a sign of attachment and passionate desires. Yellow color is good for expression of rough feelings too. Scarlet flowers say about ardent deep feeling and passionate desire. White flowers are paints of cleanliness and innocence – a bright proof of tender feelings, respect and passionate attachment of your beloved person.

Enjoy These Flowers

A flower is a part of a plant that forms pollen or seeds or both. Only seed-bearing plants have true flowers. Other plants like the algae, fungi, and mosses have none. And, only those parts of a plant which have to do with the forming of seeds are parts of the flower.

The bright colors, sweet smell, and nectar are necessary to attract insects. The insects are needed to help the flower make seeds that will grow into a new plant.

A person, who thinks of a flower simply as something brightly colored which grows on a plant, may be led far astray. The brilliant scarlet poinsettia blossoms which one sees at Christmas are not true flowers, but simply brilliantly colored leaves which surround the small and dull flowers at the tip of the cluster. Similarly, the large creamy “petals” of the lovely dogwood “blossoms” that bloom in spring are not petals at all but simply brightly colored bracts surrounding the small inconspicuous flowers. In the callas that are used so much at Easter, the great white sheath is not a single flower but a bract or leaf which surrounds and protects a club-shaped mass on which many small flowers are tightly crowded together.

Thus, many of the bright, showy parts of plants which are commonly called “flowers” are not true flowers in the strict sense. On the other hand, there are many true flowers which are seldom noticed at all, or if they are, not considered as flowers. For example, the bearded tufts at the tips of grasses, the heads of cattails, the unripe ears of corn and the small tassels that somewhat resemble certain caterpillars and hang from birches and alders early in spring, are all clusters” of real flowers.

The flower is a branch with very special kinds of leaves. The outermost ones are called sepals. They are usually green; sometimes they are separate one from another, sometimes they are not separate and form a cup. When the flower buds are small, they serve as a protective covering. All together, they are known as the calyx. Next inside the sepals are the petals, known all together as the corolla. The petals may be separate from one another, as in the buttercup, or they may be partially united, as in the tomato, or form a broad flaring trumpet, as in the petunia. Petals are the brightest parts of most flowers. The most important parts, however, are not the brightly colored petals, but the pistils and stamens. Many flowers contain both—the pistil or pistils in the center, surrounded by the stamens. Pistils are often greenish in color. In an enlarged part at the lower end of the pistil (the ovary) are the ovules. In the sweet pea the ovary is long and hairy; in it are ten or more ovules arranged in two rows. Each ovule may grow into a seed. The most important part of an ovule is a tiny egg cell, which can be seen only under a microscope. From this egg cell a new plant may grow.

Some plants have more stamens than others. Each stamen is made of a pollen sac (anther) at the end of a stalk (filament). Before they are ripe they are smooth. Later they open by slits or tiny holes and release the pollen, which they contain as a fine dust, usually yellow. These pollen grains are just as important as the ovules in the production of seed. They produce the sperm cells which unite with the egg cells in the ovules. After a sperm cell has united with an egg cell, the product is called an embryo. From this embryo the new plant will grow. But before an embryo can be formed, the pollen grains must be transferred from the anthers to the pistil, and eventually to the egg. This transfer of pollen is called pollination.

Let's see what these flowers signify?

Flowers have been associated with almost all the occasion of our life. Be it birthday or marriage or even funeral - flowers are the integral part of our life. This lovely gift of nature symbolises beauty, love, warmth, friendship and what not. There are numerous flowers available all around us. Hence every person chooses the flower with some or the other perception. Different flowers have different meanings for different people.

Flower like pink carnation will suit to people who are conservative and much organised. As these people will be very thoughtful hence pink colour especially pink carnation is the flower for them. Flowers like tulips, daffodils and orchids are chosen by the persons who are courteous and independent. Such type of people will identify themselves with violet and pale yellow. Roses, Lilac would become the choice of the people who are intuitive caring and humorous. These flowers are selected by the people who love to dream. They like relatively bright colours and keep themselves away from dark colours. Glorious lilies, Sweet pea, geranium are chosen by the people who are very creative, passionate, assertive and they want to be leader. Such people have the capability of being the thought makers. Whoever chooses these flowers will shoe trend setting traits.

Gladiolus, Freesia, poppies fits into the personality of the people who love in nature. Such people are very calm, gentle and they love luxury. People, who choose these, have a tendency of exhibiting affectionate nature. Gemini flowers and hybrids are picked by the individuals who are charming, restless and keep on evolving. Most of the times these people exhibit vivacious lifestyle and they have an affinity towards orange colours. Peonies, Chrysanthemum flowers are picked by the people who have a very kind heart. People picking them also show a caring attitude towards others. They like to entertain guests and for them flowers become the mode to decorate their homes.

Similarly sunflowers are liked by the people who have majestic personality fall on them. People who are courageous and generous also have a liking towards sunflower. Morning Glory and pansy are loved by the individuals who exhibit very responsible behaviour. Even people who like neat and tidy environment and are very health conscious would love these flowers. Dahlias and daisy will charm the heart of the people who are very sensible and diplomatic. It's a known fact that a person becomes more sensible when he is experienced hence such flowers will be loved by the experienced people.

After coming across the different flowers and the personality to which they connect we can say that personality of a person can be judged to certain extent (these all are not based on scientific facts) by the flower he chooses.

Shapes Of The Waterlily Will Amaze You

Waterlily plants are a great addition to any water feature. You have seen them in lakes and ponds when you travel, but there is no reason they cannot be added to your home water feature and enjoyed by you and your family.The many shapes of the lily will amaze you. You can find water lily plants that produce round, cup shape, fluffy, pointed or star shaped. The leaves are jagged or smooth, pointed or round. The variety will be determined by the size of your water feature and your own particular style of landscaping.

The choice for the color and type of water lily plant is yours. You can accent the colors of your landscaping or give the look of tropical wild flowers.Miniature water liliescan be grown in smaller garden ponds or in a pot water garden. They need a minimum depth of 10 - 30 cm. You can choose either Nymphaea odorata minor or Nymphaea pygmaea alba. They both flower white.Hardy water liliescome in red, white, pink, yellow and sunset. They will give you color from April through October.

Proper water lily care starts with location. Water lilies will require a minimum of six hours of sunshine each day. Most water lilies bloom in the day time when the sun is high and close in the evening as the sun sets and the air cools. Investigating the many different types of water lily plants will introduce you to some that will require a bit less sunlight, but be careful with your choices.

Water lily plants will adapt to the water they are in. It is necessary to adhere to water lily care to make the transfer to a deeper water successful. If the plant has already started to open, it will not tolerate deeper water because the stems have lost all elasticity. New leaves, however will adapt.

How To Protect Your Rose In Winter

Winter Protection-Then comes the question of protection, which I am convinced is made too much of, so far, at least, as concerns gardens in the southern counties. I live in Middlesex, and I never protect any of my roses. Out of the many I have from time to time planted I can only remember losing one. Of course, if I had given the plants adequate protection I should not have lost even that one, I imagine some " protection " enthusiast exclaiming. But I submit that my experience makes out a very good case for " nonprotection "-with no political significance, I protest ! Those who have the fortune to live in the cold northern counties (the very mention of which fills me with uneasiness, so long have I lived in the south !) should protect there Tea roses, but all the Hybrid Perpetuals and most of the Hybrid Teas are quite hardy. At least, there is no reason why anyone should take any risk, for it is the simplest thing in the world to protect one's roses. There is no need for any of the elaborate methods often advocated; a little heap Of soil 3 or 4 inches high, around and among the lower branches, is all that is required. Readers may well cry " shame " that I do not even take so simple a precaution to protect my own roses rather than run the risk of losing even one; and while that censure is perhaps well deserved, I protest that I am so busy writing about roses in the winter that I am apt sometimes to leave them to look after themselves. And I make bold to say that it would be all the better for many other roses if they were similarly treated.

The surest way to weaken a rose is to coddle it. Many of those who protect their plants with bracken, straw and other material, leave these about the plants until late in spring, with the result that the roses start into growth earlier than they would otherwise do, and such growth as they make beneath the seductive covering that gives them a dangerous and unnatural warmth is soft and sappy and falls an easy prey to the least frost. And when is the rose . grower out of the wood so far as late spring frosts is concerned ? justly we may term this winter protection a " wolf in sheep's clothing," especially so far as the inexperienced gardener is concerned. And why go to this trouble when mother earth is all they need, and when nothing is better or even so good for them ? Even I, who would seem to hold a brief for garden soil as if it were almost to the ground in the month of March following planting. I believe, too, that most amateurs in their heart ' of hearts know this as well as the professional, but they have not the courage to put the precept into practice. At any rate, they have been told times enough. Anyone with a knowledge of the likes and dislikes of roses has doubtless had the pleasure of advising a friend as to the method of pruning his roses the first spring after planting. You find that he has cut bush roses back in the orthodox way; but the climbers, those with nice long growths that seem. to say, " Ah ! just leave me alone, and I promise that you shall not be disappointed " -with those it is different. He has listened to the siren's voice, he has started on that seductive short cut to Elysium. Naturally you expostulate with him, you argue, and finally threaten his roses will all the evils to which roses are heir. But no, he has heard the entrancing call, he is enraptured, by the charm of the dreams he has dreamed, and all entreaty is vain. Since he will do so, he must tread the path, which, alas! so many have trodden-I am not ashamed to confess that I am found among the number-that leads without delay to disillusion. You are told in a more or less shamefaced sort of way that, " I thought I ought to have cut them harder back, don't you know; but then I was not quite sure." And, knowing better, you interpret this as really meaning that the gardener knew that the roses ought to be cut to the ground, but that he could not bring himself to do it. How much wiser would he have been to go away for the day and commission the jobbing gardener to come in and cut off not only the heads but also the legs also of all the newly planted roses. The jobber would have had no scruples about doing it, for the more cutting the untrained worker can do the better he is pleased, as a rule.

But let me to the point, and say that every growth of every rose you plant between November and March should be cut to within three or four buds of its base about the last week in March or the first week in April. As a -preliminary, the growths may be half cut away as soon as they are planted. I have one crumb of comfort for the tender-hearted rose grower. If it -does really go seriously against the grain to treat the plants in this way, then all those that belong to the wichuraiana class may be more leniently dealt with, although, personally, I treat them all alike,. I am afraid I shall need at least a paragraph to explain all that is denoted by that fearsome word " wichuraiana -a word that, though used glibly enough by gardeners and garden writers, is more often than not misspelt. I have made sure of that extra " a " before venturing on this mild criticism ! The original rose called wichuraiana is a charming Japanese creeping kind with very long, slender growths and pretty little white blossoms, and by cross-breeding with some other roses distinguished by large flowers of rich coloring, Dorothy Perkins and many others have been evolved. They are commonly referred to as wichuraiana roses. Well, these make such remarkably vigorous growth with little or no attention on the grower's part that it is not necessary to cut them hard back to induce them to grow strongly. And there is the whole case in a nutshell ! One may leave the best growth almost its full length, and shorten all others by about one half. So much, then (and it is much more than I had intended), about pruning newly planted roses.

Telling You to Grow Lily-of-the-Valley-The most beautiful flower

If you are looking for an easy, perennial, flowering bulb to grow that will give you years of satisfaction, try growing lily-of-the-valley. The sweet, intoxicating, bell-shaped blooms seem to herald the arrival of spring. Lily-of-the-valley is also known as Convallaria and is a must addition for gardeners looking for flowering plants to add to the shady regions of their landscape. Not only is lily-of-the-valley easy to grow, it is also quite hardy once established.

 Step 1
Soak your lily-of-the-valley bulbs, or pips, in a plastic bowl of lukewarm water. Allow the pips to stay in the water for several hours. They will begin to swell from absorbing water, and this will help them start growing quicker once planted.
Step 2
Select an area in your garden that is either situated in full shade or partial shade. It is best to not plant the lily-of-the-valley pips in a location that receives full sun as they will not do well.
Step 3
Amend the soil with organic matter such as peat, manure, compost or pine bark to make it richer. You also need soil that drains well as the pips will not do well planted in an area that floods. The pips will rot and die before they even start growing.

 Step 4
Snip off one inch from the end of the roots on the pips before planting. This will help moisture get into the roots and make them start growing quicker.
Step 5
Plant your lily-of-the-valley pips in a hole just deep enough to where the top of the pip is sticking out of the ground. Space each pip approximately 1 ½-inch apart. Pack the soil down firmly around each pip.
Step 6
Water the newly planted pips well. Keep the soil where the pips are growing moist, but not soggy.
Step 7
Prune off the flower stalks as they begin to bloom. Once the plant has stopped blooming, do not cut off the foliage for winter. Allow the foliage to remain for the plant to continue getting nutrients.
Step 8
Fertilize the lily-of-the-valley plants twice per year with a high quality general purpose 10-10-10 fertilizer. Fertilize once in late spring and then again in summer.
Step 9
Lay mulch around the base of the plants during the winter to protect the root system.

Beautiful Philippine islands flowers

　　Philippine islands are a beautiful tropical paradise flooded with colorful tropical flowers and tropical orchids. A true exotic flower paradise all year long. Tropical orchids flowers in hundreds of colors and shapes, hibiscus in all variations, bougainvillea and many other tropical flowers. Beautiful flowers are healing light for the heart and soul of humans. A garden filled with a beautiful blossoming flower paradise means the house-owner has lots of love for others. No flowers in the garden means no love for others.

Photo tutorials and educational spiritual tutorials about nature and happy life in nature embedded in picture documentations shall make the joy of color photos also an educational experience. Learn about tropical nature, fruits, trees, farming, life on the beautiful Philippine islands.
Most of these beautiful tropical flower photos are in wallpaper size of 1600x1200px and or 1024x768 pixels available for free. You also find a beautiful collection of flower wallpaper in 1920x1080px HDTV widescreen 1080p format. You may find more beautiful flowers in the album Lotus flowers. Some of the most beautiful flowers and roses are also available as free God cards - prayer cards.
Additionally all these gallery photos can be sent as eCards.

Tropical flowers wallpaper in 16:9 HDTV 1080p/720p high resolution format. Flower photos from Philippines islands and the Kingdom of Cambodia. If you love these tropical flower photo background images, then you may as well love to travel the Philippine islands or enjoy to travel the Kingdom of Cambodia.- enjoy the beautiful flowers as free Love eCards Flowers.
Keep as many different beautiful flowers in a strong and most natural possible environment around you - it may safe doctor and medical bills and always uplifts your mood. Choose the beautiful flowers and flower colors you love most - that's the medicine for your heart you needs most. Enjoy the many beautiful flower pictures. More may most likely come on regular basis.
Most of these beautiful tropical flower photos are in wallpaper size of 1600x1200px and or 1024x768 pixels available for free. You also find a beautiful collection of flower wallpaper in 1920x1080px HDTV widescreen 1080p format. You may find more beautiful flowers in the album Lotus flowers. Some of the most beautiful flowers and roses are also available as free God cards.
Additionally all these gallery photos can be sent as eCards. Just select a flower photo, then select in the "Item action" drop down menu the eCard function to mail a beautiful flower picture of your choice to loved ones.

Lilies Blossoms With Strong Sweet Scent

Lilies are the famous and popular flowers in the world that can produce sweet scent and can have many colors of flowers. This flowers is the favorite flower whether in the garden or in the garden and there are many numbers of different species that growing in around the world. The lilies can grow well in the garden if they get the proper maintenance. The lilies are so hardy and they can thrive in any soil that get the well drain. This flower can have the large blossoms with the strong sweet scent. In planting the lilies, people should have the organic and the acidic soil that is drained well. These lilies also need a lot of mulch in some of the northern regions.
Wild lilies include lilies, trilliums, onions, tulips, hyacinths, and more. They are bulbed perennials.You may find lilies to be the easiest to grow and care for. Once you plant the bulbs you will have years of care free beauty.You may find it necessary to seperate the bulbs every couple of years. This helps to keep them blooming large and full. Perhaps this is why so many wild lilies are smaller than the ones you grow at home.

I hope you have enjoyed these pictures of lilies. If you are a big fan of pictures of lilies, you will want to sign up for my twice a month free newsletter. Not only will you receive the free course mentioned below but you will gain instant access to my online gallery. There you will find 1000's of nature and flower pictures to enjoy and download.

The colorful swan in southern Colombia Louisiana garden series endless

　　Louisiana gardeners seldom grow columbines (Aquilegia species and hybrids) in their cool-season flower gardens. This probably is due mostly to unfamiliarity with columbines -- there is no tradition of using columbines here in the Deep South -- and lack of availability in local nurseries.
Enlarge The Times-Picayune Swan Blue and White Swan series columbine gallery (5 photos)

That's about to change. A relatively new hybrid columbine, called the Swan series, has performed so well in LSU AgCenter trials it has been named a Louisiana Super Plants selection for fall 2011.
Columbines are among the most graceful of garden flowers. The foliage is lacy and bluish-green, and reminds me of large maidenhair fern fronds. The slightly nodding flowers are complexly formed and often include two contrasting colors.
A notable feature of the flowers is the long spurs that extend behind the petals. These claw-like spurs reminded people of the claws of eagles, and that's how this plant got the Latin name Aquilegia, which is derived from the Latin for eagle (aquila). Interestingly, the common name -- columbine -- is derived from the Latin name for another bird, the pigeon or dove (columba).
Swan series columbine
The word "series" has a different meaning from the more commonly used terms "variety" or "cultivar."
All of the plants that belong to a particular variety look exactly the same or very similar: they all have the same, shape, size and color of leaves and flowers and grow to be the same size.
A series, on the other hand, is the result of a focused breeding program that produces closely related but different varieties of a particular plant. These varieties have been bred to be very similar to each other except for a particular characteristic, such as flower color.
So when creating a series, plant breeders develop several individual varieties of a particular plant that share many common traits, such as genetic background, size of plant, growth habit, cultural needs, size and shape of flower and time of bloom. But the varieties differ from one another in one or two significant characteristics -- typically flower color. Within the series, each group is a separate variety and gets its own variety name.
This is the case with the Swan series columbines. The varieties in the Swan series are all very similar in everything except flower color.
Within the Swan series, the varieties are named based on the flower color, and include Swan Blue and White, Swan White, Swan Yellow, Swan Pink and Yellow, Swan Burgundy and White, Swan Violet and White, Swan Rose and White and Swan Red and White.
The outstanding range of beautiful colors is one reason the Swan series was chosen as a Louisiana Super Plants selection. The flowers are also larger than other columbines, and the plants are more vigorous in growth.
Growing swan columbines
In milder climates with cooler summers, columbines may be short-lived perennials that tend to bloom in summer.
Here in Louisiana, however, we grow virtually all columbines (other than Hinckley's columbine) as cool-season annuals that begin blooming in the spring and are removed when they finish blooming in early summer.
Transplants of Swan columbines available at your local nurseries should be purchased and planted now and through the fall. Fall planting allows for the most spectacular floral display in the spring.
Planting can be done all winter and as late as the end of February and still produce excellent results. Plants in 4-inch pots are a great size to plant in fall because they are economical, and the plants have all winter to grow and develop.
Larger sizes often will be available and are especially good when more immediate impact is desired or when planting later in the season.
Typically, the plants you plant in the fall or winter will not be in bloom. Columbines grow over the winter in the garden and bloom in the spring.
Don't let this deter you from planting them. During winter, they produce mounds of attractive foliage that looks great with other cool-season bedding plants, such as pansies and dianthus.
In the spring, generally from March through April or early May, the plants send up stems with clusters of large, elegant, colorful flowers. By May, the plants will be finished flowering and can be removed from the garden (compost them) and replaced with summer bedding plants.
Swan columbines grow well in full sun to part shade. They are one of the few cool-season bedding plants that blooms well in part shade (as does another Louisiana Super Plant, Camelot series foxglove).
Enrich the bed where they are planted by incorporating generous amounts of compost or other organic materials and a light sprinkling of general purpose fertilizer into the soil.
Space Swan columbine transplants about 12 inches apart from the center of one plant to the center of the plant next to it.
Hinckley's columbine
Columbines aren't entirely unheard-of in the New Orleans area. The New Orleans Botanical Garden in City Park has introduced gardeners to a columbine that actually survives as a short-lived perennial here.
The yellow-flowering Hinckley's columbine (Aquilegia chrysantha var. hinckleyana) is native to just one county in western Texas. It has been grown at the Botanical Garden and sold at their plant sales for the past 15 or 20 years, and you see this plant occasionally in area gardens.
Hinckley's columbine blooms with bright yellow flowers in spring and early summer and generally survives for two or three years, sometimes more. New plants are grown from seeds as needed to replace old plants as they die.
Hinckley's columbine thrives in well-drained, partially shaded locations and is drought-tolerant despite its delicate appearance.
Try Super Plants
The purpose of the Louisiana Super Plants program is to identify superior plants for Louisiana landscapes, make sure wholesale growers are growing and retail nurseries are carrying the selections and get the word out to the gardening public about these outstanding plants.
In addition to Swan series columbine, there are two other selections for fall 2011: Redbor kale and Belinda's Dream rose. These plants were featured in earlier columns.
To see photos and read about all of the beautiful and reliable Louisiana Super Plants selections, check out the Louisiana Super Plants website at www.lsuagcenter.com/superplants.
You will also find a list of nurseries in your area that are carrying Louisiana Super Plants.

Beautiful, isn't it

　　This camelia was photographed before winter struck this past weekend. Beautiful, isn't it? Its appearance in the garden brings to mind the book I read recently called A Victorian Flower Dictionary by Mandy Kirkby (Ballantine Books, $22), which I'll be writing more about in the paper.
It's about the language of flowers, an international, timeless language that applies to every season and country, such as - as Kirkby informs - May Day in France, which focuses on the lily of the valley. A lot of folks in the U.S. regard this delicate, fragrant ground cover as a nuisance - try getting rid of it! But in France, it's often called porte-bonheur, literally "bringer of happiness." Bouquets are sold everywhere to welcome spring.
Cherry blossoms in Japan represent the essence of life itself. As Kirkby describes it, "shockingly lbeautiful and heartbreakingly fleeting."
The camelia, she notes, is "the empress of winter," bringing lightness and gaiety to a dark time of year. It's named for Georg Kamel, a Jesuit missionary and botanist, who brought this beloved flower to Europe from east Asia in the early 1700s. It was grown in hothouses and by the mid-19th century, was considered an exotic must-have.
"It was the belle of winter flowers, gracing dinner parties, balls and concert rooms," Kirby writes, and soon came to represent "a simple expression of feminine beauty and love."
All that conversation, and beauty, in my back yard.

Most Beautiful Flowers Photography

　　
Most Beautiful Flowers Photography 　　Flowers are the sweetest things God ever made, and forgot to put a soul into. ~Henry Beecher, Life Thoughts, 1858
Flowers are not only a sign of beauty but also of beautiful fragrance. Today i have gathered some of the most beautiful Flower photography by various photographers. These are very colorful and of different types. Hope you enjoy them.
To go to the original source Click on the image. All images are properly linked back to their original sources.

Sri Lankan flowers

　　Sri Lankan flowers that grace homes around the world have inspired a new business initiative by Hayleys Agriculture to develop the local market for cut flowers and horticultural plants.

　　Some of the colourful blooms in greenhouses at the Boralanda facility of Hayleys Quality Seeds and Flowers.
With more than three decades of expertise in nursery management, production of hybrid flower seeds and growing, harvesting and exporting flowers and young plants, the Group says it can now double production at its 18 hectare facility in the central highlands to supply local enthusiasts and has begun appointing distributors and agents for the purpose.
"We can increase production to 100,000 flowers a month whenever we want to," Hayleys Agriculture Managing Director Rizvi Zaheed said.
"Up to last year, 100 percent of our production was exported, but already the local market accounts for 5 percent and domestic demand is projected to increase," he said.
Newly appointed distributors for Hayleys Quality Seeds and Flowers are reporting rapidly increasing sales and the potential for new employment generation in this sector is significant, Zaheed said. Among the customers of Hayleys Quality Seeds & Flowers are some of the global top five seed breeders. The company's employees are highly skilled and qualified, as F1 hybrid flower seed production involves precise specialized operations such as hand pollination and emasculation.

The charm and beauty of Lanna never fails

　　The charm and beauty of Lanna never fails to delight visitors to the mountainous northern region of Thailand. The beauty of Chiang Mai's numerous temples, the exquisite mural paintings in Nan and the graceful, intricate detail of woodcarvings in the wats in Lampang are but a few examples. And visitors soon discover that the spell of Lanna truly lies in the way of life of its people.

　　That certainly proved true to me during the course of producing the book, Dok Mai Thai: The Flower Culture of Thailand. During our long photo session in Chiang Mai, we had the privilege of observing local religious ceremonies performed in village temples. Various kinds of fresh offerings made from plant materials such as flowers, coconut leaves, banana leaves and betel nuts were brought to the temples for each occasion. Small parts of these offerings were suay dok, or cone-shaped floral receptacles made from banana leaf _ the inspiration for today's floral display.
Instead of the traditional banana leaf, however, I use jackfruit leaf for its beautiful texture.
I begin by cutting the leaf stem, so it can be easily folded. I then proceed to roll the leaf to create a small cone. The key is to let the fresh leaves lose their brittleness by airing them for a while after they've been cut, so they can be easily bent.
After that I use a bamboo sliver to pin parts of the leaf together to maintain the required cone shape. I then cut that piece of bamboo sliver to an appropriate length.
After a small cone of foliage has been made, I continue to cut a tiny bit of its bottom off to create a small hole for the stem of the flower to go through. I then insert the tiny stem of the small pink globe amaranth through the opening of the jackfruit-leaf cone, then through the small hole that had just been cut.
After a number of the floral cones, each complete with a pink globe amaranth, have been made, I proceed to arrange them in a small square glass. After the square glass is filled with water, we have a simple floral display that delightfully evokes the charm and beauty of the Land of a Million Rice Fields.

The beautiful flowers in the sun

　　
　　Supplied © Enlarge photo
There is nothing like the beauty and fragrance provided by fresh flowers cut straight from the garden.
Samantha Turner, from Garden Elegance in Subiaco, said that as well as providing a readily available supply of beautiful blooms, another advantage of growing your own cut flowers was that your supply could vary with the seasons, depending on what you decided to plant.
So which plants are best to provide fabulous floral displays? We asked the experts for their recommendations.
ROSES:
Robbie Melville, manager of Melville Nurseries in Carmel, said roses were ever-popular because they were inexpensive and provided beautiful perfume and flowers for 10 months of the year (from September through until July).
Hybrid tea roses were the best for cut flowers.
"Kardinal, which is a red rose, is probably the longest-lasting cut rose and will give two weeks in a vase if looked after properly," Mr Melville said.
BULBS:
Lorraine Hoglin, general manager of fresh flower wholesaler Everbloom Flowers, agreed that roses were a great option for cut flowers but when they were not flowering, bulbs would just about be ready to bloom.
"Daffodils, iris and freesia are good to plant," she said. "These can be planted in the same area as the roses and only need to be pulled up every second year and divided; they are dormant when the roses are flowering.
EVERLASTINGS:
WA is famous for its stunning spring wildflowers, which also make for gorgeous floral arrangements.
Waldecks' Hilton Blake said Bracteantha bracteata, or everlasting daisies, were easy to grow, and also recommended Lucinda's Everlastings seeds (available from Waldecks Garden Centres), which could be simply scattered in autumn.
"Ten grams of Lucinda's Everlastings will produce a 10sqm carpet of the magnificent flowers in spring," he said.
"The cut everlasting in a vase will last a month or so but the flowers can be hung upside down in a dark, airy position to dry and used as a dried flower for the entire year."
PLANTING TIP: "Everlastings are so easy to grow that they will almost grow anywhere, but an open sunny position will give you the most amazing display of colour," Mr Blake said.
SWEET PEAS:
Ms Turner recommended sweet peas for their ease of growing and beautiful colours.
Sweet peas were available in dwarf varieties growing up to 40cm, or traditional, which could grow to more than a metre.
"Small ones are ideal to grow in a pot," she said.
"Sow the seeds in autumn in a full sun position, making sure the taller varieties have support.
"This doesn't have to be fancy because the peas will cover it.
"Sow in autumn to have flowers in spring."
PLANTING TIP: Ms Turner said sweet peas may benefit from a little dolomite lime dug into the ground at planting if the soil is not already alkaline.
KANGAROO PAWS:
Ms Turner said kangaroo paws made for great cut flowers because they were long lasting.
There was also the choice of planting dwarf or large-stemmed varieties, depending on how big you wanted your flower arrangements.
"The Big Red is large and gets to about a metre, or for dwarfs, Bush Gems are smaller and available in lots of colours including yellow, red and violet," she said.
Flowering from early spring, kangaroo paws were best planted during winter in full sun.

Open the florist woman

　　
　　Storm Emin at work in her florist shop in St Albans. Photograph: Frank Baron
The man on the end of the phone has an audibly guilty conscience. His tone is sheepish and he doesn't know a dandelion from a day lily. One thing is clear: he needs mollifying flowers sent at the double to his spouse.
"We can always tell when a man's in trouble," says Jean Dennis, owner of Bloom florists in St Albans, Hertfordshire. "The trick is to find out how much trouble he's in and then work out how to get him out of it."
Gerberas might be his salvation, a single rose, or an artful spray of lisianthus, depending on the nature of his sin and the preferences of the wronged partner. The future of the relationship is then in the hands of Storm Emin, who creates the striking floral confections which distinguish Bloom from common-or-garden florists. She and Dennis will even help the anxious sinner phrase a suitable message and send him a text when the bouquet has dispatched, hoping that it all works out.
Most of life's dramas are brought to Bloom's unassuming door. Their bouquets hail babies and baptisms, they ornament brides, congratulate graduates, comfort the sick and honour the dead. And, of course, apply first aid to ruptured romance. There's a story behind every new order and a grasp of rudimentary psychology is a skill as vital to modern floristry as green fingers, since flowers alone will make nobody's fortune when they are so cheaply and readily flogged by supermarkets.
"In a recession, flowers are the first things to go," says 27-year-old Emin, although she has noticed a resurgence of people buying flowers to take to a dinner party. Those wanting to make a fragrant gesture can grab an acetate cone of carnations from a petrol station for half the price of one of Bloom's bunches, but it can be a false economy. A single stem, gracefully beribboned and co-ordinated with a hostess's upholstery, will speak far more eloquently and it is likely to outlive its supermarket relations by several days.
"People go by the look of flowers without thinking about the quality," says Emin, who has spent the morning trimming sheaves of eucalyptus stems. "Our flowers are cut fresh from the nursery and come straight here to be conditioned and refrigerated, whereas supermarket flowers languish for up to two days in a warehouse and then are dumped in buckets on the shop stands without proper preparation."
The unofficial counselling services are, however, the ingredient that sets good florists apart from superstores and it's this that has helped Bloom to flourish while many florists have gone to the wall. It was a failing business when Dennis took it over in 2009; now sales are up 70% on last year thanks to the personal service, a blitz on networking sites and a 7pm closing time which caters for panicked commuters who have remembered the wife's birthday on the train.
It helps, too, that the shop has diversified, offering picture framing and greetings cards. "The cards draw people in affordably," Dennis says. "They come to the till to pay for a card and then pluck up the courage to ask the price of a lily, whereas people can be nervous about entering a traditional florist because they're unsure what they want or how much it will end up costing."
While Emin is scissoring her eucalyptus in the back room, an elderly lady sidles up to the till. She eyes up the stands of exotica and looks nervous. Dennis strides over, exuding kindly authority. The customer needs flowers for a relative's funeral, but doesn't know where to start. Dennis steers her from thoughts of a wreath to a basket of flowers that can more suitably be donated to a hospital after the funeral and she agrees to write out the attached message since the customer mistrusts her own handwriting. "A big part of the job is a listening ear," she says. "You can always tell a funeral party when it comes in and you have to put them at their ease, hear out their story and encourage them to think things through."
Emin, having trimmed and tidied that morning's delivery, is now darting about the shop floor plucking blooms from stands and crafting them into pre-ordered bouquets that Dennis and her brother then deliver at any time, on any day. "I like open orders most because I know which flowers are at their best at the moment and which will best suit the environment they're wanted for, but some people have set ideas which can be a challenge," says Emin.
"When I first started in floristry a bride wanted sprays of purple, red and yellow with white gypsophila. She obviously didn't know what she was talking about, but she insisted we go ahead and when she came and saw the results just before the wedding, she burst into tears. Since then I always warn people if I think their ideas won't work."
Brides are both the lifeblood and the torment of florist. "A lot of people think that you make big money from weddings, but that's not true," Emin says. "Consultations take an hour or two and we don't charge for them and the conditioning and arranging of the flowers can take a whole day. One day this summer I was organising flowers for a wedding for 12 hours – 1,080 carnations and 200 lisianthus had to be conditioned, divided and arranged and I had a massive blister on my hand from the scissors."
There are pedantic brides who want to organise the minutiae of their bouquet 18 months in advance – "climate change is making it very difficult to predict what will be available when," Dennis says, "this spring £1m wouldn't have bought you lily of the valley because it finished flowering a month early" – and last-minute brides who come in a fortnight before the big day and want Hollywood extravagance on a shoestring. One rang in on the morning of her nuptials after another florist had let her down and Emin had to construct her bouquet on the spot.
Then there are brides who think that vulgar money-talk will sully the romance. "People are strangely reluctant to tell you their budget so we have to work blind," Emin says. "Then they always throw something at you at the last minute. At one wedding the bride's mother-in-law suddenly insisted I stick wired flowers all over the cake. I'd no idea if she'd consulted the bride."
The long, cold, poorly paid hours of floristry were never part of Emin's life plan. Fashion design was her ambition until a canny careers adviser warned her against the long training required. "She suggested floristry instead, which I thought was the biggest joke ever because I was a tomboy, but I changed my mind after working in a flower factory in Skegness," she says. "I realised I loved flowers."
She completed an advanced national certificate in floristry and has since worked her way round eight florists, including her own shop which she disastrously set up just before the credit crunch. "There's not a lot of money in floristry," she says. "And because of that a lot of people cut corners and take advantage of you. One boss didn't pay my national insurance and another kept my savings for me in his safe then wouldn't give them back to me when I left. You either do something for the money or because you love it and in floristry, it has to be love because even in London £15,000 is a good wage."
The day starts at 8am when Emin and Dennis check overnight internet orders and those from other florists. Flowers are delivered from nurseries three times a week and have to be conditioned, watered and arranged on the stands or stored in the large refrigerator. Then the phone starts ringing, passers-by wander in and bouquets have to be assembled for delivery.
Predicting daily demands is a feat that, if not accomplished precisely, can bring down a business – the stock is a perishable investment. Valentine's Day, which – along with Mother's Day – is the busiest day of the year, is usually a predictable affair involving a single flower, but this year, Emin says, customers branched out and red-hued exotica was in demand. She and Dennis endeavour to forecast demand by keeping abreast of style trends – lilies are currently the most popular flower – but the most important skill is subtly to modify customers' ambitions to suit what's on the stands.
"People who phone in can't see the display, so it's up to us to nudge them and often people who come in don't know what they want, so we can steer them towards what we have that will be appropriate," says Emin.
This they do so successfully that Bloom only bins around £5 worth of stock a day and customers, having had their emotional lives expertly soothed by a flower, often become reliant on Emin and Dennis's counsel to steer them through life's landmarks.
"Money's immaterial, it's what will convey the right message for the occasion that matters," says Emin. "One man wanted to propose to his girlfriend and didn't know how. We suggested a single red rose with a diamanté pin through the leaf. He now rings us up before every birthday and anniversary and asks us to be his personal adviser."
Much of the shop's business is to those amnesiac commuters on the way home from the station. Bloom will text them reminders of important occasions if they request it and leave bouquets out of hours at the neighbouring wine shop to spare them wifely wrath. "To survive when most florists have closed shop, you have to be ready for anything," says Emin. "You can say what you like under your breath so long as you do it with a smile."

Life like a flower bright beautiful

　　

　　Waking Up by *ReachForTheStarfish

　　


Flowers are the sweetest things God ever made, and forgot to put a soul into. ~Henry Beecher, Life Thoughts, 1858
Flowers are not only a sign of beauty but also of beautiful fragrance. Today i have gathered some of the most beautiful Flower photography by various photographers. These are very colorful and of different types. Hope you enjoy them.

Flowers. by ~spacedude89

　 Red_tulip by ~Boui34
To go to the original source Click on the image. All images are properly linked b

ack to their original sources.

wedding beautiful flowers

We'll help you create a design that's tailored just for you. From the initial meeting with our design consultants to the big day itself, we'll be with you every step of the way. Drawing inspiration from the cutting edge of fashion our bridal bouquets are always a talking point, blending elements from your dress and the theme of the day.
From striking table centrepieces, corsages to flowers for the groom every aspect of your wedding is considered.
So whatever your budget and wherever you are (we travel worldwide), we'll make your day truly unforgettable.

Enjoy Beautiful Flower Garden Time

Imagine that you have this beautiful flower garden. See it in your head. Mine is full of sunflowers. If you do not weed it pretty regularly, crabgrass and all kinds of other unwelcome visitors will inevitably start popping up. Without any maintenance at all, the weeds will eventually take over and choke out the flowers.
Your mind is like this garden. You can pull weeds and plant flowers in the garden of your mind.

In his book, Buddha’s Brain, Rick Hanson writes:
To gradually replace negative implicit memories with positive ones, just make the positive aspects prominent and relatively intense in the foreground of your awareness while simultaneously placing the negative material in the background. Imagine that the positive contents of your awareness are sinking down into old wounds, soothing chafed and bruised places like a warm golden salve, filling up hollows, slowly replacing negative feelings and beliefs with positive ones.
You know that pesky automatic negative mental chatter made up of your subconscious thoughts, beliefs, and feelings? Some of it is material from the present, and some from the recent past, but most of it is comes from the implicit and explicit memories of childhood. He suggests first becoming aware of and familiar with your “usual suspects” that make for recurring upsets and problems through some self analysis. In other words, find the root. Once you do, infuse positive material into it….the weed killer.
The point is not to resist painful memories and experiences or grasp at pleasant ones. That leads to its own kind of suffering. The goal is to pair negative material with and, eventually, replace it with positive emotions and perspectives…the flower, if you will.
For example, if not feeling good enough is one of your common themes, when this thought appears, recall a specific time when you were more than good enough. Really recall the feeling of it. Give it the power of language and verbalize it. Make it into an affirmation. Do this a couple more times in the following hour. Scientific evidence shows that negative memory is especially vulnerable to being changed after it is recalled.
For me, it is just the general fear of the future and anxiety about the unknown. Can I handle it? How will it turn out? What if the worst happens? I remind myself that I have not only recovered from a serious brain injury with no professional guidance just by my sheer determination and tenacity, but I am better than ever. If I can do that, I can handle anything. I will figure it out. And you know what? I really believe it now!
You can do this any where and at any time. With repetition, this actually changes your brain and builds new positive structures and weeds your garden. Here’s to beautiful gardens!

Flowers Gifts

Flowers are one of the best gifts that we give to our close ones and numbers of Online Florist have made this work a lot easier and comfortable. The most important thing one looks when one buys flowers is their freshness and this quality is never compromised when customers buy them online. Services like Flowers Home Delivery have made online flower shops a much popular way of buying them. It is easy and the buyer is not required to move an inch from their place. As flowers are most preferred gifts for all occasions like anniversaries, birthdays and weddings Florist Home Delivery have gained a huge reputation for delivering flowers at the desired place and within the stipulated time. The customer just needs to order the type of flowers and the number they want. At the same time, they need to give the details about the place where flowers are supposed to be delivered. After completing this process, one just needs to click on the button named Send Flowers Online to finish the whole process. The rates of the flowers are mentioned per bud and Florist Delivery charges are taken at a very nominal rate. Taking everything into consideration, the whole system gives a lot of advantage to the customers.

These online Flowers Home Delivery shops also deliver flowers to far and distant places as per the demand of the customer. For this service, they may charge something extra but over all it comes out quite economical. Exciting anyone with surprise flower delivery on any special occasion is one of the best ways to show the emotions for the concerned person and how much you care for them. These online flower shops also provide their customers with services like different types of Flowers Bouquet. They can have a mix of number of flowers with all the required decoration but all such services depend on the wants of the customer. Exclusive Roses Bouquets is an elite service offered by these flower shops. This service is very much in demand on occasions like Valentines Day, rose day etc. One can also view the samples of pre made bouquets on the websites of such shops. It is best to get an idea from such samples and then order the desired bouquet for yourself. Through the year, there are occasions and for every occasion there is some special set of flowers offered by these online flower shops. On bulk buying and during festive season these shops offer discounts too.
When sending a gift to anyone, the most important consideration other than freshness of flowers is the delivery on time. This aspect is also a vital point to judge the service of any online flower shop. In urgency, sometime people require Flowers Same Day Delivery and this is one of the features of online flower shops that have attracted people to avail this service repeatedly. Another facility that these online shops provide is Flowers Midnight Delivery that cannot be rendered by market shops. As people can order and delivery at anytime is also possible because of online flower shops.

Beautiful Vases

I was going through my pretty file the other day and found page 53 from last summer’s VivaTerra catalog. The tattered sheet displayed their typically eco-chic products, but I doodled three stars (doodle star= totally love) by these Recycled Glass Balloon Vases. They are beautiful. Their lopsided form has the look of a massive soap bubble on the verge of popping. They have such character–and a green one at that. Add a tall stem flower and you’ll have the perfect hall display. I guess I was saving them for a rainy blog day, but weather or not, today they will be posted!

Crystal Vases

Vas In some, such as crystal vases of clear or transparent mode, more and more demand, making the room a more modern model of a different package for every room of the most commonly used accessories look beautiful. If you are tired with the model ceramic vase, you can choose this as a developed and a more diverse color selection model fitting room glass vase. You can proviede additional contacts, such as adding a big bow cloth production, to beautify a clear vase, is a long time it seems like new vases.

In the vase can be placed anywhere, but it is a small vase with flowers the best, can be placed on the coffee table or prepare a special table in the corner position. Although the large vase, no problem on the large table on the same table. Also, do not put on the ground, due to rupture of the fragile vase, and for safety reasons, should be placed on children.

Lily of the Incas

Alstroemeria, commonly called the Peruvian Lily or Lily of the Incas, is a South American genus of about 50 species of flowering plants.
Alstroemerias are tall, with round clusters of butterfly-shaped flowers atop dark green stems.
The plants are distinctive vegetative, with a rootstock consisting of a slender rhizome or group of rhizomes (the “crown”).

Above-ground shoots may be very short in some alpine Andean species (a few cm tall) or up to about 1.5 m tall in other species. Each year (more often in some hybrids) up to 80 new shoots are produced from the rootstock and each terminates in an umbel of a few up to 10 or so flowers.
Perhaps the most fascinating trait of Alstroemeria and its relatives is the fact that the leaves are resupinate, that is, they twist from the base so that what appears to be the upper leaf surface is in fact the lower leaf surface. This very unusual botanical feature is easily observed in the leaves on cut flowers from the florist.

Flowers In Alcatraz

I'm walking with Carola Ashford past a bank of fuchsias so extravagantly purple and red, they stun the eye. "The funny thing is," she says, "my college major was criminology."
Ashford does not study crime now. She is a landscape architect who restores historical gardens. But her college career overlaps with this particular garden, belonging as it does to the most famous prison in the world, Alcatraz.
Maybe, like me, you were not aware that Alcatraz had gardens. Every year 1.3 million of us visit the Rock. But mostly we go to savor a safe dose of mayhem. We want the illicit thrills you get from stories of Al Capone and hidden shivs and hard time done a long time ago.

Alcatraz has a gentler history, though, and that is what Ashford is trying to recover. In the beginning, the Rock was a rock, bleakly barren. But the human urge to improve any patch of ground is strong. As soon as dirt was barged in for Army gun emplacements in the late 1800s, plants were grown on the island. For a century more, through the island's career as a military prison and its more infamous incarnation as a federal penitentiary, gardens bloomed on Alcatraz clifftops and beneath the glowering concrete walls.
Gardening stopped in the 1960s, when the penitentiary closed. Even after Alcatraz became part of Golden Gate National Parks, the gardens were abandoned to ivy and blackberry. In 2003, the nonprofit Garden Conservancy, working with the National Park Service and the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, decided to bring Alcatraz back into flower.
"The first time I visited," Ashford tells me, "I looked at all the ivy and thought, I can't do this." But she and her team scoured historical records and interviewed members of the Alcatraz Alumni Association ― officers and their families ― to discover what the gardens had looked like in their prime. Volunteers removed debris. "Once we cleared out the overgrowth," Ashford says, "bulbs started coming out. They had been hidden 40 years. But when they saw the light of day, they bloomed."
Stories bloomed too. Any good garden requires an obsessive gardener. Alcatraz had these. One was Freddie Reichel, who worked as secretary to the warden in the 1940s. At first, Ashford explains, Reichel regarded the gardens as a burden. Then he took up the challenge of finding plants that would survive Alcatraz's fog and wind. He corresponded with garden experts and, following their suggestions, planted bush poppies, succulents, and blue-flowered pride of Madeira. Says Ashford, "He ended up a fervent horticulturalist."
The work changed prisoner Elliott Michener too. Ashford takes me to the west side of the island, where the convicted counterfeiter created terraced plantings that would have done a Pacific Heights mansion proud. "He built a birdbath, a greenhouse," Ashford tells me. "It was just incredible. A showplace."
This is the world Ashford and her crews are bringing back. So far they've restored two of the island's gardens; Michener's will be completed over the next three years. We stand admiring it as it is now, a beautiful wreck beneath an ivy veil. Long after he had been released from Alcatraz, Michener wrote that his garden "provided a refuge from disturbances of the prison.… This one thing I would do well."

Chrysanthemum Comes From Creek Words

CHRYSANTHEMUM  is  a genus of about 100 species of plants in the family Compositae. The chrysanthemum has been cultivated in the Far East for more than 2500 years. It is the national flower of Japan, It was introduced into England in 1789 and was taken to the United States in the early 19th century, from small species that grew wild in China and Japan, and thousands of varieties have been developed through crossing, selection, and mutation.
The word chrysanthemum comes from Creek words that mean gold and flower. The flowers now range in color from white and yellow through pink and lavender to deep red. The sizes vary from pompons, less than an inch across, to blooms 8 inches or more in diameter. There are 15 distinct bloom forms of chrysanthemums, which differ chiefly in the shape and arrangement of the petals. Petals may be flat, fluted, quelled, feathery, fringed, or curled. Blossoms may be single, semi-double, or double.

Chrysanthemums thrive in fertile, well-drained soil and full sunlight. They grow from cuttings or root divisions. They are either annual, lasting only one year, or perennial continuing to live from year to year. Gardeners like to grow chrysanthemums because of their variety of size, shape and color. The 3000 varieties in cultivation may be divided into two main types those that are cultivated in a greenhouse and forced for winter bloom and hardy varieties that grow outdoors and bloom in late summer and fall. All chrysanthemums bloom outdoors if they are protected from frost.
The only species of economic importance are certain forms of pyrethrum, Chrysanthemum coccineum. Their flower heads are the source of pyrethrum powder, an insecticide.

Chrysanthemum Flowers Bloom

Many people are well aware that roses are the most popular flower in whole world but very few know that chrysanthemums are just second to roses in the list of most popular flowers in world. The name of this flower is driven from 2 Greek words “Chrys” that means golden (as the original color of flower is gold) and “anthemon” that means flower. Chrysanthemum flowers bloom in various forms, and can be daisy-like, decorative, pompons or buttons. Chrysanthemum flowers come in a huge variety of shapes and sizes and in a wide range of colors. Chrysanthemums, else than in the original yellow color comes in white, purple, red and in other colors too.

As Chrysanthemum come in different colors so they hold different meaning and that makes these flowers the famous florist flowers. The Chrysanthemum flower denotes trustworthiness, buoyancy, joy and long life.

• A red chrysanthemum communicates the message of love.
• A white chrysanthemum signifies truth and loyal love.
• A yellow chrysanthemum indicates slighted love.

Chrysanthemums are classified into nine categories according to the type and arrangement of disk and ray flowers – Incurved, Reflexed, Intermediate, Late Flowering Anemones, Singles, Pompons, Sprays, Spiders/Spoons/Quills, Charms and Cascades.

Peace Rose Plants

Pruning Peace Rose bushes is a simple task, but done wrong, it can produce a weak plant or a plant that will not bloom properly. Most pruning is done in the spring, though pruning for dead and decaying wood and plant matter should be done throughout the growing season.
Pruning Tips for Peace Rose Plants
When pruning, always use a sharp pair of garden shears or pruning shears. Unclean cuts can damage the plants. In the spring, just as the Peace Rose bush sends out buds, cut the stems back to within one-quarter of an inch of the outside buds. Pinching the stem tips in this manner will help the bush to grow outwards, creating a fuller plant.

Think about whether you want a lot of blooms or a few spectacular ones. Severe pruning, removing half of the previous year's growth, will give you larger flowers and make the plant grow larger, but it will also result in fewer flowers and a less bushy plant. For hedging and landscaping, excessive pruning is not ideal.
During the summer, remove spent blooms. You can also prune to retain the shape of the rose bush.
If you live in an area with colder winters, once there has been two or three good frosts, mulch the rose bush to at least an inch above the graft union to protect the graft from the cold. Cut all long canes down to about four feet in height, then tie the canes together. This will protect the rose bush from winter damage. If you live in an area with milder winters, no extra cutting and binding are needed, but you should still mulch over the graft union.
Propagating Peace Rose
The best way to propagate a Peace Rose is through grafting. Grafting should be done in the winter or early spring, while the scion and the rootstock are dormant. Choose the scion from shoots that were grown the previous season. Make sure the scion wood is free of insects and disease, and cut them the same day you plan to graft. At least four scions should be cut, in the event that one or more of the grafting procedures do not take.
Prepare the rootstock by sawing off a clean, smooth cut that is perpendicular to the main axis of the stem that is going to be grafted. Make a cleft through the center of the stock and down about three inches with a clefting wedge. Prepare two scions for each graft. The scions should have three or four good buds. Starting near the base of the lowest bud, make two opposing tapered cuts about two inches long toward the base end of the scion. The side with the bud should be a bit thicker than the other side.
Insert one scion at each end of the cleft. The wider side of the wedge should face outward. Make sure the cambium of each scion makes contact with the cambium of the rootstock. Remove the clefting tool from the rootstock and allow the rootstock to close over the scions. Seal the cut surfaces with grafting wax or grafting paint.