Flowers The Great Choice To Gift

Rose Gardening

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 09:06:00 +0000

Roses have gotten a bad wrap over the years for being difficult to grow and maintain. If you are thinking of rose gardening don’t let this rumor stop you. While rose gardening can prove to be challenging, once you get the hang of it, it really isn’t that bad.

When you first start rose gardening, you will have to choose what type of rose you wish to plant, and no, I’m not talking about the color. You will have to choose between bare-root, pre-packaged, and container-grown roses. Bare-root roses are sold in the winter and early spring. They should be planted as soon as frosts are over and the ground is warm and workable. Pre-packaged roses are bare-root plants that are sold in a bad or box with something around the roots to retain moisture, such as sawdust. Container-grown roses are grown; you guessed it, in containers. They will be either budding or already in bloom when they become available in the early spring.

Planting in rose gardening is not that much different than any other type of plant. The most important thing, as always, is good, healthy soil and a prime planting area. It doesn’t matter whether your roses are bare-root or container-grown, the planting methods are the same as any other shrub. Make sure the spot you choose has good drainage, gets plenty of sunlight, and will not overcrowd your roses. Before planting, any dead leaves and thin or decayed shoots need to be cut off. Any damaged or very long roots also need to be trimmed. Soak bare-root roses in water about 10-12 hours to restore moisture in the roots before planting and water the soil before planting as well. Make sure the hole you have dug is large enough for the root growth of the rose. Also it is a good idea to use compost or mulch. After all, roses like extra nutrients just like any other plant.

Roses need the same things as other plants; they are just a bit needier. One of the most important things to remember in rose gardening is that roses are heavy feeders and will need several fertilizer applications. Fertilizing should be started in early spring and discontinued in early fall. Make sure not to over-fertilize (fertilize should come with instructions) and water after each feeding. Roses require large amounts of water; a thorough watering twice a week should be enough.

Pruning is an essential part to flower gardening. It increases blooms and encourages healthy plant growth. Different varieties of roses have different instructions for pruning, so you might want to read up on your rose types and see what is suggested.

The main thing to remember in rose gardening is to water, water, and water some more. One other thing about rose gardening is the amount of fertilizer and nutrients you will need to use, and the pruning that needs to be done to keep your roses under control and healthy. Even though rose gardening takes a little more time and roses are more work, they are one of the most unique and beautiful plants, and definitely worth the extra work.

A Hobby Greenhouse Will Get You Growing!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 08:58:00 +0000

For people who would like to do more gardening but live in a short growing season area, a hobby greenhouse is the answer. A hobby greenhouse is not large enough to produce vegetables or flowers on a commercial basis. It will, however, give you a place for a tomato plant or two and some fresh greens even if you live in the northern regions. Greenhouse enthusiasts even have their own association, called the Hobby Greenhouse Association, which publishes a quarterly magazine. The organization also sponsers events and helps individuals connect to get help with the aspect of gardening that they are interested in, whether it's growing cacti or saving seeds.

If you are in the market for a hobby greenhouse, there are several types on the market. The smallest type is not large enough to walk into and must be accessed from the outside. It resembles an old-fashioned phone booth made all of glass and outfitted with shelves. This type is designed to fit as many plants as possible in as small a place as possible. The shelves are made of glass to allow as much light as possible to reach plants on the lower shelves. Another inexpensive version of this sort of hobby greenhouse is shelving covered with a zippered tent of clear plastic. This sort of arrangement is great for the small-scale hobby gardener wanting a place to keep her flowers or houseplant starts.

There are a variety of designs of hobby greenhouse that are large enough to walk into but made entirely of clear glass or plastic. They are often about the same size as a small storage building. Some independent builders have started making these to sell locally. Among national brands, one of the nicest is called the "Solar Prism." It is called this because of it's unique construction. This hobby greenhouse is made of a single piece of durable clear plastic which is designed to work like tiny prisms side by side. They trap the rays of the sun and shoot them back into the greenhouse at all angles. For this reason, these little greenhouses are said to glow when the weather is cloudy.

Better hobby greenhouses are equipped with automatic sensors that open vents which allow ventilation and keep the interior temperatures from getting too high. These are a great labor saver, but can get expensive. Another benefit sometimes found in nicer greenhouses is a built in irrigation or misting system. Members of the Hobby Greenhouse Association, or HGA, have invented many interesting designs of greenhouses.

If gardening is your hobby, greenhouse growing will interest you. With a greenhouse, you can have the earliest tomatoes and salad greens all year. You can also start seedlings for the main garden early in the spring when outdoor temperatures would kill them. A hobby greenhouse can be a good investment.

Flower Power by Lara Velez

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 18:34:00 +0000

Ah...Spring. After months of cold weather, of course you think of flowers when spring arrives. I will cover many different angles of the beautiful flowers of Spring, including; edible flowers, toxic flowers, flower recipes, tips on how to care for them, and rose colors...what do they say? Come...join me...

The Best Flowers for Spring

Please note: Not all of the flowers in this article are edible. Please see the list below for which flowers are edible and which ones are poisonous.

Tulips - (from genus "Tulipa") From the Turkish for turban, after its rounded form. They are originally from the Middle East and are available November to May (January to April for British tulips).

Tulip Care Tips: Tulips continue to grow in water and will curve towards the light. Make allowances for this when putting them in a vase or wrap the stems tightly in newspaper and stand them in water directly beneath a light for a few hours.

Dill - The botanical name is Anethem graveolens. Graveolens means having a strong scent. Dill is available from spring to autumn. It is a cousin of the humble carrot. Dill has a pungent and tangy flavor. It is best used with breads, fish, cheese, salads, and vegetables - especially cucumbers.

Dill Care Tips: Part sun part shade, keep damp, but not over-wet.

Lily of the Valley - (from genus "Convallaria", full name "Convallaria majalis") It was first cultivated in1420. It is mostly available in the months of April and May. The Lily of the Valley signifies a "return to happiness". It is also frequently used in bridal arrangements for their sweet perfume. Traditionally associated with May 1st, especially in France where the "muguet" is handed out at special events.

Lily of the Valley Care Tips: Must not be left out of water too long. Keep cool and shaded.

Sweet Pea - Botanical name is Lathyrus odoratus - odoratus means scented. They originated in Italy and are available March to November. Sweet peas mean "delicate pleasures".

Sweet Pea Care Tips: Keep cool, always in water, and away from ripening fruit. Commercial sweet peas are treated after cutting to prolong their life; garden-cut ones may only last one or two days but florists' peas can last over a week.

Roses - (from genus "Rosaceae") Botanical name Rosa - It is originally from China and is now cultivated from America to Africa and from Eastern Europe to the Far East. It is available all year round and probably the best known and best-loved flower in the world.

Rose Care Tips: Limp roses can be revived by standing up to their necks in lukewarm water in a cool room. Do not bash the stems as this prevents them taking up water effectively.

Speaking of roses, the next time you buy them for someone special, make sure that you pick the right color for the person or occasion.

ROSE COLOR MEANINGS:

Red: love, respect, and devotion

Deep Pink: gratitude, appreciation, and thank you

Light Pink: admiration, respect, sympathy, and regard

White: reverence, humility

Yellow: joy, gladness, friendship, and social

Orange: enthusiasm, desire

Red and Yellow: gaiety, joviality, fun-loving, humorous

What about eating flowers? Well there are some you can and some you need to steer clear of!

POISONOUS FLOWERS

DO NOT EAT: Lily-of-the-Valley, Bleeding Heart, Buttercup, Iris, Calla Lily, Narcissus or Daffodil, Lupine, Petunia, Sweet Pea, Monkshood, Periwinkle, Rhododendron and Azalea, Oleander, Delphinium, Clematis, Foxglove, Hellebore, Wisteria, Crocus, Poinsettias, Mistletoe, Nightshade, and African Violet...just to name a few.

EDIBLE SPRING FLOWERS

APPLE - May - Slightly floral, sour

CHERVIL – May/June – parsley-like with a hint of tarragon, citrus

CHIVE – May/June – onion, strong

CORIANDER – June/Frost - like leaf, but more fragrant

ENGLISH DAISY - April/Sept – mild

DANDELION - May/July - like leaves, bitter

DILL - June/Frost - like leaves, but stronger

ELDERBERRY - May/June - floral, mild

GRAPE HYACINTH - April/May - grapey, bitter after-taste, slight sour

HONEYSUCKLE - May/July - honey sweet, perfumed

LILAC - April/May - perfumed, slightly bitter

MUSTARD - April/May - hot, mustard

GARDEN PEA - May/June - raw peas

PLUM - April/May - mild, like flower nectar

ROSE - May/Sept - perfume, sweet to bitter

GARDEN SAGE - May/July - flowery sage, slightly musky

SCENTED GERANIUM - throughout year - varies, slightly sour or bitter

SWEET WOODRUFF - May - sweet, grassy, vanilla

TULIP - April/May - slightly bitter or sweet

VIOLET (PANSY) - April/July - Mild, leafy green, some varieties sweet

If you plan on entertaining this spring...you may want to make a beautiful flower ice bowl
for presentation of one of your cold dishes or use it as a centerpiece.

FLOWER ICE BOWL CENTER PIECE

You will need:
assorted spring flowers...or just one kind
greenery (optional)
water
masking tape
2 glass bowls with a size difference of 2 inches

Place a few of your flowers on the bottom of the larger bowl. Place the smaller bowl
in the larger bowl, on top of the flowers. Fill the space between the bowls,
slowly, with water. Using a skewer to push them down into the water, add
the rest of your flowers in the space around the bowl. Secure the smaller bowl
in the larger bowl using the masking tape. Wrap the tape tightly across the top
of the bowls, making sure that the smaller bowl is centered. Freeze at least 4
hours, or overnight. Remove from freezer and let stand for 5 minutes. Gently
pull smaller bowl and remove your ice bowl from larger bowl. Put it in the
freezer until you are ready to use it.

You can use these ice bowls to serve; salad, custards, fruit, sherbert, or you may
fill it with fresh flowers and use it as a centerpiece.

This is also great for other seasons. Just change the type of flower and greenery to
fit the season!

Copyright © Lara Velez

This article is free for reprint, ONLY if you keep the author box in tact, all links active, and do not change ANY part of this article.

About the Author: Lara Velez is a homeschooling WAHM. She lives in the Sunshine State with her two lovely daughters and husband. She is a published author, web designer, web publisher, and editor. She owns two successful websites, http://www.momsoffaith.com and http://www.homebusinessresourcedirectory.com. She also owns her own Health and Wellness business, http://www.mymonavie.com/HlthyLiving/mystory.asp

Article Source: http://www.ladypens.com

Wildflower Garden by Melissa Rice

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 18:30:00 +0000

A wild flower garden has a most attractive sound. One thinks of long tramps in the woods, collecting material, and then of the fun in fixing up a real for sure wild garden.

Many people say they have no luck at all with such a garden. It is not a question of luck, but a question of understanding, for wild flowers are like people and each has its personality. What a plant has been accustomed to in Nature it desires always. In fact, when removed from its own sort of living conditions, it sickens and dies. That is enough to tell us that we should copy Nature herself. Suppose you are hunting wild flowers. As you choose certain flowers from the woods, notice the soil they are in, the place, conditions, the surroundings, and the neighbours.

Suppose you find dog-tooth violets and wind-flowers growing near together. Then place them so in your own new garden. Suppose you find a certain violet enjoying an open situation; then it should always have the same. You see the point, do you not? If you wish wild flowers to grow in a tame garden make them feel at home. Cheat them into almost believing that they are still in their native haunts.

Wild flowers ought to be transplanted after blossoming time is over. Take a trowel and a basket into the woods with you. As you take up a few, a columbine, or a hepatica, be sure to take with the roots some of the plant's own soil, which must be packed about it when replanted.

The bed into which these plants are to go should be prepared carefully before this trip of yours. Surely you do not wish to bring those plants back to wait over a day or night before planting. They should go into new quarters at once. The bed needs soil from the woods, deep and rich and full of leaf mold. The under drainage system should be excellent. Then plants are not to go into water-logged ground. Some people think that all wood plants should have a soil saturated with water. But the woods themselves are not water-logged. It may be that you will need to dig your garden up very deeply and put some stone in the bottom. Over this the top soil should go. And on top, where the top soil once was, put a new layer of the rich soil you brought from the woods.

Before planting water the soil well. Then as you make places for the plants put into each hole some of the soil which belongs to the plant which is to be put there.

I think it would be a rather nice plan to have a wild-flower garden giving a succession of bloom from early spring to late fall; so let us start off with March, the hepatica, spring beauty and saxifrage. Then comes April bearing in its arms the beautiful columbine, the tiny bluets and wild geranium. For May there are the dog-tooth violet and the wood anemone, false Solomon's seal, Jack-in-the-pulpit, wake robin, bloodroot and violets. June will give the bellflower, mullein, bee balm and foxglove. I would choose the gay butterfly weed for July. Let turtle head, aster, Joe Pye weed, and Queen Anne's lace make the rest of the season brilliant until frost.

Let us have a bit about the likes and dislikes of these plants. After you are once started you'll keep on adding to this wild-flower list.

There is no one who doesn't love the hepatica. Before the spring has really decided to come, this little flower pokes its head up and puts all else to shame. Tucked under a covering of dry leaves the blossoms wait for a ray of warm sunshine to bring them out. These embryo flowers are further protected by a fuzzy covering. This reminds one of a similar protective covering which new fern leaves have. In the spring a hepatica plant wastes no time on getting a new suit of leaves. It makes its old ones do until the blossom has had its day. Then the new leaves, started to be sure before this, have a chance. These delayed, are ready to help out next season. You will find hepaticas growing in clusters, sort of family groups. They are likely to be found in rather open places in the woods. The soil is found to be rich and loose. So these should go only in partly shaded places and under good soil conditions. If planted with other woods specimens give them the benefit of a rather exposed position, that they may catch the early spring sunshine. I should cover hepaticas over with a light litter of leaves in the fall. During the last days of February, unless the weather is extreme take this leaf covering away. You'll find the hepatica blossoms all ready to poke up their heads.

The spring beauty hardly allows the hepatica to get ahead of her. With a white flower which has dainty tracings of pink, a thin, wiry stem, and narrow, grass-like leaves, this spring flower cannot be mistaken. You will find spring beauties growing in great patches in rather open places. Plant a number of the roots and allow the sun good opportunity to get at them. For this plant loves the sun.

The other March flower mentioned is the saxifrage. This belongs in quite a different sort of environment. It is a plant which grows in dry and rocky places. Often one will find it in chinks of rock. There is an old tale to the effect that the saxifrage roots twine about rocks and work their way into them so that the rock itself splits. Anyway, it is a rock garden plant. I have found it in dry, sandy places right on the borders of a big rock. It has white flower clusters borne on hairy stems.

The columbine is another plant that is quite likely to be found in rocky places. Standing below a ledge and looking up, one sees nestled here and there in rocky crevices one plant or more of columbine. The nodding red heads bob on wiry, slender stems. The roots do not strike deeply into the soil; in fact, often the soil hardly covers them. Now, just because the columbine has little soil, it does not signify that it is indifferent to the soil conditions. For it always has lived, and always should live, under good drainage conditions. I wonder if it has struck you, how really hygienic plants are? Plenty of fresh air, proper drainage, and good food are fundamentals with plants.

It is evident from study of these plants how easy it is to find out what plants like. After studying their feelings, then do not make the mistake of huddling them all together under poor drainage conditions.

I always have a feeling of personal affection for the bluets. When they come I always feel that now things are beginning to settle down outdoors. They start with rich, lovely, little delicate blue blossoms. As June gets hotter and hotter their colour fades a bit, until at times they look quite worn and white. Some people call them Quaker ladies, others innocence. Under any name they are charming. They grow in colonies, sometimes in sunny fields, sometimes by the road-side. From this we learn that they are more particular about the open sunlight than about the soil.

If you desire a flower to pick and use for bouquets, then the wild geranium is not your flower. It droops very quickly after picking and almost immediately drops its petals. But the purplish flowers are showy, and the leaves, while rather coarse, are deeply cut. This latter effect gives a certain boldness to the plant that is rather attractive. The plant is found in rather moist, partly shaded portions of the woods. I like this plant in the garden. It adds good colour and permanent colour as long as blooming time lasts, since there is no object in picking it.

There are numbers and numbers of wild flowers I might have suggested. These I have mentioned were not given for the purpose of a flower guide, but with just one end in view your understanding of how to study soil conditions for the work of starting a wild-flower garden.

If you fear results, take but one or two flowers and study just what you select. Having mastered, or better, become acquainted with a few, add more another year to your garden. I think you will love your wild garden best of all before you are through with it. It is a real study, you see.

California Flower Shops | Flower Shops in Sacramento

Article Source: http://www.ladypens.com

Water Lilies by Carolen

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 18:27:00 +0000

As the rose to the flower garden, so is the Water Lily to our lakes and ponds. In the summer stillness of some reed fringed backwater, the crowning note of beauty will be found in a fleet of Lilies moored by hidden cables. Who can forget the sight of the creamy cups sparkling with the morning dew, as the sun scatters the dawn mists from the surface of some placid lake? Or in the blue mystery of night, when the folded flowers shine like silver lamps to guide our boats through the shadows.

If water gardens existed for the sake of this one flower, they would be worth all the love and labor in our power to give.

And yet Water Lilies are much neglected. For them it is worth clearing and cleaning the hundreds of weed grown ponds. Small tanks and tubs might be prepared, the possession of even a few square feet of water surface should be an excuse for growing plants of the hardy kinds.

Perhaps the fallacy that Water Lilies, as a family, are extremely delicate, is difficult to disprove. The fact that they flower freely in lakes and ponds,which in winter are thickly covered with ice, should in itself be sufficient to dispel any such prejudice. Certain varieties require warm and sheltered quarters, but even in exposed situations the available list is by no means small.

In spite of the beauty of flower and leaf as displayed, Water Lilies owe much of their charm to suitable surroundings and graceful grouping.

On natural pieces of water they should always be planted close in-shore, so that they may be appreciated without trouble from the bank. A sheltered bay, surrounded by flowering reeds and with wooded margins, would be an ideal spot for a few good patches. Sunshine is essential, but in an exposed position they rarely look their best. Absolute tranquillity seems necessary in order to realise their full charm, on the mirrored surface of a sunlit pool, each bloom stands out clear cut and delicate.

There is something in the sculptured form of this flower that particularly fits it for association with water gardens of a formal type. In large places the possession of a small Lily Court, with sunk tank and enclosing walls of masonry, will provide a picture of supreme beauty.

An advantage of tanks over ponds and streams, consists in the ease with which the plants may be looked after. Not only can growth be curtailed and overcrowding checked, but the roots may be furnished with just enough soil as is conducive to healthy development and free flowering. In many cases the mud in ponds and lakes is poor, improvement in this direction being difficult, if not impossible. As a consequence, the crop of bloom decreases annually, whilst leaf growth is correspondingly coarse and rampant.

As a rule the more vigorous growers should be reserved for ponds and open water, as the Lily petioles should be allowed to attain their full length, and the plants are impatient of too much restraint. The smaller kinds will thrive in tanks and tubs, with a depth of two to three feet of water. In case of frost, it is advisable that the crowns shall be at least twelve inches below the surface during the winter.

The best time for planting is April or May, at which time the tubers can be obtained from nurseries and specialists. For planting in the open, it is sufficient to tie the roots to a fair-sized stone or piece of iron piping, lowering them into suitable quarters near the pond side. If the mud bottom is of only slight depth, or clay puddling has been resorted to, the roots should be supplied with some strong loam in which to strike. An easy way is to pack them in soil in old baskets, lowering them into position, by the time the baskets have rotted, the roots will have fastened themselves securely into the mud.

In artificial tanks and tubs the bottom can be covered with a foot of good loamy soil mixed with manure before the water is admitted. Planting under such conditions is easy and certain. A thorough cleaning of the sides and brickwork should always precede Lily planting, as old neglected tanks are generally foul and dirty.

Please visit Lily Tanks for more information on water gardens.

Article Source: http://www.ladypens.com

Flowers

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 07:09:00 +0000

Gifting Flowers - Yehi Hai Right Choice Baby!
By Raisa Raima

Flowers are the beautiful gift of beauty and different flowers have different meanings attached with them. They embark more individualism than humans. Every flower has its own meaning and name, very unlike humans who just want to ape the other person sitting next to them. Sending flowers with special meanings is considered the best way of showing your love, gratitude or happiness whichever suits fall in the correct situation. Whether it's a birthday party or weddings or anniversaries and even graduation ceremony, flowers have their own distinct presence. Whatever the occasion is, we always try and speak our mind with the help of flowers.

It's true "Some words are better untold" and with flowers the adage goes like "Some words are better expressed". They are regarded as purposeful friends who can express your inner most feelings without any words.

Well, the best advantage is that these flower websites have the widest range and collection of flowers with them. You have the option of reading different reviews and can then decide your favourite bunch. The portals even deliver them to your desired destination.

Now that the festive season is round the corner, what could be more descent than sending flowers through online shops and that too at an affordable price? Many a times just because of our tight schedule we fail to go and shop for our favourite flowers as gifts but this problem has been sorted out by the online vendors. You can find plenty of seasonal flowers at reasonable rates on online florists. One of the best advantages of the online flower shopping is that one can place an order days and months before the occasion and safeguard himself from the exorbitant prices.

So, now you know what to buy this festive season through online shopping. Don't you?

The author is a specialist in retail writing. Her writing skills reflect the outcome of years of exposure to the retail industry. Working with retail giants as a consultant has enriched her knowledge base and her passion for writing got fire. She can be read regularly on RetailsDirect.com. For details please visit: Online Flower Gifts

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Raisa_Raima

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