Orchid plants are very fastidious, bearing the most attractive flowers having a wide range of colors. They can easily be grown both indoors and outdoors with minimum amount of care. Some of the Orchid species require to be kept in greenhouses, whereas some varieties of Orchids can grow among other house plants.
Growing Orchids indoor and outdoor could be a great fun. You just need to know some important general guidelines.
Natural light is very vital for the Orchid plants. Normally, an east or west facing window is more suitable for the growth of these plants. Direct sunlight can be harmful for them; therefore, you need to make sure that they are placed in the shaded area, having indirect sunlight. They need to have 10 to 15 hours of light everyday. Artificial lights can also be used in winter season.
Proper temperature is also necessary throughout the year for the good growth of Orchids because Orchid plants do not bear hot and unventilated conditions. They need to have daytime temperatures about 70 F in summer season and 60 F in winter season. In cold and frosty nights, keep your Orchid plants away from windows.
Watering is also very significant for the proper growth of these plants. Overwatering is fatal for them; therefore, let surplus water to seep away. You should water them when you feel that the growing medium is about to dry. Usually, watering the Orchid plants once a week would be enough.
Orchid plants flourish well in a humid atmosphere. Placing the plant on a tray of small wet pebbles would be quite helpful in increasing the humidity level. Be sure to place the Orchid pot on the top of the pebble layer, not in the water. The water around the pebbles will fade away and moisturize the air around the plant.
When growing Orchids, regular fertilization will lead the plant to grow soon and bloom well. But it should be kept in mind that over fertilization will harm or destroy the plant completely. Giving fertilizer twice a month is highly recommended. Avoid feeding the plant during winter season.
It is also important to know that you should reduce watering and fertilizing the Orchid plants once they stop blooming. Start giving water and fertilizer regularly when new leaves begin to appear.
The yellowish or brownish spots on the leaves are the indication that plant has red spider insects on it. In this situation the leaves wither away prematurely.
Re-pot the plant in new medium when you see small yellowish leaves with few or no flowers because this condition shows that the plant needs fertilizer or the medium is too damp. After repotting, water it carefully.
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Thursday, December 22, 2011
An American Flower Symbols
America has a symbolic object that will represent the nation. Having an American Flower Symbols is definitely one of them.
The Marigold flower has been proposed as the United States American Flower Symbol. Back in 1967, they made a controversial argument from one of its proponent named Everett Dirksen.
The Senate Joint resolution 19 was introduced the native Marigold to designate as the national floral emblem of the United States, the suggestion was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
There is a wide support why they are designating the marigold flower as the official American Flower Symbol. Here are some of the proposed reasons.
The fruit of the rose and petals provides many uses, apart from being edible they also has some healing properties. An element that has been found in the rose hips are vitamins, pectin, beta carotene and bio flavanoids which are good sources in producing antioxidants that defends and boosts immune system. The rose hips may help in reducing the cholesterol level in the blood and stabilize a normal blood pressure. In addition, they also help in improving weight management and digestive efficiency.
The Marigold flower has been proposed as the United States American Flower Symbol. Back in 1967, they made a controversial argument from one of its proponent named Everett Dirksen.
The Senate Joint resolution 19 was introduced the native Marigold to designate as the national floral emblem of the United States, the suggestion was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
There is a wide support why they are designating the marigold flower as the official American Flower Symbol. Here are some of the proposed reasons.
- An official floral symbol must be a representation of virtue of their land and posses a patriotic character.
- Marigold shows the nations nature because it grows all over the 50 states of the country. They endure the tremendous of temperature of summer sun and the coldness of evening.
- The native marigold heftiness mirrors the toughness and nature of the past generations that pioneered and build this land into a great nation.
- The stunning colour of marigold suits the nation’s imaginative virtues.
- This flower possesses some characteristics of other flowers. They are energetic as the daffodils, as vibrant as the rose, can be firm and delicate like the zinnia and carnations, proud and aggressive that a chrysanthemum and petunia strongly possess.
- And lastly, it is a native of America, thus, this deserve to be called the American Flower.
The fruit of the rose and petals provides many uses, apart from being edible they also has some healing properties. An element that has been found in the rose hips are vitamins, pectin, beta carotene and bio flavanoids which are good sources in producing antioxidants that defends and boosts immune system. The rose hips may help in reducing the cholesterol level in the blood and stabilize a normal blood pressure. In addition, they also help in improving weight management and digestive efficiency.
Monday, December 19, 2011
Tulip Care - A Should For Spring Gardens
When you love to see the gorgeous tulip flowers in April and May, then tulip care throughout the growing season in your garden is a serious priority for you. You spent good cash and poured your time in planting new bulbs within the fall. As spring unfolds, you need to see these yellow, crimson, white, pink and other tulip flowers. They're saluting you as they wave in the breeze for taking care of them. Assessment this article to ensure that you're taking excellent care of your own tulips.
Tulip flowers are a hardy species, but when you do not know the right way to take care of the principle challenges, your garden will suffer. Here are the highest considerations and issues with tulips earlier than flowering.
Fertilize your tulip crops twice a year. The perfect time to feed tulips is within the early spring (before they bloom again). One of the simplest ways to feed them is to add a tablespoon of a granular fertilizer on the soil around every bulb. This needs to be executed earlier than flowering as a result of feeding your tulips after flowering may cause a disease.
Tulips want lots of water. In case your backyard will get loads of rainfall nature will maintain the watering. If you live in a very heat area all-12 months-round be certain that to water your tulip backyard at least as soon as a week.
Watch out for animal pests, like rabbits and squirrels. Rabbits eat the inexperienced shoots and can destroy the tulip plant in order that no flowers blossom. Stop rabbits from consuming breakfast in your backyard by utilizing a physical fence like chicken wire, a deterrent like cayenne pepper, or non-poisonous commercial merchandise like Liquid Fence.
Squirrels can hurt the tulip plant by digging and eating tulip bulbs. Shield the bulbs by putting in netting over the bulbs when planting them. This will maintain squirrels from reaching the bulbs. Upon getting planted tulip bulbs, sprinkle blood meal on prime of the soil across the tulip shoots. You too can set up hen wire over the top of the garden to guard the small shoots after they emerge.
Voles are another problem. Voles are small rodents that burrow and dig tunnels underground. Voles see tulip bulbs as food and can eat the bulbs, destroying your tulip garden. Unfortunately, there usually are not very many effective methods to take away voles.
Tulip flowers are a hardy species, but when you do not know the right way to take care of the principle challenges, your garden will suffer. Here are the highest considerations and issues with tulips earlier than flowering.
Fertilize your tulip crops twice a year. The perfect time to feed tulips is within the early spring (before they bloom again). One of the simplest ways to feed them is to add a tablespoon of a granular fertilizer on the soil around every bulb. This needs to be executed earlier than flowering as a result of feeding your tulips after flowering may cause a disease.
Tulips want lots of water. In case your backyard will get loads of rainfall nature will maintain the watering. If you live in a very heat area all-12 months-round be certain that to water your tulip backyard at least as soon as a week.
Watch out for animal pests, like rabbits and squirrels. Rabbits eat the inexperienced shoots and can destroy the tulip plant in order that no flowers blossom. Stop rabbits from consuming breakfast in your backyard by utilizing a physical fence like chicken wire, a deterrent like cayenne pepper, or non-poisonous commercial merchandise like Liquid Fence.
Squirrels can hurt the tulip plant by digging and eating tulip bulbs. Shield the bulbs by putting in netting over the bulbs when planting them. This will maintain squirrels from reaching the bulbs. Upon getting planted tulip bulbs, sprinkle blood meal on prime of the soil across the tulip shoots. You too can set up hen wire over the top of the garden to guard the small shoots after they emerge.
Voles are another problem. Voles are small rodents that burrow and dig tunnels underground. Voles see tulip bulbs as food and can eat the bulbs, destroying your tulip garden. Unfortunately, there usually are not very many effective methods to take away voles.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Marigold Is Also Called In India As Banti Pool
The elimination of all plants as they began blooming, bearing single, semi-double and strong-odored blooms began at once to be beneficial. The first Summer, at least, 60 percent of the plants were destroyed before the bees and insects had an opportunity to cross pollinize the best blooms with pollen from the inferior ones in the garden. Each year the operation was repeated so that during the first five years, the number of inferior plants was reduced to about 18 percent. The next five years, by actual counts, the per cent was lowered to 12, and the last five years not over five per cent have been inferior producing plants. This first season produced a large harvest of fine blooms. The very best ones in size and color, and those of artistic form that stood erect on strong long stems, were saved for seed. They were bunched as to color and hung up to be thoroughly dried before the seed was taken. The color range following all the original varieties, from a very light, pale yellow, through gold to a very deep orange, has been maintained and their brilliancy intensified. While intensely full, or complex, the blooms are unexcelled in artistic beauty.
The selection of best seed plants, year after year, has produced outstanding qualities of color, odor, general size of blooms, the length and strength of stems and large strong plants. These features began to manifest themselves in a small way from the very start. They have increased in degree throughout the whole trial. It can endure in harsh weather, soil and water conditions and barely need tending unlike other flowering species. These strong features allow the flower to occur more commonly in many Indian gardens, homes, and along the road. The flowers are also broadly used in several cultural, traditional, and religious ceremonies in India. It is rarely absent in the midst of any celebration. Its prominent form and color gives a bright merriment and jovial ambiance to the dreary parts of weddings, housewarming, and poojas. The flower can be found pitted alongside oriental lilies and carnations in any floral ornament.
Marigold is more usually called in India as Banti Pool. The striking edge of this beautiful flower is the burst of color glowing for the bunch of petals. A single flower is enough to add outstanding color to any floral centerpiece. However, marigold is not as fragrant or as sweet-smelling compared to other flowers but its distinct smell is helpful in keeping pests and insects away from the table or any arrangement. The leaves can be inserted or just be placed next to the flowers. In whatever way, it would still look good. Two shades of marigold flowers can be used but a single shade would always look better. Marigold may be considered as a meager man's flower but would still appear classy and elegant in any elite occasion. Although there are a few types of moths which do have larva that will eat them, for the most part bugs tend to stay away from marigolds. This indicates that Marigolds are able to be grown immediately next to the other plants which grow in your flowerbed that you wish for bugs to keep away from. They are also said to keep rabbits and deer away from other flora.
The selection of best seed plants, year after year, has produced outstanding qualities of color, odor, general size of blooms, the length and strength of stems and large strong plants. These features began to manifest themselves in a small way from the very start. They have increased in degree throughout the whole trial. It can endure in harsh weather, soil and water conditions and barely need tending unlike other flowering species. These strong features allow the flower to occur more commonly in many Indian gardens, homes, and along the road. The flowers are also broadly used in several cultural, traditional, and religious ceremonies in India. It is rarely absent in the midst of any celebration. Its prominent form and color gives a bright merriment and jovial ambiance to the dreary parts of weddings, housewarming, and poojas. The flower can be found pitted alongside oriental lilies and carnations in any floral ornament.
Marigold is more usually called in India as Banti Pool. The striking edge of this beautiful flower is the burst of color glowing for the bunch of petals. A single flower is enough to add outstanding color to any floral centerpiece. However, marigold is not as fragrant or as sweet-smelling compared to other flowers but its distinct smell is helpful in keeping pests and insects away from the table or any arrangement. The leaves can be inserted or just be placed next to the flowers. In whatever way, it would still look good. Two shades of marigold flowers can be used but a single shade would always look better. Marigold may be considered as a meager man's flower but would still appear classy and elegant in any elite occasion. Although there are a few types of moths which do have larva that will eat them, for the most part bugs tend to stay away from marigolds. This indicates that Marigolds are able to be grown immediately next to the other plants which grow in your flowerbed that you wish for bugs to keep away from. They are also said to keep rabbits and deer away from other flora.
Sunday, December 11, 2011
The Best Time To Plant Wisteria
Wisteria are slow to start growing after they are initially planted, however, if planted in full sun, in deep, moist, well-drained loam, they can become established fairly quickly. Once established, they can be vigorous growers and in southern states especially, can consume anything they grow on. Trellises, arbors, fences, pergolas, even parts of houses have been lost under the weight of the vine. Planted too close to a house, and left unchecked, the vine has been known to have ripped gutters off a house. A well established Wisteria that is in bloom can be breathtaking. It's large clusters of white or lavender flowers are well worth the effort needed in the initial planning stages, the patience required, and the time needed to prune. Proper planning before planting can also save you a few headaches later on.
Before planting a wisteria, consider the fact that these vines can grow between 30 and 80 feet long. The limiting factor other than geographical location is essentially how large of a structure it has to grow on. If planted next to a large arbor, the plant will eventually cover the arbor, but it growth will be limited if it has no other place to grow. However, if planted next to a house or tall tree, the vine can wrap around the roof line of the house, or climb the entire height tree. Occasional pruning can keep the vine in check, and limit it's advance. The best time to plant it is in early spring. During the first year, don't be surprised if there is little growth. Wisteria will establish it's roots before giving energy to the leaves. Patience is the key with Wisteria. Plants don't usually bloom for 3 to 4 years after being transplanted. During it's initial growth, train the vine over your structure. Remember that the flowers will hang down and can be quite long.
Some garden centers sell them already trained, but you can train your vine into a tree too. By providing a strong vertical support and training your vine up it, you can turn your vine into a small tree. At the desired height, simply cut the end of the vine to force it to fill out from that point. Your tree will need to be supported until it can support it's own weight. This can take a few years for the vine to grow in diameter enough to stay vertical. Your tree will need to be pruned occasionally to keep it in good form, but when it blooms, you will be greatly rewarded with such a beautiful tree. Wisteria seedlings can take a few years before they produce blooms. Because I grow seedlings, that is what I use. Using seedlings does allow me to control and train the plant's development, emphasizing root and early main trunk growth. A strong framework is necessary to support the weight of the mature vine and flower clusters as the plant becomes a bloomer.
Before planting a wisteria, consider the fact that these vines can grow between 30 and 80 feet long. The limiting factor other than geographical location is essentially how large of a structure it has to grow on. If planted next to a large arbor, the plant will eventually cover the arbor, but it growth will be limited if it has no other place to grow. However, if planted next to a house or tall tree, the vine can wrap around the roof line of the house, or climb the entire height tree. Occasional pruning can keep the vine in check, and limit it's advance. The best time to plant it is in early spring. During the first year, don't be surprised if there is little growth. Wisteria will establish it's roots before giving energy to the leaves. Patience is the key with Wisteria. Plants don't usually bloom for 3 to 4 years after being transplanted. During it's initial growth, train the vine over your structure. Remember that the flowers will hang down and can be quite long.
Some garden centers sell them already trained, but you can train your vine into a tree too. By providing a strong vertical support and training your vine up it, you can turn your vine into a small tree. At the desired height, simply cut the end of the vine to force it to fill out from that point. Your tree will need to be supported until it can support it's own weight. This can take a few years for the vine to grow in diameter enough to stay vertical. Your tree will need to be pruned occasionally to keep it in good form, but when it blooms, you will be greatly rewarded with such a beautiful tree. Wisteria seedlings can take a few years before they produce blooms. Because I grow seedlings, that is what I use. Using seedlings does allow me to control and train the plant's development, emphasizing root and early main trunk growth. A strong framework is necessary to support the weight of the mature vine and flower clusters as the plant becomes a bloomer.
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Narcissus Is A Kind Of White Trumpeted Flower
Narcissus is a kind of white trumpeted flower with strong scents. Although originally cultivated in Europe and Asian, it is currently planted all around the world. As a member of the whole Narcissus family, Paperwhites can not compete in size with other family members like Daffodils and Jonquils, but its fragrance make it outstanding in all Narcissus members. Most paperwhite narcissus have white flowers while some species have trumpet shaped flowers in yellow too. Before you plant your narcissus bulbs, you should prepare yourself a shallow container and put a layer of pebbles or other decorative that is at least deep on the bottom of the container. Then you need to put bulbs root side down into the pebbles so that the bottom centimeter is surrounded. At last, put some water in the container to reach the top of the pebble. Note that the bulb should just contact the water surface, otherwise, too much water will cause it to rot very soon. You should keep an eye on the water surface and make sure the bulb can absorb water when it is growing. After a few days, your Paperwhites will keep blooming all winter long!
The narcissus is a flower that belongs to the daffodil family. It is a beautiful flower that comes in numerous colors in the wild such as; white with an orange center, white with a yellow center the most attractive color is all yellow with the center a deep yellow and the petals a lighter yellow color. It is a very common Easter flower. A beautiful crepe paper narcissus for Easter is not difficult to make if you are a beginner at paper flower making you can use the artificial centers to make it a little easier on yourself and if you have several to make using the artificial centers will also cut down on the amount of time you have to spend making them. Each child will need a pint size clean milk carton with the top removed. Cover the outside of the milk carton with crepe paper and then attach the flowers (as many or few as you would like) to the outside of the carton. Fill the inside with jellybeans or whatever candy you want. This is also a great project for kids to make with adults at home. They can be made and brought to a senior citizen home, nursing home or even a hospital to help spread some Easter cheer throughout the community. It is a great project for any adult or child who enjoys making paper flowers and has a giving spirit.
A small centerpiece made of paper narcissus is another wonderful idea for your home, as a gift, for your pastor, mail carrier, babysitter, housekeeper or your pastor and church congregation. It is nice to be remembered on Easter, why not remember all the important people in your life with a beautiful paper flower narcissus gift. There have been some reports that narcissus bulbs have been kept successfully in open paper bags in a cool, dark place over winter and planted just as soon as it is possible to get them into the ground in very early spring. These bulbs bloomed in a normal manner at the usual time later on in spring. This practice however, is not a safe one because there always is a great possibility that the bulbs will dry out and deteriorate so much while in storage that they would make very poor plants and fail to bloom after being planted. These potted bulbs can be forced into growth for flowering in the house in late winter or kept in cold storage and planted in the garden as soon as it is possible to do so.
The narcissus is a flower that belongs to the daffodil family. It is a beautiful flower that comes in numerous colors in the wild such as; white with an orange center, white with a yellow center the most attractive color is all yellow with the center a deep yellow and the petals a lighter yellow color. It is a very common Easter flower. A beautiful crepe paper narcissus for Easter is not difficult to make if you are a beginner at paper flower making you can use the artificial centers to make it a little easier on yourself and if you have several to make using the artificial centers will also cut down on the amount of time you have to spend making them. Each child will need a pint size clean milk carton with the top removed. Cover the outside of the milk carton with crepe paper and then attach the flowers (as many or few as you would like) to the outside of the carton. Fill the inside with jellybeans or whatever candy you want. This is also a great project for kids to make with adults at home. They can be made and brought to a senior citizen home, nursing home or even a hospital to help spread some Easter cheer throughout the community. It is a great project for any adult or child who enjoys making paper flowers and has a giving spirit.
A small centerpiece made of paper narcissus is another wonderful idea for your home, as a gift, for your pastor, mail carrier, babysitter, housekeeper or your pastor and church congregation. It is nice to be remembered on Easter, why not remember all the important people in your life with a beautiful paper flower narcissus gift. There have been some reports that narcissus bulbs have been kept successfully in open paper bags in a cool, dark place over winter and planted just as soon as it is possible to get them into the ground in very early spring. These bulbs bloomed in a normal manner at the usual time later on in spring. This practice however, is not a safe one because there always is a great possibility that the bulbs will dry out and deteriorate so much while in storage that they would make very poor plants and fail to bloom after being planted. These potted bulbs can be forced into growth for flowering in the house in late winter or kept in cold storage and planted in the garden as soon as it is possible to do so.
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Camellia - The Queen Of Plants
To me, camellias would have to be the queen of plants. The glossy foliage never seems to wilt or die no matter how hot and dry the summer gets. They are covered in flowers that range from a petite baby's fist size to that of a man's outspread hand, and colors range from a red that's nearly black, through all shades of pink to white and even yellow. Some are multi-colored with white spots on pink or pink edging purest white petals. The camellia plant size itself can vary from a tiny groundcover to a splendid bush way over headhigh, and many can be trained to climb over an archway, even though they are not technically climbers. To do this prune off all but the two most vigorous shoots and tie these to the arch as they grow. But some of the newer ones do now boast a light, delicate fragrance. So there you are. All you need is a bit of dappled shade to grow the most stunning camellia display you could imagine. Some don't even need dappled shade, usually the darker pink the bloom, the less shade it needs.
Camellias are beautiful garden evergreens that provide blooms throughout the winter months in southern areas. Camellias have a lot of fragrance and the dark green foliage provides a sustainable background for your landscaping needs. In southern states where temperatures rarely drop below freezing, camellias keep their blooms all winter. They love to grow in shady areas and thrive in humidity. They can withstand winter weather down to fifteen degrees Fahrenheit without cover. Simply covering them with a sheet or plastic on nights when it may drop below fifteen degrees will keep your winter camellias looking fabulous. Camellias grow best in acidic soil, which is another reason they are well suited to the south. Pine needles, pine mulch and coffee grounds can be worked into the soil to lower the pH of alkaline or neutral soil down to an acidic state.
They grow about a foot a year, so in as little as five years you can have a substantially sized shrub, even if you start with a baby camellia. Remember that you will need at least partial shade for camellias to flourish. Water often and not too much at a time to help your camellias succeed. Keep the garden hose handy on a garden hose reel, which can easily be kept out of site behind your camellia. The high content of these two substances contribute to the penetrative power of camellia seed oil capable of permeating deeply into the lower layers of the skin to significantly enhance the beneficial effects of elastin and collagen, thus restoring the skins elasticity and considerably improves skin texture by the elimination of fine lines and small wrinkles. Since this oil is very similar to skin oil, it works in synergy with skins own natural system to nourish cell membranes and accelerate skin rejuvenation. Human skin will not reject these substances thus boosting it's ability to utilize them and hence replenish itself, restoring moisture balance to dry skin, softens wrinkles and tiny age lines and reduces and heals scars.
Camellias are beautiful garden evergreens that provide blooms throughout the winter months in southern areas. Camellias have a lot of fragrance and the dark green foliage provides a sustainable background for your landscaping needs. In southern states where temperatures rarely drop below freezing, camellias keep their blooms all winter. They love to grow in shady areas and thrive in humidity. They can withstand winter weather down to fifteen degrees Fahrenheit without cover. Simply covering them with a sheet or plastic on nights when it may drop below fifteen degrees will keep your winter camellias looking fabulous. Camellias grow best in acidic soil, which is another reason they are well suited to the south. Pine needles, pine mulch and coffee grounds can be worked into the soil to lower the pH of alkaline or neutral soil down to an acidic state.
They grow about a foot a year, so in as little as five years you can have a substantially sized shrub, even if you start with a baby camellia. Remember that you will need at least partial shade for camellias to flourish. Water often and not too much at a time to help your camellias succeed. Keep the garden hose handy on a garden hose reel, which can easily be kept out of site behind your camellia. The high content of these two substances contribute to the penetrative power of camellia seed oil capable of permeating deeply into the lower layers of the skin to significantly enhance the beneficial effects of elastin and collagen, thus restoring the skins elasticity and considerably improves skin texture by the elimination of fine lines and small wrinkles. Since this oil is very similar to skin oil, it works in synergy with skins own natural system to nourish cell membranes and accelerate skin rejuvenation. Human skin will not reject these substances thus boosting it's ability to utilize them and hence replenish itself, restoring moisture balance to dry skin, softens wrinkles and tiny age lines and reduces and heals scars.
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Brief Introduction Of Anthurium
Less than two hundred years ago, anthurium flowers looked completely different than the way they look today. They produced much plainer looking flowers and they grew untouched by man in the Amazonian rain forests of South America. It was not until the late 1800s that they were introduced to Hawaii by a man named Samuel Damon. Rather, they are fed through two of sources of nourishment. The first is decaying leaf litter. As leaves fall the collect around the roots of these plants and as the leaves decay, they provide a steady source of nutrients. Second, minerals from massive dust storms on the African continent are blown across the Atlantic and are deposited upon these plants when it rains.
When you keep your anthurium plant indoors, the great thing is you are not likely to run into any problems with pests, like scales, thrips and aphids. But if you do encounter these types of infestations you may cope with the majority of them by misting the leaves of your anthurium with water and cleaning them with a soft wash cloth. If this is not sufficient, you may use an insecticidal soap to hold these kinds of infestations at bay. The more difficult, but far more powerful, method to feed your plant is to use a liquid fertilizer. Should you choose to go down this path, you'll want to water down the fertilizer to 10 percent of its regular, recommended strength and use it weekly. This will take a lot more effort, however it may result in a bigger plant and larger flowers.
The 1940s were the decade when Hawaii's anthurium enthusiasts learned how to selectively breed these flowers to produce the dazzling varieties of flowers that we have today. Before this, these plants were propagated solely by cuttings, and when propagated by cuttings, the child plants end up looking exactly like the parent plants. These types of anthuriums usually come in solid colors and are heart shaped, the most famous color being red. While obake anthuriums, on the other hand, are larger than standard anthuriums and they usually come in an elongated heart shape and generally come in two or more colors. And finally, tulip anthuriums are shaped like tulips and come in pleasing colors like white, pink and purple. But if you do encounter these types of infestations you may cope with the majority of them by misting the leaves of your anthurium with water and cleaning them with a soft wash cloth. If this is not sufficient, you may use an insecticidal soap to hold these kinds of infestations at bay.
When you keep your anthurium plant indoors, the great thing is you are not likely to run into any problems with pests, like scales, thrips and aphids. But if you do encounter these types of infestations you may cope with the majority of them by misting the leaves of your anthurium with water and cleaning them with a soft wash cloth. If this is not sufficient, you may use an insecticidal soap to hold these kinds of infestations at bay. The more difficult, but far more powerful, method to feed your plant is to use a liquid fertilizer. Should you choose to go down this path, you'll want to water down the fertilizer to 10 percent of its regular, recommended strength and use it weekly. This will take a lot more effort, however it may result in a bigger plant and larger flowers.
The 1940s were the decade when Hawaii's anthurium enthusiasts learned how to selectively breed these flowers to produce the dazzling varieties of flowers that we have today. Before this, these plants were propagated solely by cuttings, and when propagated by cuttings, the child plants end up looking exactly like the parent plants. These types of anthuriums usually come in solid colors and are heart shaped, the most famous color being red. While obake anthuriums, on the other hand, are larger than standard anthuriums and they usually come in an elongated heart shape and generally come in two or more colors. And finally, tulip anthuriums are shaped like tulips and come in pleasing colors like white, pink and purple. But if you do encounter these types of infestations you may cope with the majority of them by misting the leaves of your anthurium with water and cleaning them with a soft wash cloth. If this is not sufficient, you may use an insecticidal soap to hold these kinds of infestations at bay.
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Sophisticated Bouquet At The Wedding
If you are particularly on a budget wedding, it is very necessary to save every penny for the more crucial needs. So, instead of getting one from the overpriced florist, why don't you make your own cascading bouquet? Parties and special occasions happen throughout the year. Sometimes it's nice to show your host how much you appreciate her and her hard work for throwing a party together and welcoming you into her home. Almost everyone loves chocolate and if they don't, they know someone who does. Think of the conversation your bouquet will spark as aunt and uncles gather around the dining room table or your boss's kids' faces light up with joy as they see sweet chocolate gifts sitting before them.
It is a great way to remember your big day. You can even have printed chocolate with a picture of the bride and groom or your names printed on the chocolate. Besides how beautiful the bride was, everyone will remember the chocolate bouquet at their table. Don't be surprised if this idea catches on among your friends and family and you start seeing a chocolate bouquet on the tables at their weddings too. To begin, someone at the table holds the centerpiece, in this case, the bouquet. Someone, the DJ or best man, reads a story. Every time the word right is said, the bouquet gets passed to the right and the same for the word left. At the end of the story, whoever is left holding the bouquet gets to take it home with them. A simple nosegay of white roses is classic, but when you add sprays of crystals to the centers of the blossoms to complement your crystal bridal jewelry, it will really take it up a notch. Instead of tying the stems of the flowers with a bow, create a tailored bouquet wrap from a luxe satin ribbon and adorn it with a chic brooch. A few easy additions can make all the difference in the world.
A presentation bouquet of long stemmed calla lilies is a fabulous option for a non-round bouquet. Another option is to carry a slightly shaped arrangement, such as a teardrop or crescent. A natural flow of mixed flowers will ensure that the style looks fresh and modern, not stiff or overly engineered. Let long ribbons trail down to emphasize the flow of the flowers. Orchids, calla lilies, lilies, camellias, and gardenias are all excellent flowers to include in your bouquet. Accent them with luxurious satin, velvet, or moire ribbons. Avoid flowers or ribbons that have more of a cute flavor, like gerbera daisies and gingham bows. While white flowers are always gorgeous for a bride, you can also up the sophistication level of your bouquet by using flowers in deep colors like burgundy, dark purple, or chocolate.
It is a great way to remember your big day. You can even have printed chocolate with a picture of the bride and groom or your names printed on the chocolate. Besides how beautiful the bride was, everyone will remember the chocolate bouquet at their table. Don't be surprised if this idea catches on among your friends and family and you start seeing a chocolate bouquet on the tables at their weddings too. To begin, someone at the table holds the centerpiece, in this case, the bouquet. Someone, the DJ or best man, reads a story. Every time the word right is said, the bouquet gets passed to the right and the same for the word left. At the end of the story, whoever is left holding the bouquet gets to take it home with them. A simple nosegay of white roses is classic, but when you add sprays of crystals to the centers of the blossoms to complement your crystal bridal jewelry, it will really take it up a notch. Instead of tying the stems of the flowers with a bow, create a tailored bouquet wrap from a luxe satin ribbon and adorn it with a chic brooch. A few easy additions can make all the difference in the world.
A presentation bouquet of long stemmed calla lilies is a fabulous option for a non-round bouquet. Another option is to carry a slightly shaped arrangement, such as a teardrop or crescent. A natural flow of mixed flowers will ensure that the style looks fresh and modern, not stiff or overly engineered. Let long ribbons trail down to emphasize the flow of the flowers. Orchids, calla lilies, lilies, camellias, and gardenias are all excellent flowers to include in your bouquet. Accent them with luxurious satin, velvet, or moire ribbons. Avoid flowers or ribbons that have more of a cute flavor, like gerbera daisies and gingham bows. While white flowers are always gorgeous for a bride, you can also up the sophistication level of your bouquet by using flowers in deep colors like burgundy, dark purple, or chocolate.
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Flowers can bring beautiful memories
Your wedding is one of the most very important occasions in your life. Whatever the scale and type of the wedding, well chosen flowers can transform the location of the event, whether indoor or outdoor, and make it into a special occasion for you. Your wedding bouquet should compliment your wedding dress. Set yourself a budget and stick to it. Any florist who’s worth their weight should be able to work within your budget.
You can have the wedding of your dreams and you can have it at any location imaginable – when you carefully plan and select your wedding flowers and lighting.
The charm and fragrance of flowers in combination with the usage of natural light, candle light and lighting fixtures sets or enhances your wedding theme. If you’ve always planned to be married in a romantic paradise, set the scene with soft lighting and warm or pastel shades of pink, lilac, creamy white, gold-tones in the lights, flowers, and ribbons.
Flowers have always been part of the love and romance of weddings, right back to European’s brides and grooms, who wore garlands of flowers to symbolize new life and fertility. Later brides wore light orange blossoms in their hair to represent purity and fruitfulness.
Flowers set the mood and tone for your entire wedding and choosing them has never been easier. That’s because the newest trends in wedding flowers are not about matchmaking – the bridal bouquet, boutonnieres, corsages and centerpieces no longer have to be identical. The latest floral styles are all about color, boldness and individual design. Wedding flowers usually follow fashion trends and right now individuality is in, while conventionality is out. This means that the bridesmaids’ bouquets do not have to match the bride’s and each bridesmaid can potentially have a unique bouquet. Colorful blossoms, as opposed to conventional white, are also in style especially plums and lavenders. This makes it easy for brides making their own centerpieces because anything goes. Be creative! Create a different floral assortment for each table.
Beautiful wedding flowers will enhance your special day and will remain in your memories and pictures forever. Your wedding day will be one of the most important days of your life.
You can have the wedding of your dreams and you can have it at any location imaginable – when you carefully plan and select your wedding flowers and lighting.
The charm and fragrance of flowers in combination with the usage of natural light, candle light and lighting fixtures sets or enhances your wedding theme. If you’ve always planned to be married in a romantic paradise, set the scene with soft lighting and warm or pastel shades of pink, lilac, creamy white, gold-tones in the lights, flowers, and ribbons.
Flowers have always been part of the love and romance of weddings, right back to European’s brides and grooms, who wore garlands of flowers to symbolize new life and fertility. Later brides wore light orange blossoms in their hair to represent purity and fruitfulness.
Flowers set the mood and tone for your entire wedding and choosing them has never been easier. That’s because the newest trends in wedding flowers are not about matchmaking – the bridal bouquet, boutonnieres, corsages and centerpieces no longer have to be identical. The latest floral styles are all about color, boldness and individual design. Wedding flowers usually follow fashion trends and right now individuality is in, while conventionality is out. This means that the bridesmaids’ bouquets do not have to match the bride’s and each bridesmaid can potentially have a unique bouquet. Colorful blossoms, as opposed to conventional white, are also in style especially plums and lavenders. This makes it easy for brides making their own centerpieces because anything goes. Be creative! Create a different floral assortment for each table.
Beautiful wedding flowers will enhance your special day and will remain in your memories and pictures forever. Your wedding day will be one of the most important days of your life.
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Using flowers to express your emotion
Flower have a uniqueness, even a mystique, occupying a special place in our hearts. We have heard that a smile can launch a thousand ships, that a picture is more powerful than a thousand words. when it comes to flowers, it is said these beautiful, delicate and redolent wonders of Nature have the power of expression which even the most eloquent among us do not possess. Be it any occasion – whether we want to convey our love or whether we want to apologise, appreciate, celebrate or condole – flowers express our innermost feelings better than we ourselves can.
We always associate flowers with feelings. These are feelings of love and affection, of admiration and appreciation. Most of us are shy of expressing these feelings but they need to be expressed, otherwise the human race would lose its humanity. Which is why somebody in the long-gone past decided to use flowers as the ‘signifier’ and thereafter began an era of conveying the most intimate things to another by just gifting him/ her a flower. What would the world have been if flowers had not signified what we know they signify? Our most romantic poems and movies would have looked shallow had they not used flowers for effect.
Our fascination has gone on for decades . We use them for decoration as well as cosmetics. The rose and jasmine baths of yore to the flower-scented perfumes and soaps of present times. Times have changed but flowers have retained the same old charm and significance. That is what makes flowers mysterious. It is this mystique which gives flowers their unique value.
If you want to present your feelings to your dear ones, let them ride on flowers. They will be the best courier.
We always associate flowers with feelings. These are feelings of love and affection, of admiration and appreciation. Most of us are shy of expressing these feelings but they need to be expressed, otherwise the human race would lose its humanity. Which is why somebody in the long-gone past decided to use flowers as the ‘signifier’ and thereafter began an era of conveying the most intimate things to another by just gifting him/ her a flower. What would the world have been if flowers had not signified what we know they signify? Our most romantic poems and movies would have looked shallow had they not used flowers for effect.
Our fascination has gone on for decades . We use them for decoration as well as cosmetics. The rose and jasmine baths of yore to the flower-scented perfumes and soaps of present times. Times have changed but flowers have retained the same old charm and significance. That is what makes flowers mysterious. It is this mystique which gives flowers their unique value.
If you want to present your feelings to your dear ones, let them ride on flowers. They will be the best courier.
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
POLISH FLOWERS
Poland lies in the central part of Europe. And it’s officially called Republic of Poland. Poland is the ninth biggest territory in the European continent. In Polish culture flowers have significance importance. The geography of Poland is very vast that is divided in many different geographical regions. Costal lakes, running waters, and dunes are the virtue of Poland .In Poland’s culture flowers has immense value because in widely used in different Polish occasions from birth festivals to funerals; hence every occasion in Poland will be empty without the presence of flowers. Because flowers are widely used in all over the Poland in whatever the occasion is. The native flowers are found growing in abundance in the central Europe, and most of these flowers are also finding in the United States of America.
Polish’s flowers are easy to grow because they tend to grow wild in almost every part of the Poland with dazzling ranges of bright colors. Following are the names of some of the favorite’s flowers to be found in Poland if you want flower delivery in Poland and send flowers to Poland to your friends, relatives or loved ones. ‘Siberian Iris’ is one of the favorite flowers of Polish’s people and it does grow all over the central Europe in the wild. ‘Globe flower’ which is a relative of buttercup family is a very beautiful native flower of Poland. Another flower which is very liked in the central Europe is “annual baby’s breath’, this flower is popular for its long blooming span. ‘Corn Poppy” is another good flower for you if you’re sending flowers to Poland because corn poppy is very easy to grow and very beautiful and lavish in colors.
Corn poppy is also recognized as a national flower of Poland. And sending flowers to Poland is now very simple and easy to do with the ease of technology. And Internet is playing a very vital role in the flower delivery in Poland. If you want to send flowers to Poland internet will be your biggest help because many online florist of Poland, as well as international florists can be found on internet and online Poland flower delivery gives you many advantages over other types of Poland flower delivery; you don’t have to leave your home or work place to search for a florist, all you have to do is just connect to internet or your mobile phone which is compatible to use internet. Online flowers delivery to Poland is very quick now and you can find many online florists with huge number of catalogues where you could find enormous amount of information about your favorite flower and deliver it using online services within a day. Some of the online florist also deliver flowers in Poland within some hours also, with the great customer service and the quality of flowers are very noticeable due to freshness, fragrance, scent and the mesmerizing colors of the flowers. As a flower always symbolizes love, tranquility and peace the gift of flowers will surely bring a big smile on the faces of recipients.
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Jack & Jill Isn't the Worst Film of the Year
Review in a Hurry: Adam Sandler once again takes the low road to laughs by playing identical twins: One's a dude and the other looks like a dude in bad drag. It plays out as lame as you might think with the dude version being Sandler in "angry" mode and the sister nothing more than a collection of obnoxious traits.
If not for a few sorta funny scenes with Al Pacino (playing himself), this would be the worst film of the year. As it is, it's merely one of the worst films of the year...so hooray for that.
The Best Harry Potter Movie Moments Ever: Why Is Ron Afraid of a Necklace?
The Bigger Picture: Turns out all those trailers and posters for Adam Sandler's latest romp really are for an actual movie. We thought it was a riff on his character from Funny People, a famous comedy actor who's finally succumbed to making the dreaded man-in-drag flick. Nope, it's a real film that will play at the multiplex. Sadly, there's never a moment where Sandler looks at the camera and says, "Just kidding, I mean, that would be terrible if I had actually made that!"
None of the gags in this laugh-free zone are even remotely funny. From the moment sister Jill shows up for an extended visit with her brother Jack and his family, everything is played to the hilt. Gross sweat stains, a gas explosion from Mexican food, and really horrible computer-generated FX with donkeys and JetSkis. Didn't anyone think that Sandler with his pretend lady voice would have been a bad idea for a five-minute SNL skit let alone an entire feature?
A number of Sandler's usual suspects make cameos like a fake cleavage-baring David Spade as a Jersey girl. But clearly, Sandler has a lot of friends in Hollywood as, in addition to getting Pacino, there are a host of other appearances. (Poor Katie Holmes plays Sandler's wife.) And what is Johnny Depp doing in this? Depp shows up during a courtside scene at a Lakers game, so we're hoping he was just there and Sandler started filming?
Pacino as Pacino has the hots for Jill, and while that doesn't work, there are a few scenes that indulge in the usually serious-minded actor's traits that do work. While it isn't memorable, exactly, seeing Al take a call while doing Shakespeare is slightly amusing.
The strangest thing about this turkey? Near the end of the film (Spoiler! Oh, who cares), Jack realizes that social outcast Jill is a good sibling and worth caring about, and, well, that scene actually works. Though it's totally obvious and uninspired, somehow at the very end, Sandler manages to eek out some semblance of a character in both the brother and the sister. And it lasts all of five minutes...
The 180—a Second Opinion: If you're a die-hard fan of Sandler and his Happy Madison productions, you know what to expect. The many poop jokes, over-the-top stereotypes and Sandler's cringe-worthy falsetto are packed into the (mercifully) short 90 minutes.
All wizards and witches know that a good wand is essential. But at the same time, one must not overthink things. After all, the wand chooses the wizard.
As we gear up for our livestream event of the DVD release of The Deathly Hallows, Part 2 from The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando, our own Kevin Pereira took a trip to Ollivander's wand shop with Potter star Evanna Lynch to find the perfect wand.
So what's going to work best—something with Phoenix tailfeather? Perhaps some dragon heartstring? Or maybe some unicorn hair? Check it out as Kevin lets go and trusts in the right wand to find him...and also discovers that Ollivander's doesn't take American Express. Silly muggles.
If not for a few sorta funny scenes with Al Pacino (playing himself), this would be the worst film of the year. As it is, it's merely one of the worst films of the year...so hooray for that.
The Best Harry Potter Movie Moments Ever: Why Is Ron Afraid of a Necklace?
The Bigger Picture: Turns out all those trailers and posters for Adam Sandler's latest romp really are for an actual movie. We thought it was a riff on his character from Funny People, a famous comedy actor who's finally succumbed to making the dreaded man-in-drag flick. Nope, it's a real film that will play at the multiplex. Sadly, there's never a moment where Sandler looks at the camera and says, "Just kidding, I mean, that would be terrible if I had actually made that!"
None of the gags in this laugh-free zone are even remotely funny. From the moment sister Jill shows up for an extended visit with her brother Jack and his family, everything is played to the hilt. Gross sweat stains, a gas explosion from Mexican food, and really horrible computer-generated FX with donkeys and JetSkis. Didn't anyone think that Sandler with his pretend lady voice would have been a bad idea for a five-minute SNL skit let alone an entire feature?
A number of Sandler's usual suspects make cameos like a fake cleavage-baring David Spade as a Jersey girl. But clearly, Sandler has a lot of friends in Hollywood as, in addition to getting Pacino, there are a host of other appearances. (Poor Katie Holmes plays Sandler's wife.) And what is Johnny Depp doing in this? Depp shows up during a courtside scene at a Lakers game, so we're hoping he was just there and Sandler started filming?
Pacino as Pacino has the hots for Jill, and while that doesn't work, there are a few scenes that indulge in the usually serious-minded actor's traits that do work. While it isn't memorable, exactly, seeing Al take a call while doing Shakespeare is slightly amusing.
The strangest thing about this turkey? Near the end of the film (Spoiler! Oh, who cares), Jack realizes that social outcast Jill is a good sibling and worth caring about, and, well, that scene actually works. Though it's totally obvious and uninspired, somehow at the very end, Sandler manages to eek out some semblance of a character in both the brother and the sister. And it lasts all of five minutes...
The 180—a Second Opinion: If you're a die-hard fan of Sandler and his Happy Madison productions, you know what to expect. The many poop jokes, over-the-top stereotypes and Sandler's cringe-worthy falsetto are packed into the (mercifully) short 90 minutes.
All wizards and witches know that a good wand is essential. But at the same time, one must not overthink things. After all, the wand chooses the wizard.
As we gear up for our livestream event of the DVD release of The Deathly Hallows, Part 2 from The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando, our own Kevin Pereira took a trip to Ollivander's wand shop with Potter star Evanna Lynch to find the perfect wand.
So what's going to work best—something with Phoenix tailfeather? Perhaps some dragon heartstring? Or maybe some unicorn hair? Check it out as Kevin lets go and trusts in the right wand to find him...and also discovers that Ollivander's doesn't take American Express. Silly muggles.
Gardens to Visit
In my capacity as editor of the annual publication, Gardens to Visit, not only do I get the opportunity to visit gardens all over the UK, but every year I also have the privilege of delivering talks and lectures to scores of garden clubs, horticultural societies and many other groups up and down the country.
One of the talks I regularly give is entitled 'Gardens to Visit in Autumn’ and it always seems to come as a surprise to people that there are just so many stunning gardens to visit in Britain at this time of year.
For me, it is the most wonderful time of year to be in a garden; six months of growth leads to this dramatic final display of fruits, seeds and colourful leaves, which normally lasts from mid-September until early November. Of course, the vagaries of the British weather always make it difficult to predict the exact time when the autumn leaves will be at their most colourful, but this year — after a relatively early start to autumn with some leaves turning colour in mid-September — it looks like the best colours will be on display in mid to late October.
The further north you travel to visit an autumn garden, the earlier the colours are likely to peak.
Although there are of course many gardens with herbaceous borders and autumn-flowering bulbs that can maintain colour and interest well into autumn, I am always drawn to good collections of trees and shrubs, because these will invariably be looking at their best at this time of year.
Wakehurst is a wonderful mixture of botanical science and horticulture. There are three gardens, woodland walks and the Loder Valley Nature Reserve to explore. The National Trust’s most visited property isn’t just for gardeners. Children can be entertained with family-friendly activities as well as 180 acres to explore. Popular attractions include the Himalayan Glade, Millennium seed bank and the Water Gardens.
Visit the Seed Café or Stables Restaurant for a great range of meals and snacks.
I garden at Spring Cottage in the Cotswolds. It may sound idyllic, but I live in one of the bleakest, highest villages in Gloucestershire. My garden faces due south with far-reaching views over sheep and small fields, but south-westerly winds sweep over the plateau, either scorching my plants to a crisp, or bunching them together like tango dancers in a knee-locked clinch. The site has two saving graces: frost often rolls away down the hill towards Bourton-on-the-Water, and there is a spring that trickles melodically out of one wall.
The watercourse means that some areas of my third of an acre never dry out. For that I am eternally grateful, as rain often evades us in the high Cotswolds. It streaks the sky to the west with slanting grey lines that seem to taunt me. Winter is less reluctant: it comes in with a vengeance every year, but spring is tardy and arrives a good three weeks later here than it does in low-lying valleys just three miles away.
I practise the sport of extreme gardening for much of the year; five years here have given me a weather-beaten glow and lots more wrinkles. And that’s before you factor in the bantams who create craters in the lawn, and four grandchildren under five who thoughtfully harvested most of my pears 10 days ago.
My garden is scrutinised by hikers on the Macmillan Way, which runs just outside the wall, plus family, friends and locals. They expect great things of me as a garden writer and an RHS committee member: sadly it doesn’t stop me making mistakes.
Dahlias have long been a passion – they have been my pride and delight since I was a small child. Then they were disbudded and grown on allotments as dinner plates to be picked for the local show. In the garden these giants stuck out like sore thumbs, so much so that dahlias were all but abandoned by the Sixties. The late Christopher Lloyd of Great Dixter kept the faith and did much to rehabilitate them as garden plants. I now serve on the RHS dahlia panel and we have many interesting discussions, referring to disbudding in hushed tones, but fear not. Our AGMs are awarded to good garden plants only.
I am ashamed of my dahlias this year. I planted the tubers in mid-March, the correct time here, but the hot days and cold nights of April meant huge extremes of temperature. However, my real undoing was planting them out too early, lulled into a false sense of security by an early season. The garden suffered two frosts in the following weeks and my dahlias were checked, although they survived. It may have been better if they had succumbed. The driest spring on record didn’t help and two months later the three-feet high canes were still more evident than the dahlias. When rain finally came they could not respond and are now beyond hope. I am living proof that tender plants shouldn’t go in the garden before the middle of June, however seductive April and May seem.
All dahlias are late this year. We began to assess the trial at RHS Wisley on August 11 and even the National Collection, at Varfell Farm near Penzance in Cornwall, is running three weeks late. There they leave their tubers in the ground over winter. I have to lift mine, but for the last two years they’ve perished in the garden shed despite being shrouded in blankets and bubble wrap. So this year I must find a better place to store them.
I can recommend several single, dark-leaved dahlias bred by Dr Keith Hammett who was awarded the Reginald Cory Cup by the RHS in 2008 for his work on dahlia breeding in New Zealand, a ruggedly exposed country. 'Magenta Star’ is a pristine magenta-pink and 'Dovegrove’ a rich red velvety single. Both are AGM varieties that appear on the RHS trial as “benchmark” singles grown for comparison. Hammett has a new dark-leaved, single yellow dahlia called 'Mystic Haze’, which I haven’t grown, that has just won the Best New Plant at the Horticultural Trades Association National Plant Show. It will be launched at next year’s Chelsea.
Keith Hammett, once a National Dahlia Society judge, originally bred for the showbench, not the garden. Exhibiting sharpened his critical eye and gave him a love for the neat and tidy bloom. His scientific background enabled him to source dahlias (both wild and cultivated) from across the world and he amassed a large gene pool, key to breeding hybrid vigour.
The craze for seed-raised singles with dark foliage, or dark red to black fuller-flowered varieties continues. However, there are many excellent double dahlias that come in shades of lemon or pink, white or peach. The pale pink decorative 'Karma Prospero’, or the almost white 'Eveline’, with her touch of lilac, shine in any border. These are largely ignored, but it’s time the pendulum swung towards them – double forms have longer lasting flowers that normally appear between July and October.
They also cut well, and a visit to The National Trust’s Dunster Castle in Somerset reminded me of how good they are. They bedecked every room. If you want to see colourful dahlias used to full effect in superb colour-themed planting, visit Wollerton Old Hall Garden near Market Drayton in Shropshire (01630 685760; www.wollertonoldhallgarden.com). Incidentally, the best nursery I’ve found for buying a range of tubers, still my preferred method of growing, is Rose Cottage Plants in Essex
One of the talks I regularly give is entitled 'Gardens to Visit in Autumn’ and it always seems to come as a surprise to people that there are just so many stunning gardens to visit in Britain at this time of year.
For me, it is the most wonderful time of year to be in a garden; six months of growth leads to this dramatic final display of fruits, seeds and colourful leaves, which normally lasts from mid-September until early November. Of course, the vagaries of the British weather always make it difficult to predict the exact time when the autumn leaves will be at their most colourful, but this year — after a relatively early start to autumn with some leaves turning colour in mid-September — it looks like the best colours will be on display in mid to late October.
The further north you travel to visit an autumn garden, the earlier the colours are likely to peak.
Although there are of course many gardens with herbaceous borders and autumn-flowering bulbs that can maintain colour and interest well into autumn, I am always drawn to good collections of trees and shrubs, because these will invariably be looking at their best at this time of year.
Wakehurst is a wonderful mixture of botanical science and horticulture. There are three gardens, woodland walks and the Loder Valley Nature Reserve to explore. The National Trust’s most visited property isn’t just for gardeners. Children can be entertained with family-friendly activities as well as 180 acres to explore. Popular attractions include the Himalayan Glade, Millennium seed bank and the Water Gardens.
Visit the Seed Café or Stables Restaurant for a great range of meals and snacks.
I garden at Spring Cottage in the Cotswolds. It may sound idyllic, but I live in one of the bleakest, highest villages in Gloucestershire. My garden faces due south with far-reaching views over sheep and small fields, but south-westerly winds sweep over the plateau, either scorching my plants to a crisp, or bunching them together like tango dancers in a knee-locked clinch. The site has two saving graces: frost often rolls away down the hill towards Bourton-on-the-Water, and there is a spring that trickles melodically out of one wall.
The watercourse means that some areas of my third of an acre never dry out. For that I am eternally grateful, as rain often evades us in the high Cotswolds. It streaks the sky to the west with slanting grey lines that seem to taunt me. Winter is less reluctant: it comes in with a vengeance every year, but spring is tardy and arrives a good three weeks later here than it does in low-lying valleys just three miles away.
I practise the sport of extreme gardening for much of the year; five years here have given me a weather-beaten glow and lots more wrinkles. And that’s before you factor in the bantams who create craters in the lawn, and four grandchildren under five who thoughtfully harvested most of my pears 10 days ago.
My garden is scrutinised by hikers on the Macmillan Way, which runs just outside the wall, plus family, friends and locals. They expect great things of me as a garden writer and an RHS committee member: sadly it doesn’t stop me making mistakes.
Dahlias have long been a passion – they have been my pride and delight since I was a small child. Then they were disbudded and grown on allotments as dinner plates to be picked for the local show. In the garden these giants stuck out like sore thumbs, so much so that dahlias were all but abandoned by the Sixties. The late Christopher Lloyd of Great Dixter kept the faith and did much to rehabilitate them as garden plants. I now serve on the RHS dahlia panel and we have many interesting discussions, referring to disbudding in hushed tones, but fear not. Our AGMs are awarded to good garden plants only.
I am ashamed of my dahlias this year. I planted the tubers in mid-March, the correct time here, but the hot days and cold nights of April meant huge extremes of temperature. However, my real undoing was planting them out too early, lulled into a false sense of security by an early season. The garden suffered two frosts in the following weeks and my dahlias were checked, although they survived. It may have been better if they had succumbed. The driest spring on record didn’t help and two months later the three-feet high canes were still more evident than the dahlias. When rain finally came they could not respond and are now beyond hope. I am living proof that tender plants shouldn’t go in the garden before the middle of June, however seductive April and May seem.
All dahlias are late this year. We began to assess the trial at RHS Wisley on August 11 and even the National Collection, at Varfell Farm near Penzance in Cornwall, is running three weeks late. There they leave their tubers in the ground over winter. I have to lift mine, but for the last two years they’ve perished in the garden shed despite being shrouded in blankets and bubble wrap. So this year I must find a better place to store them.
I can recommend several single, dark-leaved dahlias bred by Dr Keith Hammett who was awarded the Reginald Cory Cup by the RHS in 2008 for his work on dahlia breeding in New Zealand, a ruggedly exposed country. 'Magenta Star’ is a pristine magenta-pink and 'Dovegrove’ a rich red velvety single. Both are AGM varieties that appear on the RHS trial as “benchmark” singles grown for comparison. Hammett has a new dark-leaved, single yellow dahlia called 'Mystic Haze’, which I haven’t grown, that has just won the Best New Plant at the Horticultural Trades Association National Plant Show. It will be launched at next year’s Chelsea.
Keith Hammett, once a National Dahlia Society judge, originally bred for the showbench, not the garden. Exhibiting sharpened his critical eye and gave him a love for the neat and tidy bloom. His scientific background enabled him to source dahlias (both wild and cultivated) from across the world and he amassed a large gene pool, key to breeding hybrid vigour.
The craze for seed-raised singles with dark foliage, or dark red to black fuller-flowered varieties continues. However, there are many excellent double dahlias that come in shades of lemon or pink, white or peach. The pale pink decorative 'Karma Prospero’, or the almost white 'Eveline’, with her touch of lilac, shine in any border. These are largely ignored, but it’s time the pendulum swung towards them – double forms have longer lasting flowers that normally appear between July and October.
They also cut well, and a visit to The National Trust’s Dunster Castle in Somerset reminded me of how good they are. They bedecked every room. If you want to see colourful dahlias used to full effect in superb colour-themed planting, visit Wollerton Old Hall Garden near Market Drayton in Shropshire (01630 685760; www.wollertonoldhallgarden.com). Incidentally, the best nursery I’ve found for buying a range of tubers, still my preferred method of growing, is Rose Cottage Plants in Essex
Monday, November 7, 2011
New York's Ze Café Bursts with Flowers, Flavor and Fantasy
At Midtown East dining spot Ze Cafè, flowers, food and flavor collide.
The owners, Brazilian husband and wife florists, moved their flower shop around the corner and transformed the old space, a converted antique carriage space, into the dining room that stands today: an elegantly adorned restaurant with earthy wood paneling, exposed brick and, naturally, several lustrous bouquets. From the floral arrangements, to the blossoms in the soup, to the wine's floral notes, this charming French eatery is all about the flowers. Imported French wicker chairs and classical music, coupled with the atmosphere, making this dining spot one of appealing warmth.
Photo Courtesy of Ze Cafè
Chef Jonathan Roman, who's cooked privately for Martha Stewart, has developed a new dinner menu featuring such delightful choices as: Wild Blossom Salad, boasting mixed greens with a colorful helping of edible blossoms (such as snap dragons, pansies and nasturtium in pink, yellow, red and purple) in a champagne vinaigrette; Long Island duck breast with persimmon purée and shallot gastique garnished with peas from a local farm; Roccheta medjool dates; Lardoons with a champagne vinaigrette rendered in bacon; Signature Soft Shell Crab Sandwich in house-made, buttery brioche and more.
For desert, the restaurant offers seven different seasonal pies, classic apple, mixed berry streusel, strawberry pistachio meringue, strawberry rhubarb, blueberry meringue, coconut cream and key lime.
Crabcake
Photo Courtesy of Yelp.com
Be sure to sample one of the unique food and flowery cocktail parings, such as the Hibiscus Royal, combining sweetened hibiscus flower with champagne and liquor or the Gin Blossom concocted from edible pansy and sky blue juice.
Perfect choice for Valentines Day, don’t you think?
The owners, Brazilian husband and wife florists, moved their flower shop around the corner and transformed the old space, a converted antique carriage space, into the dining room that stands today: an elegantly adorned restaurant with earthy wood paneling, exposed brick and, naturally, several lustrous bouquets. From the floral arrangements, to the blossoms in the soup, to the wine's floral notes, this charming French eatery is all about the flowers. Imported French wicker chairs and classical music, coupled with the atmosphere, making this dining spot one of appealing warmth.
Chef Jonathan Roman, who's cooked privately for Martha Stewart, has developed a new dinner menu featuring such delightful choices as: Wild Blossom Salad, boasting mixed greens with a colorful helping of edible blossoms (such as snap dragons, pansies and nasturtium in pink, yellow, red and purple) in a champagne vinaigrette; Long Island duck breast with persimmon purée and shallot gastique garnished with peas from a local farm; Roccheta medjool dates; Lardoons with a champagne vinaigrette rendered in bacon; Signature Soft Shell Crab Sandwich in house-made, buttery brioche and more.
For desert, the restaurant offers seven different seasonal pies, classic apple, mixed berry streusel, strawberry pistachio meringue, strawberry rhubarb, blueberry meringue, coconut cream and key lime.
Photo Courtesy of Yelp.com
Be sure to sample one of the unique food and flowery cocktail parings, such as the Hibiscus Royal, combining sweetened hibiscus flower with champagne and liquor or the Gin Blossom concocted from edible pansy and sky blue juice.
Perfect choice for Valentines Day, don’t you think?
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Falmouth Spring Flower Show bursts to life
There’s nothing like a spring flower show to shake off winter, and in Falmouth, south Cornwall, a century-old show takes place next weekend.
A county of great estates and commercial horticulture, Cornwall abounds in expert growers and climate-defying gardens, so the show, which first took place in 1910, promises to be a feast of daffodils, early magnolias, rhododendrons and camellias.
This year at Falmouth there will be a new cup for children, given by Ken Pound, who, 60 years ago, was sent from the nearby St Budoc’s Home for Boys to a farm orphanage in Australia, under the Child Migrant Programme.
Pound is returning to Cornwall to dedicate the cup to Charles Rowe, former gardener at Fox Rosehill Gardens, a council-owned park next door to St Budoc’s. A troubled child, Pound regularly shinned over the wall from the home and was befriended by Rowe and his assistant Brian Phillpotts. Rowe gave Ken jobs to do in the greenhouse and encouraged him to join the Boys Brigade, where he learnt to play the bugle (see inset).
Throughout an extraordinary life, in which he set up Australia’s first nature conservation project, Ken Pound was nurtured by his memories of Falmouth and the gardeners who encouraged him as a schoolboy. In memory of the man who instilled in him his lifelong passion for nature, the Charles Rowe Trophy will be awarded each year to a child or group of children.
This year Pound, together with his Australian colleague Robert Hawkes, a specialist in flowering shrubs, camellias and orchids, will be guest judges at the show, joining the committee for their traditional Cornish pasty and saffron cake before the judging begins.
Ken recalls helping out at the Falmouth Spring Show as a child, as well as winning prizes: “I helped carry plants to the Princess Pavilion, to stage displays of flowering and coloured foliaged plants.
“I remember alongside them more than 100 different named narcissi in small milk bottles – from trumpet 'King Alfreds’ to mini 'Bonbons’ – and in the main hall fragrant sprigs and blossoms of many shapes and colours, plus wooden boxes of narcissi, violets and anemones, all so meticulously bunched .
“Nearby were children’s exhibits of pressed seaweeds, wild flowers and grasses, miniature gardens in biscuit-tin lids, with lawns of moss and mirror pools, twig fences and matchbox houses.”
The show now has 32 cups; the oldest is the Falmouth Spring Show Challenge Trophy awarded for the most points in the open single bloom daffodil class.
As well as spring flowers there will be bonsai, orchids and flower arrangements on display, plus a photography competition. This year’s show chairman Ron Scamp, an expert daffodil grower, will have a trade stand at the show and many other plants will be for sale.
The show, which starts off a Spring Festival across the region that runs until April 3, will gladden the heart of any gardener whose enthusiasm has been shrivelled by a long, cold winter.
Monday, October 31, 2011
The journey over the winding roads on mountain sides
Flowers have been part of humankind’s existence; I am sure, since time immemorial. In fact the myriad colors lift ones mood from morose to joyous in a moment. So much so that now-a-days there is a new branch of alternate medicine based just on that, called Flower Therapy.
A few months back after starting out for the famous Valley of flowers, I was destined to quit the trip midway and come back empty handed. I really needed a balm to calm my hurt soul.
If by any chance this happens with you as well, then here is a remedy. My type of flower therapy.
Take a tour of Kaas, plateau of flowers in Satara district of Maharashtra, instead! The distant cousin of valley of flowers.
Of course, you need to be a little fortunate here too, for, the flowers are as fickle minded as a toddler that they will show their bright smiling faces only for a very short period and at times that suit them.
These wild flowers are clever too. To stop us fighting over whose photographs are better or more colorful, every week they take turns to bloom and display different colors.
Kaas is home to several species of flowers that are found only here and some of them are in the endangered list, I am told.
On the downside, the natural splendor is encouraging uncontrolled tourism. In stark contrast to Valley of flowers, which is a protected region with no vehicular pollution to spoil the pristine beauty of the place, there is no such control and we could see hundreds of vehicles making a bee line to the local tourist attraction. I heard that there is a proposal to develop this region as a hill station with an airport and broad roads. Wind mills have already encroached on this plateau.
I guess the authorities must take cognizance of this fact and make an effort protect it from pollution, like they have done for Matheran.
The journey over the winding roads on mountain sides, offering a view of huge blue lakes or mist covered hill tops and later roads on the ridge which eventually opens out to a plateau, takes ones breath away. One can easily say the journey is itself the destination!
To visit - Compared to valley of flowers which requires us to be physically fit enough to do at least a full day’s trekking after some journey on mountainous roads to reach the place; this place is totally reachable by road.
Schedule your trip to catch the wildflowers in this area which bloom only for a short period of 2-3 weeks every year just after the monsoon.
Friday, October 28, 2011
If you don’t already have one of these winter-bloomers
The increasingly shorter days and longer, cooler nights of autumn trigger the flowering process of an amazing variety of plants that bloom in the winter garden. The color palette of these winter bloomers is in many ways as brilliant as that of the more familiar plants of spring and summer.
While the ground is still warm and afternoon temperatures remain pleasant, this is the perfect time in most parts of the country to plant winter-flowering trees and shrubs. But, because temperatures vary from one part of the country to another and can affect what plants are suitable for each area and when they should be planted, it may be helpful to use a plant hardiness zone map as a fall planting guide for winter bloomers, some of which are included in the list below.
Trees and shrubs
Camellia japonica 'October Affair'Camellia japonica and sasanqua — Choose japonicas (at right) for shady spots. Sasanquas (below) can grow in sun or shade. Float the blooms in bowls of water. Camellia Yuletide is appropriately named for its tendency to bloom in December.
Daphne odora — Daphnes are most effective when planted in high traffic areas where their sweet fragrance can be enjoyed when you enter or leave the house. They are available with solid green or variegated leaves and bloom in late winter.
Edgeworthia chrysantha — The tropical-looking foliage gives way in late fall to reveal upside down buds that open in January or February. The yellow-flower clusters resemble wasp nests, and their fragrance will fill a portion of the garden.
Flowering Quince Chaenomeles — This may be the plant poster child for not judging a book by its cover. This thorny shrub makes a wonderful barrier in a sunny location because of its unruly branches. In late winter, though, it comes alive when it is covered with pink or orange-red, sometimes white flowers.
Deciduous hollies Ilex verticillata (winterberry) and Ilex Sparkleberry — Winterberry is a native American plant. Sparkleberry is a hybrid. Both are upright bushes 8-10 feet tall that drop their leaves in the fall and then produce masses of berries. The berries attract birds and make beautiful holiday displays. Male and female plants are required to produce berries.
Japanese Apricot Prunus mume — This deciduous tree blooms in January or February with flowers in varying shades of white, pink, and red. Stems of these brightly colored flowers on bare branches make a romantic centerpiece for a Valentine’s dinner with someone special.
Mahonia bealei or x media Winter Sun — Watching a male cardinal feed on the bright yellow flower plumes that top stems of holly-like leaves from the comfort of your den and a warm fire is a true delight.
Camellia sasanqua ‘Chansonette’ Winter Jasmine Jasminium nudiflora — This Forsythia look-alike blooms from November to spring with bright yellow flowers. It can be trained to climb like a vine but looks better arching over a wall or down a bank. It will bloom in light shade but is much more prolific in full sun.
Witchhazel Hamamelis — Witchhazels produce clusters of short, twisted flowers in colors ranging from yellow to orange-red. Yellows stand out the best because orange and red tones blend in with the barren winter landscape
Perennials
Hardy cyclamens — These dainty flowers shoot up on short stems from August-October and signal the coming of winter. Glossy, sometimes marbled leaves appear with or shortly after the leaves and last all winter, going dormant with the arrival of warm weather.
Hellebores Helleborus niger — Known as the Christmas rose, this variety of Hellebore bears its white flowers (there are also pink-flowered cultivars) in the depths of winter. The better-known Hellbore, H. orientalis and its hybrids, flower around Lent and are known as the Lenten Rose.
If you don’t already have one of these winter-bloomers, considering adding some this fall. The lure of their flowers even on the coldest days of the year connects gardeners and gardens in a way that summer flowers just can’t match.
While the ground is still warm and afternoon temperatures remain pleasant, this is the perfect time in most parts of the country to plant winter-flowering trees and shrubs. But, because temperatures vary from one part of the country to another and can affect what plants are suitable for each area and when they should be planted, it may be helpful to use a plant hardiness zone map as a fall planting guide for winter bloomers, some of which are included in the list below.
Trees and shrubs
Camellia japonica 'October Affair'Camellia japonica and sasanqua — Choose japonicas (at right) for shady spots. Sasanquas (below) can grow in sun or shade. Float the blooms in bowls of water. Camellia Yuletide is appropriately named for its tendency to bloom in December.
Daphne odora — Daphnes are most effective when planted in high traffic areas where their sweet fragrance can be enjoyed when you enter or leave the house. They are available with solid green or variegated leaves and bloom in late winter.
Edgeworthia chrysantha — The tropical-looking foliage gives way in late fall to reveal upside down buds that open in January or February. The yellow-flower clusters resemble wasp nests, and their fragrance will fill a portion of the garden.
Flowering Quince Chaenomeles — This may be the plant poster child for not judging a book by its cover. This thorny shrub makes a wonderful barrier in a sunny location because of its unruly branches. In late winter, though, it comes alive when it is covered with pink or orange-red, sometimes white flowers.
Deciduous hollies Ilex verticillata (winterberry) and Ilex Sparkleberry — Winterberry is a native American plant. Sparkleberry is a hybrid. Both are upright bushes 8-10 feet tall that drop their leaves in the fall and then produce masses of berries. The berries attract birds and make beautiful holiday displays. Male and female plants are required to produce berries.
Japanese Apricot Prunus mume — This deciduous tree blooms in January or February with flowers in varying shades of white, pink, and red. Stems of these brightly colored flowers on bare branches make a romantic centerpiece for a Valentine’s dinner with someone special.
Mahonia bealei or x media Winter Sun — Watching a male cardinal feed on the bright yellow flower plumes that top stems of holly-like leaves from the comfort of your den and a warm fire is a true delight.
Camellia sasanqua ‘Chansonette’ Winter Jasmine Jasminium nudiflora — This Forsythia look-alike blooms from November to spring with bright yellow flowers. It can be trained to climb like a vine but looks better arching over a wall or down a bank. It will bloom in light shade but is much more prolific in full sun.
Witchhazel Hamamelis — Witchhazels produce clusters of short, twisted flowers in colors ranging from yellow to orange-red. Yellows stand out the best because orange and red tones blend in with the barren winter landscape
Perennials
Hardy cyclamens — These dainty flowers shoot up on short stems from August-October and signal the coming of winter. Glossy, sometimes marbled leaves appear with or shortly after the leaves and last all winter, going dormant with the arrival of warm weather.
Hellebores Helleborus niger — Known as the Christmas rose, this variety of Hellebore bears its white flowers (there are also pink-flowered cultivars) in the depths of winter. The better-known Hellbore, H. orientalis and its hybrids, flower around Lent and are known as the Lenten Rose.
If you don’t already have one of these winter-bloomers, considering adding some this fall. The lure of their flowers even on the coldest days of the year connects gardeners and gardens in a way that summer flowers just can’t match.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Moderating temperatures have also assisted Taraxacum officinale in becoming an all-year flower
Another factor that enables Taraxacum officinale to thrive in winter months when the number of pollinating insects (notably bees, butterflies, and hoverflies) is negligible is their ability to reproduce with or without pollination. Taraxacum officinale, which utilizes pollination during spring, summer, and autumn months when insects are in abundance, has the ability to reproduce apomictically or asexually, made possible by its morphology. Instead of being a single flower, Taraxacum officinale is actually a compilation of between 150-200 florets (each consisting of male and female organs) that rub up against each other (accomplishing the same task as insect pollination) during photo- (respond to change in lighting conditions) and thermonastic (respond to temperature change) movement in which the florets uncurl and open during the day and curl and close during the night. Such nastic movement is especially useful in protecting individual florets from degradation when cold temperatures are generally harshest since the closed blossom head provides a protective shield that shelters them from exposure. It also does not hurt that Taraxacum officinale has the ability to regenerate from both its root and stem, should it suffer damage.
Furthermore, because of their apomictic ability and the fact that plants are proactive as well as reactive organisms to their environment, it is likely that Taraxacum officinale reduces nectar (to reward warm weather insect pollinators which are negligible during winter months) production (a task that can expend up to 37% of energy attained from photosynthesis) to compensate for slowed photosynthetic activity and thus lower energy production because of less than optimal temperatures and reduced hours of sunshine during winter months. It is also likely that Taraxacum officinale reduces nectar production during winter months when it is not necessary since in the words of Peter V. Minorsky, Ph.D., Professor of Natural Sciences, Mercy College, Dobbs Ferry, NY “plants don’t waste nectar… [they] generally produce different amounts of nectar during the course of [a] day to correspond with the greatest activity of the pollinator. Night blooming plants, for example, only produce nectar during the night.” However, experiments are needed to confirm this.
At the same time, despite its apomictic ability, Taraxacum officinale uses nastic movement and nectar as weapons against neighboring plants to hinder their reproductive ability (which at times has resulted in a negative impact on crop yields while conversely benefiting insect pollinators, especially bees when nectar is scarce during early spring and late autumn). Based on a study documented by Ikuo Kandori, Toshihiro Hirao, Satoshi Matsunaga, and Tsutomu Kurosaki, An invasive dandelion unilaterally reduces the reproduction of a native congener through competition for pollination (Oecologia, 20 January 2009), Taraxacum officinale, with it production of an overabundance of nectar during warm weather months, “attracted more pollinator visits [than Taraxacum japonicum (a native Japanese dandelion), resulting in] negative effects” for Taraxacum japonicum, their congener (a plant that belongs to the same species class), which is not apomictic and thus relies solely upon insect pollination for propagation. Furthermore, based on a study by Osamu Tanaka, Yuuji Tanaka, and Hiromitsu Wada, Photonastic and thermonastic opening of capitulum in dandelion, Taraxacum officinale and Taraxacum japonicum (Journal of Plant Research, 21 September 2006), Taraxacum officinale engage in photonastic opening at lower temperatures (ranging by as much as 10? F) and for longer periods (ranging from 3-5 hours) than Taraxacum japonicum and another close relative, Taraxacum albidum further exploiting its pollination advantage.
Taraxacum officinale also thrive in all months because of its efficient means of seed dispersal (made possible by its parachute morphology which enhances transport and opportunities for survival especially since a breeze of only 1.44 miles per hour is sufficient to keep their achenes (seeds) aloft) regardless of environmental conditions and the ability of its achenes to enter a state of dormancy during periods of unfavorable environmental conditions. In fact, Taraxacum officinale seeds can wait up to 9 years to germinate if conditions are not conducive for its survival regardless if they lay on dry land or are submerged underwater.[2] Consequently, in addition to flowering, Taraxacum officinale generate achenes every month of the year.
Moderating temperatures have also assisted Taraxacum officinale in becoming an all-year flower. Gradually over time, as global mean temperatures have warmed, the traditional growing season of the common dandelion has been extended deeper into the winter, which at times has meant exposing the plant to harsh cold. Consequently, Taraxacum officinale have likely produced progeny, as mentioned above, to withstand greater winter extremes leading to flowering and seed production throughout the Northeast’s winter months as well as expansion to new areas such as the arctic regions of Alaska and Siberia. Continued global (prior to the onset of a what is believed to be a temporary period of cooling), is likely to promote the spread of Taraxacum officinale deeper into tundra-like regions and ensure that its all-year flowering nature becomes the norm instead of an anomaly isolated to a few years.
The rising concentration of CO2 levels in the atmosphere also promotes Taraxacum officinale growth. Based on an experiment that exposed Taraxacum officinale to elevated levels of CO2 documented by Tamara M. McPeek and Xianzhong Wang, Reproduction of dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) in a higher CO2 environment (Weed Science, 2007), the plant when exposed to double the normal amount of CO2 (730 ÎĽmol (micromoles with a mole being the amount of pure substance containing the same number of chemical units as there are atoms in exactly 12 grams of carbon-12) mol-1 versus 370 ÎĽmol mol-1 from their nascent state until their reproductive maturity) produced 83% more inflorescences and 32% more achenes.
Furthermore, because of their apomictic ability and the fact that plants are proactive as well as reactive organisms to their environment, it is likely that Taraxacum officinale reduces nectar (to reward warm weather insect pollinators which are negligible during winter months) production (a task that can expend up to 37% of energy attained from photosynthesis) to compensate for slowed photosynthetic activity and thus lower energy production because of less than optimal temperatures and reduced hours of sunshine during winter months. It is also likely that Taraxacum officinale reduces nectar production during winter months when it is not necessary since in the words of Peter V. Minorsky, Ph.D., Professor of Natural Sciences, Mercy College, Dobbs Ferry, NY “plants don’t waste nectar… [they] generally produce different amounts of nectar during the course of [a] day to correspond with the greatest activity of the pollinator. Night blooming plants, for example, only produce nectar during the night.” However, experiments are needed to confirm this.
At the same time, despite its apomictic ability, Taraxacum officinale uses nastic movement and nectar as weapons against neighboring plants to hinder their reproductive ability (which at times has resulted in a negative impact on crop yields while conversely benefiting insect pollinators, especially bees when nectar is scarce during early spring and late autumn). Based on a study documented by Ikuo Kandori, Toshihiro Hirao, Satoshi Matsunaga, and Tsutomu Kurosaki, An invasive dandelion unilaterally reduces the reproduction of a native congener through competition for pollination (Oecologia, 20 January 2009), Taraxacum officinale, with it production of an overabundance of nectar during warm weather months, “attracted more pollinator visits [than Taraxacum japonicum (a native Japanese dandelion), resulting in] negative effects” for Taraxacum japonicum, their congener (a plant that belongs to the same species class), which is not apomictic and thus relies solely upon insect pollination for propagation. Furthermore, based on a study by Osamu Tanaka, Yuuji Tanaka, and Hiromitsu Wada, Photonastic and thermonastic opening of capitulum in dandelion, Taraxacum officinale and Taraxacum japonicum (Journal of Plant Research, 21 September 2006), Taraxacum officinale engage in photonastic opening at lower temperatures (ranging by as much as 10? F) and for longer periods (ranging from 3-5 hours) than Taraxacum japonicum and another close relative, Taraxacum albidum further exploiting its pollination advantage.
Taraxacum officinale also thrive in all months because of its efficient means of seed dispersal (made possible by its parachute morphology which enhances transport and opportunities for survival especially since a breeze of only 1.44 miles per hour is sufficient to keep their achenes (seeds) aloft) regardless of environmental conditions and the ability of its achenes to enter a state of dormancy during periods of unfavorable environmental conditions. In fact, Taraxacum officinale seeds can wait up to 9 years to germinate if conditions are not conducive for its survival regardless if they lay on dry land or are submerged underwater.[2] Consequently, in addition to flowering, Taraxacum officinale generate achenes every month of the year.
Moderating temperatures have also assisted Taraxacum officinale in becoming an all-year flower. Gradually over time, as global mean temperatures have warmed, the traditional growing season of the common dandelion has been extended deeper into the winter, which at times has meant exposing the plant to harsh cold. Consequently, Taraxacum officinale have likely produced progeny, as mentioned above, to withstand greater winter extremes leading to flowering and seed production throughout the Northeast’s winter months as well as expansion to new areas such as the arctic regions of Alaska and Siberia. Continued global (prior to the onset of a what is believed to be a temporary period of cooling), is likely to promote the spread of Taraxacum officinale deeper into tundra-like regions and ensure that its all-year flowering nature becomes the norm instead of an anomaly isolated to a few years.
The rising concentration of CO2 levels in the atmosphere also promotes Taraxacum officinale growth. Based on an experiment that exposed Taraxacum officinale to elevated levels of CO2 documented by Tamara M. McPeek and Xianzhong Wang, Reproduction of dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) in a higher CO2 environment (Weed Science, 2007), the plant when exposed to double the normal amount of CO2 (730 ÎĽmol (micromoles with a mole being the amount of pure substance containing the same number of chemical units as there are atoms in exactly 12 grams of carbon-12) mol-1 versus 370 ÎĽmol mol-1 from their nascent state until their reproductive maturity) produced 83% more inflorescences and 32% more achenes.
Monday, October 24, 2011
When you are growing flowers in packing containers
Possessing a flower garden at property undoubtedly gives color for your property especially in the event the flowers bloom when they’re already in season. Including colors to a garden goes past growing flowers for flowers Vancouver delivery. To achieve this goal, just a little creativity is all you need. If you would like to incorporate color for your property, growing flowers in multi-colored flower packing containers will do an excellent assist. Such might be put into strategic locations at property such as the sides of the hallway or door entrance
To make use of this flower packing containers, you must make some straightforward arrangements. You need to estimate how a lot of flower packing containers you’ll need so you do not need to buy more than what you need. This could allow you to save dollars. When selecting to buy flowers for that flower packing containers, take into account which side you location the packing containers. In the event you strategy to location it in an location where there’s an excessive amount of exposure to the sun, make certain to plant flowers suitable for this condition. Likewise, should you strategy to have it in a shady location, select flowering plants that thrives and greatest suits this heat range. You can also decide to select flowers that hang on the sides of the packing containers or plant tiny grasses alongside the flowers for a more greenish look. Attempt to envision what the box will look like when the flowers are in bloom. Geraniums, impatiens and also scaveola are amongst the flowers which can be commonly planted in flower packing containers.
When you are growing flowers in packing containers, fill them half with soil suited for potted plants. Afterwards, location the new plants just a little below the edge of the box and fill once more with enough soil so the plant would stand in location. Just like any other plants, the freshly planted flowers need water too! Water them lightly so they will not fall due to the fact at this time, the roots are not but firmly holding the soil. Give extra attention to these newly transplants and preserve them regularly so they will grow healthy. In just a little time, you’ll see the fruits of your labor and who knows, you may be able to earn some dollars out of these boxed flowers by having them for Vancouver flowers delivery!
Friday, October 21, 2011
Port-a-Lets are an unfortunate part of the Jazz Fest experience
Port-a-Lets are an unfortunate part of the Jazz Fest experience. Everyone makes the best of it and jokes about it even though it is disgusting. There are usually 10-12 of them lined up next to each other so a large group is usually gathered patiently waiting in the lines.
At the end of one Jazz Fest day, several of us were waiting to use Port-a-Lets before walking back to our car. The folks around us were in good moods chatting with other people in line. Right before the guy in front of me could get into the vacant pee hut, a very drunk couple cut in line and jumped into it together. This caused much consternation among everyone in all the lines. First of all, you just don’t cut in front of someone else in this situation and second of all, you don’t take a guest with you into a Port-a-Let.
Five minutes pass and the couple are still in there. Everyone was yelling at them and laughing. People were hanging around to see how long it would be before they emerged from the poo pod. Ten minutes elapse and people were lingering to see how long this would go on.
Fifteen minutes go by and people are now knocking on the door of the Port-a-Let. Two policemen notice all the excitement and come over to see what’s up. They start yelling and banging on the door threatening them with arrest if they don’t vacate immediately. Another couple of minutes pass and the police start peeking into the vents.
Now we all knew what they were doing in there but it was quite hilarious to see the shocked expressions on the cops’ faces after they took the look. Then they just shook their heads and started laughing. Well, this put everyone into an incredible uproar.
It was a Port-a-Let jamboree. The crowd just kept on growing because this bunch of evacuation destinations was right by one of the main exits. People would ask about the commotion and decide to hang around. Twenty minutes and it was almost chaos. More policemen were walking up to get the story from their compatriots but none of them seemed inclined to do anything. People in the crowd were still yelling at the couple and beating on the door.
And then finally, the couple of the hour emerged lurching out of their stinky love shack. There was a burst of wild applause and cheering. People were taking pictures as Mr. Wonderful zipped up his pants and Ms. Romance pulled down her skirt. She was too drunk to realize that part of her skirt was stuck in her thong so her ass was hanging out.
When the classy gent realized that hundreds of people were watching and yelling at them, he shot the bird at the crowd. This caused complete pandemonium as people just howled with laughter and then the couple stumbled away into the sunset.
At the end of one Jazz Fest day, several of us were waiting to use Port-a-Lets before walking back to our car. The folks around us were in good moods chatting with other people in line. Right before the guy in front of me could get into the vacant pee hut, a very drunk couple cut in line and jumped into it together. This caused much consternation among everyone in all the lines. First of all, you just don’t cut in front of someone else in this situation and second of all, you don’t take a guest with you into a Port-a-Let.
Five minutes pass and the couple are still in there. Everyone was yelling at them and laughing. People were hanging around to see how long it would be before they emerged from the poo pod. Ten minutes elapse and people were lingering to see how long this would go on.
Fifteen minutes go by and people are now knocking on the door of the Port-a-Let. Two policemen notice all the excitement and come over to see what’s up. They start yelling and banging on the door threatening them with arrest if they don’t vacate immediately. Another couple of minutes pass and the police start peeking into the vents.
Now we all knew what they were doing in there but it was quite hilarious to see the shocked expressions on the cops’ faces after they took the look. Then they just shook their heads and started laughing. Well, this put everyone into an incredible uproar.
It was a Port-a-Let jamboree. The crowd just kept on growing because this bunch of evacuation destinations was right by one of the main exits. People would ask about the commotion and decide to hang around. Twenty minutes and it was almost chaos. More policemen were walking up to get the story from their compatriots but none of them seemed inclined to do anything. People in the crowd were still yelling at the couple and beating on the door.
And then finally, the couple of the hour emerged lurching out of their stinky love shack. There was a burst of wild applause and cheering. People were taking pictures as Mr. Wonderful zipped up his pants and Ms. Romance pulled down her skirt. She was too drunk to realize that part of her skirt was stuck in her thong so her ass was hanging out.
When the classy gent realized that hundreds of people were watching and yelling at them, he shot the bird at the crowd. This caused complete pandemonium as people just howled with laughter and then the couple stumbled away into the sunset.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
For just a sweetheart who have not long ago mislaid the woman little one
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Tuesday, October 18, 2011
With their cheerful faces and sweet scent
As soon as the winter snows melt, most homeowners want to plant flowers, and spring flowers create delightful oasis of color in the yard, garden or patio. Here's a list of spring flowers that can withstand the sudden shifts of temperature common in gardening zones 7 through 4 in the United States.
Pansies for Spring Gardens
With their cheerful faces and sweet scent, pansies (Viola) are a great addition to the spring garden and top our list of spring garden flowers. Pansies can be started from seeds, and many heirloom seeds produce colorful pansies reminiscent of Grandma's garden. Pansies are exceptionally cold hardy and can be planted in early spring. They can even withstand brief spring frosts and freezing spells even while blooming, something few other flowers can do.
Pansies come in a wide range of colors from white to deep purple. They are considered annual flowers, meaning that in most gardens they will grow, bloom, and die over the winter. In gardening zones 7 and higher they can sometimes winter over, especially if planted in a warmer spot in the garden such as near the base of a foundation, a garage wall, or in the shelter of a shrub.
Snapdragons Provide Border Color or Garden Focal Points
Snapdragons (Antirrhinum Majus) range from small, six inch tall dwarf varieties to newer varieties that grow upwards of five feet tall and must be staked. They can withstand cool temperatures and light frosts, and can be planted as early as a week or two before the frost-free date. Start seeds indoors about ten weeks prior to planting.
Snapdragons come in a wide range of colors, from solid, bright yellows, orange and reds to striped and swirled bicolors. Snapdragons benefit from pinching the top of the plant off when the plants grow to be about five inches tall. Pinching new growth encourages side shoots and fuller, abundant plants with more flowers. Enjoy snapdragons any place in the flower garden. Like pansies, snapdragons are considered annual flowers. They'll winter over in zones 8 to 10, but most likely a deep freeze, common to zones 7 and below, will kill them.
Perennial Dianthus Return Year After Year
Rounding out this list of spring flowers is dianthus, also called pinks. This perennial flower comes back year after year and prefers cool growing conditions. It thrives in cool temperatures and will begin blooming as soon as daytime temperatures remain in the sixties. Choose from among the white, pink, red and striped varieties. Some have showing green and gray-green foliage. Most are grown as border flowers, but with over 300 varieties of dianthus to choose from, there are so many sizes you are sure to find one that fits your garden style. Among the many spring flowers to choose for the garden, dianthus have the strongest scent. Like stocks (another spring flower), dianthus flowers smell faintly of cloves.
This list of spring flowers only begins to describe the many choices available for gardeners across the country who want to plant spring flowers that resist sudden cold snaps. There are many more beautiful annuals and perennials that can be planted in early spring, or bulbs such as tulips, daffodils and crocus may be planted in the fall for spring flowers. Whether you choose seed starting or plants purchased from a nursery, you can enjoy many flowers like pansies, snapdragons and dianthus in your spring garden.
Pansies for Spring Gardens
With their cheerful faces and sweet scent, pansies (Viola) are a great addition to the spring garden and top our list of spring garden flowers. Pansies can be started from seeds, and many heirloom seeds produce colorful pansies reminiscent of Grandma's garden. Pansies are exceptionally cold hardy and can be planted in early spring. They can even withstand brief spring frosts and freezing spells even while blooming, something few other flowers can do.
Pansies come in a wide range of colors from white to deep purple. They are considered annual flowers, meaning that in most gardens they will grow, bloom, and die over the winter. In gardening zones 7 and higher they can sometimes winter over, especially if planted in a warmer spot in the garden such as near the base of a foundation, a garage wall, or in the shelter of a shrub.
Snapdragons Provide Border Color or Garden Focal Points
Snapdragons (Antirrhinum Majus) range from small, six inch tall dwarf varieties to newer varieties that grow upwards of five feet tall and must be staked. They can withstand cool temperatures and light frosts, and can be planted as early as a week or two before the frost-free date. Start seeds indoors about ten weeks prior to planting.
Snapdragons come in a wide range of colors, from solid, bright yellows, orange and reds to striped and swirled bicolors. Snapdragons benefit from pinching the top of the plant off when the plants grow to be about five inches tall. Pinching new growth encourages side shoots and fuller, abundant plants with more flowers. Enjoy snapdragons any place in the flower garden. Like pansies, snapdragons are considered annual flowers. They'll winter over in zones 8 to 10, but most likely a deep freeze, common to zones 7 and below, will kill them.
Perennial Dianthus Return Year After Year
Rounding out this list of spring flowers is dianthus, also called pinks. This perennial flower comes back year after year and prefers cool growing conditions. It thrives in cool temperatures and will begin blooming as soon as daytime temperatures remain in the sixties. Choose from among the white, pink, red and striped varieties. Some have showing green and gray-green foliage. Most are grown as border flowers, but with over 300 varieties of dianthus to choose from, there are so many sizes you are sure to find one that fits your garden style. Among the many spring flowers to choose for the garden, dianthus have the strongest scent. Like stocks (another spring flower), dianthus flowers smell faintly of cloves.
This list of spring flowers only begins to describe the many choices available for gardeners across the country who want to plant spring flowers that resist sudden cold snaps. There are many more beautiful annuals and perennials that can be planted in early spring, or bulbs such as tulips, daffodils and crocus may be planted in the fall for spring flowers. Whether you choose seed starting or plants purchased from a nursery, you can enjoy many flowers like pansies, snapdragons and dianthus in your spring garden.
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Sedum 'Autumn Fire'
I'm pretty sure the very first perennial I ever purchased was Sedum 'Autumn Joy'. It was advertised as "fool proof" and the perfect perennial for beginning gardeners in all the books I had read. That's all I had to hear so I went out and bought two of them (planting in odd numbers was still a foreign concept to me).
I loved it at first with it's unique foliage and the fact that it emerged so early in the spring. When the blooms came in late summer, I was pumped up. But then it happened ... it started to sprawl and I was devastated (slight hyperbole). I gave up on them for years but admittedly would look longingly at them in other people's gardens.
Fast forward ten years or so and I've found the perfect solution to my sedum envy, she's called 'Autumn Fire':
I've owned this beauty for three years now and have been thrilled with the results. I could swoon over those sedum blooms:
Without worrying about this happening:
Maxes out at about 2' x 2'
Prefers full sun
Needs good drainage to survive and some how I found a spot where that works
Is not deer resistant and again, I've some how managed to hold them off ... for now
Survives in zones 3-9
Personally, I love watching the blooms slowly change from mid summer all the way into the middle of Fall:
Give it a whirl, won't you?
I loved it at first with it's unique foliage and the fact that it emerged so early in the spring. When the blooms came in late summer, I was pumped up. But then it happened ... it started to sprawl and I was devastated (slight hyperbole). I gave up on them for years but admittedly would look longingly at them in other people's gardens.
Fast forward ten years or so and I've found the perfect solution to my sedum envy, she's called 'Autumn Fire':
I've owned this beauty for three years now and have been thrilled with the results. I could swoon over those sedum blooms:
Without worrying about this happening:
Maxes out at about 2' x 2'
Prefers full sun
Needs good drainage to survive and some how I found a spot where that works
Is not deer resistant and again, I've some how managed to hold them off ... for now
Survives in zones 3-9
Personally, I love watching the blooms slowly change from mid summer all the way into the middle of Fall:
Give it a whirl, won't you?
Friday, October 7, 2011
Brief Of Dwarf Lilac
Dwarf Lilac
Syringa 'Penda'
(si-RING-gah)
Synonym: Bloomerang
Okay every once in awhile a season bender plant appears and this little lilac is one. A mixture of several species of lilac including patula x macrophylla x meyeri x juliana it blooms heavily around regular lilac time (around here Mid-May). It then takes a rest period and starts blooming again with a smaller crop of flowers. This picture was taken this week and the plants offered for sale each had a couple of flowers on them.
When you combine the dwarf habit, fragrant flowers and the reblooming Bloomerang is quite a package. One house we care for has a large collection of what I think are ‘Miss Kim’ dwarf lilacs and they are in constant need of pruning to fit in their dwarf spaces. That doesn’t really fit the definition/use of a dwarf plant for me. The problem is not the plant but the planter in that case (I inherited the care of those plants and did not install them). Bloomerang looks to be a much dwarfer and less course plant than ‘Miss Kim’ but only time will tell (Bloomerang was introduced in 2009).
Fall lilac flowers what will we see next?
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Garden Bloggers Bloom Day January 2011
There is a nice blanket of snow on the ground and none on the roads. That’s the way we like it in cold climate country. We know we are not going to see blooms when snow covers the ground so we plan for ways to have blooms in the house. I’ve got some hyacinths forcing and it’s about time for them to come out of the basement. They don’t have blooms now, but maybe in time for February’s Bloom Day.
Happy Surprises
Then there are the blooms that you don’t expect, but surprise you. This frequently happens in the garden, so why not in the house, too? So I am pleased to report that my Thanksgiving cactus is reblooming.
How does this happen? This plant hangs in front of my not-very-insulated kitchen window. It set buds on the colder window side. When I see this, I turn the plant around so I will actually get to enjoy the flowers when they open. As it turns out, it bloomed just a bit after Thanksgiving this year.
Then we had a warm spell, when all the snow melted away. And then it got cold again. Apparently the warm spell was long enough that it tricked the Thanksgiving cactus into believing a whole cycle of seasons had passed, and the new cold spell encouraged it to set more buds. And I, the ever hopeful gardener, noticed there were more buds, and turned the pot around again.
Happy Surprises
Then there are the blooms that you don’t expect, but surprise you. This frequently happens in the garden, so why not in the house, too? So I am pleased to report that my Thanksgiving cactus is reblooming.
How does this happen? This plant hangs in front of my not-very-insulated kitchen window. It set buds on the colder window side. When I see this, I turn the plant around so I will actually get to enjoy the flowers when they open. As it turns out, it bloomed just a bit after Thanksgiving this year.
Then we had a warm spell, when all the snow melted away. And then it got cold again. Apparently the warm spell was long enough that it tricked the Thanksgiving cactus into believing a whole cycle of seasons had passed, and the new cold spell encouraged it to set more buds. And I, the ever hopeful gardener, noticed there were more buds, and turned the pot around again.
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Flowers under April Weather
It snowed last night. Tonight, there is still snow on the ground. On 8 April, and winter has lasted long enough, thanks.
There are two ways to view these raids end of the winter season. A person can either despair or hope. When a long winter snow melts, releasing a long-buried land again to feel the life giving rays of the sun, is a time of rest for the weary hearts of months trapped within the four walls of a house. As exhilarating as the taste of spring can be renovated at a funeral in the snow can cause a drop in the same moral.
For some people, later this year, the snow falls more depressing is that. For those of snow at any time, in April is particularly overwhelming, and a week later this month is that much worse.
This is my opinion: Snow in March is very sad indeed. Snow in April is a farce. When the first flakes fall in the sky during the month of April I admit my answer is unhappy. But then I laugh. Snow is not around for long. When the snow falls in March is always the lurking fear of the cold and snowy months. April Spring swell is such that snow days are limited. In April, the winter has had its grip on our lives long enough. It 'time to throw away the fear of winter, and laughs. Snow today? It just makes the lack of snow tomorrow, even more wonderful. Spring is coming, is just the tip of your fingers. And 'here.
I mark these thoughts, but still struggles with frustration. Today I am not desperate, that the winter is not necessarily over, but to wear down the outside of disability. As the seasons change here is the bad habit of passing from winter to summer, and too little time. Four weeks between winter and summer, there is not enough time to get all these things done before summer. Yard is a wreck. Around the wreck. Any additional snow allows for a great day to escape unused.
April is full of ups and downs, but I say that is higher than in March. In April, the sun is about long days hard enough all day. Snowdrops and crocuses to strike across the country. The water flows. Tree buds swell with new life. The world is changing and running.
On a good day in April I get out of a world on edge. The sky is bright blue and white clouds on the floor. The wind has a bite to court, but the sun warms any surface it touches. Although the wreck was lost in the cool winter air and the sky speaks of spring.
March is crazy. April is the hope. In early April the eye sees only the contours of what has vanished in life takes place in May and June April is a time to dream. The world is waiting, spring, summer and fall have been in advance. The ground is frozen and wet here, but I stand, look around and imagine the coming months.
There are two ways to view these raids end of the winter season. A person can either despair or hope. When a long winter snow melts, releasing a long-buried land again to feel the life giving rays of the sun, is a time of rest for the weary hearts of months trapped within the four walls of a house. As exhilarating as the taste of spring can be renovated at a funeral in the snow can cause a drop in the same moral.
For some people, later this year, the snow falls more depressing is that. For those of snow at any time, in April is particularly overwhelming, and a week later this month is that much worse.
This is my opinion: Snow in March is very sad indeed. Snow in April is a farce. When the first flakes fall in the sky during the month of April I admit my answer is unhappy. But then I laugh. Snow is not around for long. When the snow falls in March is always the lurking fear of the cold and snowy months. April Spring swell is such that snow days are limited. In April, the winter has had its grip on our lives long enough. It 'time to throw away the fear of winter, and laughs. Snow today? It just makes the lack of snow tomorrow, even more wonderful. Spring is coming, is just the tip of your fingers. And 'here.
I mark these thoughts, but still struggles with frustration. Today I am not desperate, that the winter is not necessarily over, but to wear down the outside of disability. As the seasons change here is the bad habit of passing from winter to summer, and too little time. Four weeks between winter and summer, there is not enough time to get all these things done before summer. Yard is a wreck. Around the wreck. Any additional snow allows for a great day to escape unused.
April is full of ups and downs, but I say that is higher than in March. In April, the sun is about long days hard enough all day. Snowdrops and crocuses to strike across the country. The water flows. Tree buds swell with new life. The world is changing and running.
On a good day in April I get out of a world on edge. The sky is bright blue and white clouds on the floor. The wind has a bite to court, but the sun warms any surface it touches. Although the wreck was lost in the cool winter air and the sky speaks of spring.
March is crazy. April is the hope. In early April the eye sees only the contours of what has vanished in life takes place in May and June April is a time to dream. The world is waiting, spring, summer and fall have been in advance. The ground is frozen and wet here, but I stand, look around and imagine the coming months.
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Sunny Knockout Rose bush's Characteristics
Shrub Rose
'Sunny Knockout' Rosa
(RO ZUH)
Synonyms: Radsunny
To finalize the new area, we worked on that we should have a little pink. The Knockout Sunny looked so good he has done in the garden with some types of Carefree and easy elegance. This rose is a star among the others and comes with the ease of care have Knockouts. This is the newest Knockout, and it is sure to be a success, in my opinion. The bright yellow flowers fade to a creamy color that gives a nice contrast with the shiny new yellow flowers.
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