Flowers Land

Saturday, August 6, 2011

Almond Blossom Flowers

The blossoms have finally been coming out in the last few days here in Beijing - but serially, hesitantly. There's still a hint of menace in the north wind - so the jasmine flowers won't bloom

Almond Blossom Flower

Almond Blossom Flower

Almond Blossom Flower

Almond Blossom Flower

Almond Blossom Flower

Almond Blossom Flower

Almond Blossom Flower

If you have any requests to alter Blossoming Almond Tree, email us after placing your order and we'll have an artist contact you. If you have another image of the painting that you would like the artist to work from, please include it as an attachment. If you would like to be updated during the painting process, please send us an email and we will keep you updated with high definition images.

Almond Blossom Van Gogh

I make my kids sing this, Alice Cooper style, every last day of school. If they don’t give a convincing performance, I make them do it until they do. We’ve got standards around here. To reward them for their efforts, I performed “MoneyGrabber” by Fitz & the Tantrums. It may have included a broom. Some kids might have covered their ears. A fun time was had by all.

I just peered out the window and saw my son running down the street with a gigantic yellow nerf gun. Let the awesomeness begin.

But this means I only have 10 minutes of nap time to dink around on the computer before somebody needs something or before I am called in as referee. I know, blog posts are popping up everywhere about how to maintain a good summer schedule. I’m not going to go there, just telling you that I have no idea, and right now watching tv and eating popcorn every day until our eyes bleed doesn’t really sound that bad.

Almond Blossom Van Gogh

Almond Blossom Van GoghLet’s get down to business. I calculated up the points last night and we have our Blogardy winners! I had enough stuff to divvy up, so I’ve chosen our top three:

1) Our Grand Prize Winner: Ally (who is trying to politely decline, but sorry) you’ve just won a Van Gogh Almond Blossom print, straight from the Van Gogh Museum!

Almond Blossom Van Gogh

Almond Blossom Van Gogh

Almond Blossom Van Gogh

Almond Blossom Van GoghA 2012 calendar featuring classic Parisian posters. Who doesn’t love Le Chat Noir? 8 million college students can’t be wrong, right? Seriously though, I do love it, despite its ubiquity. But wait, there’s more! I know your kids would love some sweet treats, so why not offer them some Eiffel Tower gummies straight from the Official Eiffel Tower Gift Shop?! And then you can hang up your favorite calendar pages with some Van Gogh magnets. You can do all this while smelling like a fine French woman, as I’ve also included some perfume/lotion samples that I picked up.

Almond Blossom

Almonds are members of the peach family. The tree blossoms in the spring before it grows leaves.

There are two kinds of Almonds, sweet and bitter. An Almond, technically, isn’t a nut — it’s the pit of a fruit related to peaches, plums and apricots. The Almond fruit is small, green and has soft, velvety fuzz on it; the fruit isn’t any good for eating, as it is tough and fibrous.

Sweet Almonds are usually blanched before use as the outer brown skin can in some people irritate their digestive tube. Some ground Almond packages sold may contain ground peach kernels to lessen the cost to the producer. Sweet Almonds are used both in meals and in desserts. If a recipe calls for Almonds, chances are it means Sweet Almonds.

Bitter Almonds are extremely poisonous when raw and untreated; it is illegal to sell them in their natural state in North America, though their sale remains legal in the European Union. Only the oil and extract is sold. Their oil is mixed with hydrous ferrous sulfate, which reacts with the prussic acid in the Bitter Almonds and causes it to form calcium ferrocyanide crystals, which can be filtered out of the oil, making it safe.

Almond Blossom

Almond BlossomBlanched Almonds have the brown skins removed from the nuts. The Almonds are scalded in boiling water, plunged into cold water, then put through rollers that rub the skin off. The nuts are then dried and packaged. Blanched Almonds cost more than unblanched because of the extra processing required, but not much more, and it’s almost always worth paying the extra to save yourself the fiddling at home.

If you are buying unshelled Almonds, ones that rattle a lot inside the shell have shrunk from aging, so you don’t want those.

Even if you have access to Almond trees, it’s not recommended to pick your own unless you truly know that they are sweet Almond trees and not ones that produce the bitter, poisonous Almonds. California now provides 60% of the world’s Almond production. In China, apricot kernels are often used instead of Almonds.

Almond BlossomIf your whole Almonds came with the skin on, or if you had to shell them, to remove the skin pour boiling water over them and let them soak for two minutes. Then drain, and rub the skin off. These are called Blanched Almonds.

To toast Almonds, spread them out on a baking sheet and then place on middle rack of oven preheated to 350F. You can toast slivers, halved or whole Almonds. If toasting sliced or slivered Almonds, watch them very closely as they can burn quite quickly. Toast about 5 minutes, then take out, toss, and return to oven until they are just turning a golden brown, about 15 minutes total, tops. Play close attention to them after about 12 minutes, as they can go from golden to burnt in a flash. Remove from oven, turn out onto a plate and let cool.

Thursday, July 28, 2011

Astilbe Arendsii

Astilbe Fanal is a lovely shade plant, especially along borders and garden paths. Its deep red flowers are the darkest of all Astilbes. These vivid and feathery crimson spires grow to at least 12 inches in length, fading in autumn to a rusty brown color. The Astilbe arendsii's old foliage is best left uncut during the winter months. This will protect the plant from weather damage. The foliage also looks striking in a snowy landscape.

The astilbe's crown has a woody appearance. Plant Fanal crowns at ground level about 8 to 12 inches apart. Soil should be rich, fertile, moist, and well drained. The Fanal's roots are shallow and its crown will become exposed over time. When this occurs, crowns may be covered with soil and compost or divided and replanted.
Astilbes thrive when they are well watered and frequently mulched. Fanals can dry out quickly, but when well maintained will happily tolerate a few hours of morning sun. If not divided when their crowns reappear, astilbes should be divided every three or four years to keep them strong and blooming. Astilbes actually grow better from this division rather than seeds.In the original Greek, astilbe means without brilliance, an ironic name for such a dazzling plant. Take advantage of Astilbe Fanal's beauty by planting it as an accent piece along shaded garden borders and next to pulmonaria, hosta, and bergenia. Even on its own, the contrast between the Fanal's garnet red blooms and lacy bronze-green foliage is very fetching.

Red Astilbe

False Spirea Homeowner Growing & Maintenance Tips:

Astilbes are long-lived perennials that prefer rich soil and light shade to filtered sun. They will grow in full shade, but will not bloom as prolifically there. Plants must have consistently moist soil; dryness leads to a quick demise, especially in sun. Increase watering as the foliage emerges and the plumes mature. If the soil dries out, the leaves will develop brown, crispy margins and will begin to drop. Fertilize Astilbes in late spring before flowering starts. Wait to cut back the old foliage until spring; it will help protect the plant from winter damage. In the spring, if the crown has risen above soil level, gently press it back into the ground and apply some organic matter around the plant. Plants should be divided in early spring every 3-4 years to maintain vigor.