Flowers Land: June 2011

Friday, June 3, 2011

Valentine Flowers

How to Find Cheap Valentine Flowers
Valentine's Day flowers are not always easy to find close to the holiday in February, but

for many people who at this year's budget to find the cheapest way to say: "I love you" can mean the difference between a happy Valentine's Day or Valentine's expectations. However, anyone who has ever bought a wreath sentimental know that the valentine flowers tend to grow around Valentine's Day and Mother's Day. Even if your budget does not forgive in February, there are several ways to reduce the impact of the holidays. Here are six tips for finding cheap valentine flowers this year.

Shop around. Search for cheap valentine flowers may be as simple as trading a few different flower shops and online flower delivery in the event and find the right deal. Do not forget to read the fine print to find out if there are shipping restrictions or blackout dates. Look at the flower shop, which has been around for some time, offer some form of collateral, and it seems a good choice available.

Looking for coupons. When you make purchases on the Internet, many companies, Valentine Flowers

including those that may offer cheap flowers on Valentine's Day, there are coupon codes available for discounts on products and services. Coupon codes can provide a significant boost in your budget, Valentine's Day without sacrificing quality. Do not forget to read the rules of coupon codes, expiration dates, and requirements for using coupons.

Use the buddy system. Some florists have a transaction for a large wreath. If you are looking for cheap valentine flowers, but can not find this size with the same quality you expect lovers considering buying or two dozen roses with a friend and split the cost and color with each other.

Try to plant. If valentine flowers cheap place to consider the plants instead. Plants can be decorated with a bow or take a heart-shaped plastic like the ones made for cake decorating. Less demanding plants tend to be cheaper than around Valentine's Day bouquets. Try Ivy, a traditional symbol of friendship and love.

Send a silk. Silk is a long-lasting flowers cheap Valentine's Day. Silk flowers are also much more suitable for lovers with allergies or reluctance to cut interest rates. artificial flowers last forever, can be reused for other decorative purposes, and can be added to other bouquets and arrangements later.

Buy less than perfect. There are plenty of valentine flowers vendors that offer both, is less than perfect flowers. Flower stems too short, was in the wrong Bloom, is the color that is not popular, or simply grow at a discount often offers an abundance of cheap Valentine's Day flower shops, roadside stands, and a special Web site. Although the flower is sometimes but not always need a bit of work before the presentation, discounts are often reasonable and useful.

Search for cheap valentine flowers are not allowed to struggle. Often, the key to cheap valentine flowers is just stick to the budget. Remember that feeling of Valentine's Day gift is far more important than price. In the end, a feast for the recognition of the relationship, something that should be on every day, not just on Valentine's Day. By Frank Milo

Valentine's Day Flowers

Find Flowers - Valentine's Day for the Socially Conscious Lovers

♥ Happy Valentine's Day! ♥

Sending your Valentine flowers is a sweet way to express love and appreciation on Valentine's Day. The most thoughtful gift of all is a bouquet without BLOOD on it.

Did you know that most flowers available from the large florist companies are purchased from third world countries who "employ" women and children and pay substandard wages? In some cases these female workers are abused and even raped and severely mistreated. Personally, I prefer potted flowers that I can keep alive!

However, giving bouquets has become a tradition.

Websites like Fair Trade Resource Network and Rainforest Alliance provide links to valuable information for you to make an informed decision about where to buy your flowers.

A flower is truly beautiful only if pain and abuse was not involved in the trade. Another op

tion is to find a local farm in your area where you can purchase your flowers and know that the workers are treated fairly.

Question Everything! Be informed consumers. Your dollars make a vote each time you spend them! I vote to ensure women and children around the world are treated fairly and earn a decent living. How are you spending your dollars?

Allium schoenoprasum 'Curly Mauve'

Allium

Allium schoenoprasum

Photo by Mark McDonough

Allium schoenoprasum 'Curly Mauve' is one of my favorite chive cultivars. I've
grown a number of forms of chives, several of which were small, prostrate growing
plants. This selection had obviously crossed with one of the larger chive cultivars,
resulting in in this wonderful medusan variety unlike no other. I have nicknamed it
"curly chives" for it's strong, irregular curling habit.

Despite the intense curling habit of the basal foliage, the flower stems stand erect,
easily clearing the foliage with a forest of 12"-16" stems. The flowers are a nice
lilac-mauve, making quite a show in the early summer garden.

After flowering, I shear the whole plant an inch or two from the base, to
avoid the prolific seed and to thwart the tendency for yellowing foliage in
a psuedo-summer dormancy. Afterwards, the plants resprout with fresh
foliage that's upright and normal looking instead of curled and prostrate.
Next year, the coiled spring growth will be in evidence once again.

Amaryllis Flowers

Amaryllis Flowers

There’s nothing more festive than several amaryllis plants contributing their rich burst of bloom to your house during the holiday season.
Amaryllis may look exotic, but the bulbs are easy to grow. The flowers are large and trumpet-shaped and come in lovely shades ranging from white and apple-blossom pink to scarlet. Some cultivars, such as ‘Nymph’, even have attractive striped petals.
An amaryllis bulb kit, complete with planting container and potting soil, makes a lovely hostess gift.
Amaryllis care – step-by-step:

When you buy an amaryllis bulb, look for a large, plump one with some roots attached. Using a pot that’s slightly larger in diameter than the bulb, plant it in potting soil, leaving the “shoulders” – the top third of the bulb – exposed.
Keep the soil moist but not wet, and the temperatures above 64ºF (18ºC) – optimal temperatures are between 68 to 77ºF (20 to 25ºC).
Place the bulb in bright light and watch for growth to start. You should see a flower bud appear after a couple of weeks. Turn the pot regularly so the flower stalk won’t lean in one direction.
Sometimes you’ll need to support the stalk with a slim bamboo stake and raffia ties.
Once the flower is finished, cut off the stem just above the bulb nose. Give amaryllis bright light on a sunny windowsill or under plant lights.
Continue to feed and water. Apply a standard water-soluble houseplant fertilizer at half the recommended strength every two weeks.

Floris Amaryllis: new fragrance

Floris, after Madonna of the Almonds, proposes a new fragrance, based on a romantic concept: Amaryllis. The name, common for girls in both Greek and Latin-derived languages, comes from the Greek word ἀμαρύσσω which means "to shine, to sparkle" and is referenced in Theophrastus' Idylls tied to a beautiful shepherdess and later in Virgil's pastoral 1st Eclogue/Bucolic, as a singing wanderer of the woods. The fragrance itself, a spicy ambery floral, is inspired according to Floris by the romantically rural theme and focuses on the botanic connotation, which is beladonna lily (which interestingly enough means "beautiful lady" in Italian). But the devolution of the botanical name of the flower into "pink ladies" and "naked ladies" has surely something to do with the pastoral themes of youths teaching the forest to resound the name Amaryllis ("Sit careless in the shade, and, at your call, 'Fair Amaryllis' bid the woods resound") and of rolling merrily on the grass...

Amaryllis

And how should the upcoming Floris Amaryllis smell like?

Notes for Amaryllis by Floris
Top notes: Bergamot, carnation, marine accord
Heart notes: frankincense, amaryllis, myrh, tuberose, ylang ylang
Base notes: Caramel, heliotrope, patchouli, musk, tonka bean, vanilla

Aconitum vulparia

Aconitum vulparia

Aconitum carmichaelii in China and Japan

Aconitum carmichaelii is a flowering plant species native to East Asia, particularly in China and Japan. It is commonly known as (traditional Chinese: pinyin: Wu-tou Fu-zi) in Chinese, and Torikabuto) in Japanese.

Aconitum carmichaelii

RUMEX CRISPUS

RUMEX CRISPUS

Rumex is primarily a cough remedy though the key note symptom has aggravation from uncovering or undressing has led to prescription and digestive complains as well.

Synonym: Curly Dock, Yellow Dock, Sour Dock, Narrow Dock

Source: Rumex is common British weed. It belongs to the natural order of polygonacae.
Preparation: Mother tincture is prepared from fresh roots.

Proved by: Dr. H.A. Hougton, student of Hahnemann medical college,Philadelphia, in 1852; Dr.B.F. Joslin in 1852

Habitat: Fields, roadsides, railroads, waste ground, disturbed sites.

Generals:

* Extremely sensitive to cold air and even to open air.
* Catarrhal headache with great irritation of the larynx and trachea, clavicular pain and soreness behind sternum.
* Influenza with violent catarrh, followed by bronchitis.
* Sensation of a lump in the throat, not relieved by hawking or swallowing, it descends on deglutition, but immediately returns"; this is also a strong feature in Lachesis.

Respiratory

Coryza
It suits to both acute and chronic catarrhal states.

* Nose obstructed; dry sensation even in posterior nares.
* Often coryza starts owith a marked dryness in the posterior nares.
* Violent sneezing, with fluent coryza is a frequent occurrence.
* Copious mucous discharge from nose and trachea.
* Epistaxis, violent sneezing and painful irritation of nostrils.

Modalities:

o Aggravation: In the evening, at night and from cold air.
o Amelioration: By warmth and covering.

Cough

* Causation: Exposure to cold air.

* Location: lower lobe of left lung is generally affected.

* Sensation:
o Rawness of larynx and trachea. Soreness behind sternum, especially left side, in region of left shoulder. Raw pain under clavicle.
o Tickling sensation in throat pit with rawness.
o Sensation of lump in throat descends on swallowing but returns immediately.

* Character of cough:
o Violent dry incessant fatiguing cough.
o Hoarse barking cough with tickling sensation. Hoarse, barking cough, in attacks, every night at 11 P.M. and at 2 and 5 A.M. (children).
o Dry, teasing cough, preventing sleep.
o Touching the throat-pit brings on the cough.
o Cough with pain behind the sternum.
o Involuntary urine with cough, involuntary stool with cough. In women, every fit of coughing produces the passage of a few drops of urine.
o The most violent cough occurs a few moments after lying down and at night, in some cases, complete aphonia.
o Tenacious mucus in throat or larynx, constant desire to hawk.

* Character of sputa:
o Usually there is no expectoration but sometimes in the first stage there is thin watery, frothy expectoration; later it becomes yellowish thick, tough and tenacious; stringy, so ropy

* Modalities:

Aggravation:

+ The patient is extremely sensitive to open air even changing air or room brings s on cough.
+ Slightest inhalation of cold air.
+ Worse especially in the morning on walking or at 11pm.
+ Worse touch or pressure on the throat or larynx
+ After lying down especially on left side.

Amelioration:
o From warmth, keeping the mouth cover to exclude cold air, covering the body warmly.

Stomach:

The stomach will not digest food, or only the, simplest food; the mucous membrane of the stomach is affected by this remedy like other mucous membranes.

* Fullness in the stomach which rises to throat and triggers coughing.
* Cannot tolerate meat; it causes eructation, pruritus.
* Jaundice after excessive use of alcoholics.
* Chronic gastritis; aching pain in pit of stomach and shooting in the chest; extends towards the throat-pit,
* Worse any motion or talking. Pain in left breast after meals; flatulence.
* Aching pain in the pit of stomach gradually becoming very severe; sharp stitching pains in stomach extending into chest, and below a sensation of pressure like a lump in pit of stomach, sometimes rising up under sternum, greatly aggravated from motion and somewhat from taking a long breath; generally aggravated after eating, ameliorated by lying perfectly quiet.
* The stomach feels sore, aggravated by talking, walking, inhaling cold air; wants warm things. Very flatulent; full of flatulent pains; pains relieved (Carbo veg.) by belching and passing flatus. Stomach and abdominal pains aggravated by talking, irregular, breathing; must sit in a chair and breathe with perfect regularity. Irregular breathing will cause cough or suffocation.

Diarrhoea

* Diarrhoea early in morning from 5to 10am.
* Driving him out of bed early in the morning.
* Serious attack of diarrhea in an old man of seventy, after failure of Sulphur.
* Before Stool there is sudden urging pain in abdomen.
* In the morning hurried to stool like Sulphur.
* Stools, painless, offensive, profuse; brown or black, thin or watery; preceded by pain in abdomen; before stool sudden urging, driving him out of bed in morning."
* Brown, watery diarrhoea, chiefly in morning, having stools from 5 to 9 A.M.
* Modalities: aggravation from motion and in the morning.

Skin

* Intense itching of skin; itching of various parts especially lower extremities. Urticaria; contagious prurigo.
* Modalities:Aggravation from cold, when undressing, uncovering or exposure to cold air. Amelioration: By covering the parts.

General modalities

Aggravation: In evening, from inhaling cold air; left chest; uncovering.
Amelioration: By covering the parts

Relationship—Antidote by Bell,Camph
Dose.--Third to sixth potency

Ref:
Boricke
Kent
K.N. Mathur
S.K. Dubey
Roger Morison
H.C. Allen

ACONITUM NAPELLUS

Aconitum napellus

Botanical name: Aconitum napellus Linn

Synonyms: Monk's Blood, or Monk's Hood, Wolf's Bane, Fuzi, Friar's Cap, Auld Wife's Huid.

Family: Ranunculaceae

Habitat: It grows on damp, shady fields, at high altitude of mountains. Western and central Europe

Parts used: The whole plants

Description:

It is a perennial herb with a fleshy, spindle-shaped root
Pale coloured when young, but subsequently acquiring a dark brown skin.
The stem is about 3 to 6feet high, round green and slightly hairy above.
The leaves are rounded, 5–10 cm diameter, dark green, glossy leaves, deeply divided in palmate manner and flowers in erect clusters of a dark blue colour.
The flowers are dark violate colour and appears in May to July.The shape of the flower is specially designed to attract and utilize bee visitors, especially the humble bee.
The flowers are dark purple to bluish-purple, narrow oblong helmet-shaped, 1–2 cm tall

Aconitum: Toxic Perennial if Taken Internally

Image courtesy of Van Hoorn Nurseries.Aconitum is one of several impressive blue perennials used as background plants in English style gardens. The tall pure blue varieties make nearby pink flowers so vivid-looking that I needed to include Aconitum in my own garden. However, my eagerness for them ebbed when I found these plants at the nursery with a cautionary sign hanging over them that read: this plant is poisonous. Naturally, I chose not to buy. There have always been children playing in or near my flowerbeds. I did not want to deliberately create a scenario that might endanger them.
This stately perennial, also known as Monkshood, is one of the most poisonous of plants. Since ancient times, people have known that it is toxic and have used it as a weapon by coating their spear and arrow heads with its strong poison in order to kill wild animals. Some gardeners believe that this popular garden plant has such a distinctive and unpleasant taste that cases of accidental poisoning are rare, though known. However, all parts of the plant are toxic if eaten and its roots may be fatally mistaken for edible crops if left lying around. Even the abraded skin of a gardener can absorb a dangerous dose of its poison.

Image courtesy of Glenlea GreenhousesSome brave gardeners feel that handling the plant itself is not a problem and there is no reason not to grow it. I argue that if Aconitum were to be planted in ample-sized flowerbeds, such as those on large estates, one might not be so anxious about accidental poisoning. However, in tight urban flowerbeds, where gardeners often collide with their flowers, the possibility of a fatal accident is real.
Here are some of the symptoms of Aconitum poisoning: Burning of lips and mouth, numbness of throat, intense vomiting and diarrhea, muscular weakness and spasms, weak pulse, paralysis of the respiratory system and convulsions. Did you ever expect to read something as gruesome as this in a gardening blog?
Nevertheless, if a reader is determined to grow Aconitum, here is what one needs to know: This tall plant grows stalks that are so strong they do not need staking. There are many varieties of Aconitum, ranging in heights of 18 to 48 inches tall. The color palette includes white, pink and blue. The tall blue varieties are the most desirable because of the purity and intensity of their color. This perennial will grow in full sun or light shade but flowers get floppy with reduced sunlight. Aconitum performs best with a minimum of six hours of full sun every day. This plant blooms in late summer to early fall and is happiest in moist, fertile soil.
As soon as the first flowering flush is over, cut the bloom stalks to the ground to prevent seed development. This will encourage re-blooming later in the summer. Always wear gloves, long sleeved tops and long pants when gardening near this plant. Avoid placing Aconitum close to vegetable gardens or children’s play areas. Depending on the variety selected, this plant will grow in zones 2 to 8. I cannot suggest specific cultivars because I do not grow this species. As breathtaking as this perennial may be, the sounds of children playing touches me deeper.

Aconitum Flower nice view

Aconitum

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Calla Lily

This is Zantedeschia aethiopica – the Calla Lily. The amazing thing is that I lost it for at least two years. It just disappeared and yet this year it has quite happily been resurrected, putting forth its lovely spotted leaves and trumpet-shaped flowers. It is in a plant pot so I can only conclude that the pot was in a location it didn’t like and so the tuber remained dormant.

Apple mint

Apple mint (sometimes called woolly mint) (Mentha suaveolens) is a member of the mint genus that ranges through southern and western Europe and the western Mediterranean region. It is a herbaceous, upright perennial plant that is most commonly grown as a culinary herb and/or ground cover. It typically grows to 40-100 cm tall and spreads by rhizomes to form clonal colonies. The foliage is light green and can be variegated, with the opposite, sessile leaves being oblong to nearly ovate, 3-5 cm long and 2-4 cm broad. They are somewhat hairy on top and downy underneath with serrated edges.

Hostas

Hosta francee

Most of my Hostas are either in the shade of the front wall of the house (which faces North) or under the trees of the back hedge. Those by the wall tend to be kept clear of slugs and snails by the surrounding gravel. At one time those under the hedge were kept OK by the Hedgehogs eating the slugs and snails – the Hedgehog home was right by the Hostas. either this year the Hedgehogs have moved on or they are not doing their job properly.

The above photo was taken in July 2005. The ones below were taken the other day and it was hardly possible to find a single leaf that hadn’t been chewed.

Buddleias Flower

I have a number of different forms of Buddleia in the garden including Nanho Blue, Pink Delight and the gorgeous rich dark Black Knight. The ones which seem to be most attractive to the butterflies are Nanho Blue and the common un-named form.
We had Speckled Woods, Comma and Large Whites in the garden today.

Zantedeschia Amazing and Natural Beauti

Zantedeschia

Sunny Deer resistant perennial borders

Here is a selection of hardy and easy to grow tried and true deer resistant plant combos. I have chosen 6 combination's that will fill approximately 32 sq ft, or a 4'x8' border. They can be repeated or mixed and matched to create a larger border, just measure your area and divide by 32 to see how many combo's you need. Each combo contains 16, 1 gallon plants that will cost approx $200. The larger size gives you a mature garden much better able to stand a test browse or two while your neighborhood deer learn there are better offerings down the block.
The first three plants go to the back of the border, or in the middle if it's a two sided bed. The single plant is a specimen in front of that, and the others are arranged, by height in front of that. If it's a two sided bed you only need to buy the 13 plants remaining , after you re-use the first three plants that formed the back of the border.

Karl Foerster Calamagrostis x3