One flower I have been seeing more and more of lately is the Craspedia. With their fun color, shape and texture they provide, I can see why they are becoming more popular. Only available naturally in Yellow but they can be artifiaclly tintes. Craspedia provide a tight, round, textured blossom approximately 1/2 - 1 1/2" on top a leafless stem. Common Name: Craspedia Botanical Name: Craspedia Globasa (cras-PEE-dee-a glo-BO-sa) Also know as Billy Balls or Woolyheads, the flower represents good health. Craspedia is a genus of daisies. They are native to Australia and New Zealand where they grow in a variety of habitats from sea level to the alps. Craspedia is available most of the year and can also be dried. While they may look fancy and expensive, Craspedia is actually very affordable. Interesting Fact: If you try to grow Craspedia, plants will start growing as a single rosette, and each rosette generally produces only 1 flower stalk. A risky, but effective way to force basal shoots is to let the plant dry out until the leaves wilt, then water the plant. New basal shoots will appear in a few weeks. Pruning appears to be ineffective, usually resulting in the death of the plant.
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Tiny and delicate but the smell is amazing. Yes, I'm talking about the Lily of the Valley flower. I have choosen Lily of the Valley this month because recently a friend of mine gave be some plants from his yard. I personally have never been able to start one of my own. For anyone who knows me, they know that my designing skills and my gardening skills are on the opposite end of the spectrum. So to say the least, I am very excited about the newest plant addition to my yard. Well this week, the very first flower appeared. Everyone probably thought I was crazy because I kept looking at it and smelling it and then making them look at it and smell it. Can't wait for more flowers to appear! Common Name: Lily of the Valley Botanical Name: Convallaria Majalis (kon-va-LAY-ree-ah may-JAY-lis) The flower is also known as ‘Our Lady's Tears’ as, according to legend, the tears Mary shed at the cross turned into Lilies of the Valley. Lily of the Valley has tiny bell-shaped flowers about 1/4" and are crusted in small groups of 8-12 flowers along a short stem about 8-10" tall. Desired highly by brides, they have a very limited availability, usually mid to late spring, and are very expensive. But if the timing is right they make some stunning bouquets. Lily of the Valley also has some wonderful meanings: Sweetness; A return of happiness; Purity of heart; You made my life complete; Protects from evil spirits; Birth flower for May. Interesting Fact: Lily of the Valley is also the national flower of Finland. Ever see those strange looking flowers that resemble lily pads? Wonder what they are called? Well they are Anthuriums. Anthuriums are native to tropical America. It is a genus of more than 800 species found in the New World tropics from Mexico to northern Argentina and Uruguay. Common Name:Anthurium Botanical Name:Anthurium Andraeanum The Anthurium is also known as Painted Tongue, Flamingo Flower. In Greek, Anthurium means Tail Flower. Anthuriums are grown for their brightly colored flower spathes and their ornamental leaves. They have a heart-shaped, waxy bract with a long, cylindrical spadix. The size of the flowers can vary from 2-7" with stems 12-30" long. Anthuriums are available anytime of the year. They come in white, purple, pink, magenta, red, burgundy, peach, orange, green and bicolor. The meaning of the Anthurium is, Think of me or Lover. Interesting Fact: All parts of the anthurium plant, are poisonous. If ingested, may cause mild stomach disorders and the plant's sap can cause skin irritation. Let us know what you think of Anthuriums in our comment section below. With today being Leap Day and with St. Patrick's Day just around the corner, the thoughts of unique and lucky were in my head. And the perfect feature flower for such a day - Bells of Ireland. Cultivated for its spikes of flowers, Bells of Ireland represent good luck and you can never have too much good luck, plus they are available all year long. Common Name: Bells of Ireland, Shell Flowers Botanical Name: moluccella laevis (mo-lu-KELL-a LEE-vis) Bells of Ireland are a fragrant, lime green colored flower. A member of the mint family, the blooming stems can be cut and used in fresh or dried flower arrangements. Bells of Ireland have numerous shell-like blooms that are about 1-2" in diameter, sometimes with small white flowers inside. They are tall about 24-30". The stems of Bells of Ireland are covered with tiny thorns which may irritate the skin. Many designers use gloves when designing with this flower. They are also phototropic, which means they will bend toward the light, giving each stem a whimsical curvature. Interesting Fact: Although, Bells of Ireland are associated with St. Patrick's Day, the only association that the flower has with Ireland is the name. They were first cultivated in Belgium in the late 1500. Let us know what you think about Bells of Ireland. _As you can probably already tell from the picture, our feature flower this month is fun, interesting and has great texture. Green Trick Dianthus looks and feels like a small ball of moss. Newly introduced into the floral market, the popularity of this flower is growing fast and I can see why. With its bright natural green color, Green Trick Dianthus are long lasting, inexpensive and available all year long. Every time I have these on display, people will stop in their tracks and ask what they are. Brides love them because they are whimsical and out of the box. Common Name: Green Trick Dianthus Botanical Name: DIANTHUS BARBATUS TEMARISOU Interesting Fact: Green Trick Dianthus are the same flower variety as Carnations and Sweet Williams. _By themselves or with other flowers, Cally lilies are beautiful and majestic. Becoming popular in the 1920's calla lilies have since been a favorite of brides. Besides the wide array of colors available, callas are very sturdy. This makes them ideal for corsages and boutonnieres. They last and last even without a water source and are great for those hot summer weddings. Common Name: Calla Lily Botanical Name: Zantedeschia The most significant calla lily meaning is magnificence and beauty. The calla lily name finds its origin from a Greek word for beauty. The calla lily meaning originates from a Greek myth that says the lily originated from the breast milk of Greek Goddess, Hera. The legend goes that Zeus, the Roman God fathered Hercules with his association with a mortal women Alceme. He wanted his son to partake more of divinity and become mortal. So, he brought Hercules to Hera after drugging her to sleep. He placed baby Hercules at her breast and Hercules began nursing. When Hera got up from her sleep, she was shocked after seeing a baby nursing her. She flung the baby away from her. When doing so, some of her milk gushed across the heavens and formed the milky way. Some of the few drops fell on earth and these drops sprang in the first lilies on earth. Calla lilies are available year round and come in a variety of colors. Standard sized callas come in white and green. These range in size from spathes 3-5" on a 15-36" straight stem. Mini callas are Available in White, Lavender, Purple, Pink, Red, Peach, Orange, Yellow, Cream, Green, Black, Bi-color and Dyed varieties Mini callas have spathes about 2" and 10-14" stems. Large size varieties are also available. Interesting Fact: A calla lily, as the name suggests is not actually a true lily. It is also not even a calla. The calla lily belongs to the genus Zantedeschia and is grown from rhizomes. _With Christmas right around the corner I thought I would share some information about a plant we will all be seeing a lot of very soon, the poinsettia. Poinsettias come in a variety of colors from traditional red and white to dyed purple, blue and even green and gold. Common Name: Poinsettia Botanical Name: Euphorbia pulcherrima With its beautiful star-shape, poinsettia is a popular Christmas flower. In Central America it is called the "Flame Leaf" or "Flower of the Holy Night". A native of Mexico, it was brought here over a hundred years ago by Dr. Joel Poinsett, the first US ambassador to Mexico. Most of the poinsettias used these days come from California. The legend of the poinsettia comes from Mexico. It tells of a girl named Maria and her little brother Pablo. They were very poor but always looked forward to the Christmas festival. Each year a large manger scene was set up in the village church, and the days before Christmas were filled with parades and parties. The two children loved Christmas but were always saddened because they had no money to buy presents. They especially wished that they could give something to the church for the Baby Jesus. But they had nothing. One Christmas Eve, Maria and Pablo set out for church to attend the service. On their way they picked some weeds growing along the roadside and decided to take them as their gift to the Baby Jesus in the manger scene. Of course they were teased by other children when they arrived with their gift, but they said nothing for they knew they had given what they could. Maria and Pablo began placing the green plants around the manger and miraculously, the green top leaves turned into bright red petals, and soon the manger was surrounded by beautiful star-like flowers and so we see them today. Interesting Fact: The Poinsettia is NOT poisonous. It is mildly irritating to the skin or stomach and may sometimes cause diarrhea and vomiting if eaten. Sap in the eye may even cause temporary blindness but no fatalities have ever been documented. While it is true that the plant is not very toxic, those sensitive to latex may suffer an allergic reaction and it is therefore not advisable to bring the plants into the home of sensitive individuals. The origin of this myth could be found in the fact that many plants of the spurge genus are indeed toxic. This misconception was spread by a 1919 urban legend of a two-year-old child dying after consuming a poinsettia leaf. _
Fall is a wonderful time of year with it's beautiful colors. Orange, red and yellow are fun and vibrant and work together so well in floral design. This made it very difficult for me to select a flower to feature this month. Well as you can probably already tell I chose the sunflower. Why? Well sunflowers are available in all three of the great fall colors! Common Name: Sunflower Botanical Name: Helianthus annuus There 38 species of perennial sunflower native to North America. The sunflower got its name from its bright, cheery blooms, whose shape and image is often used to depict the sun. The sunflower has a rough, hairy stem, broad, coarsely toothed, rough leaves and circular heads of flowers. What is usually called the "flower" on a mature sunflower is actually a "flower head" (also known as a "composite flower") of numerous florets, (small flowers) crowded together. The flower head can range in size with larger flower heads in the summer. Miniature sized varieties are also available. From the Americas, sunflower seeds were brought to Europe in the 16th century, where, along with sunflower oil, they became a widespread cooking ingredient. Sunflower leaves can be used as cattle feed, while the stems contain a fiber which may be used in paper production. Sunflowers are available year round and are very affordable. They can add that sunny pop that your fall bouquet needs or make a stunning bouquet all on their own. Wow, where did the summer go? August certainly got away from me. But before the Labor Day celebrations begin I wanted to take some time to feature the flower of the month - Tweedia. I choose this flower because it was one my personally favorite flowers to work with this month. Tweedia added a very romantic, soft, wispy feel to the designs and provided an extra pop of color at a vintage, county wedding (see pics here). Common Name: Blue Star, Tweedia Botanical Name: Tweedia caerulea (Oxypetalum caeruleum) (TWEE-dee-a se-RU-lee-a (ok-see-PET-a-lum ser-ROO-lee-um)) Tweedia is prized for its beautiful blue small star shaped flowers. The flowers are about 1' and come in may shades of blue. Tweedia is a member of the milkweed family and is available from June - September. Grown as a tropical vine or sub-shrub, Tweedia is native to Brazil and Uruguay. Plants can reach 3 feet tall. In some areas, Tweedia is treated as a noxious weed or invasive plant. Tweedia is moderately priced. They are great for summer brides who want true blue flowers in their bouquet. They are best used for accent flowers and are ideal for garden-style or “wildflower” arrangements. Fun Fact: Although not as common, Tweedia can also be white or pink. With the recent celebration of my 10th wedding anniversary I was reflecting on how wedding flower design has evolved over such a short period of time. My bouquet was a traditional cascade with a lace bouquet collar. Today you see more hand-tied or clutch bouquets with simple ribbon wraps. My bouquet was also one basic color or monochromatic. Today you see lots of bright, bold colors with lots of "bling". The main flower in my bouquet was purple hydrangeas. Although so much has changed Hydrangeas are just as popular today as they were then. Botanical Name: Hydrangea Macrophylla (hy-DRAIN-ja mak-row-FYE-la) First discovered in Japan, the name hydrangea comes from the Greek “hydor,” meaning water, and “angos,” meaning jar or vessel. This roughly translates to “water barrel,” referring to the hydrangea’s need for plenty of water and its cup-shaped flower. With its wooden stems and lacy, 1" star-shaped flowers packed closely together in a 4-8" pompom, the hydrangea’s color ranges from white, blue, lavender, purple, pink, red and green determined by the acidity level of the soil. Hydrangeas can also be dyed to match any color scheme. There remains some debate over the hydrangea’s symbolism – with some connecting it to vanity and boastfulness (perhaps reflecting its abundance of petals and lavish, rounded shape) and others suggesting that a bouquet of hydrangea expresses the giver’s gratefulness for the recipient’s understanding. Still others suggest it represents anything that’s sincerely heartfelt. Despite this variation in flower meaning, there appears to be an overwhelming consensus that this flower possesses enduring grace and beauty. Hydrangeas are a moderately priced flowers but with their large size less flowers are needed to make a big impact. Interesting Fact: There are approximately 23 species of Hydrangeas but only five are widely cultivated in the U.S. |
AuthorFaye K.-Owner/Designer at Blooming Envy since 2005. Categories
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