Archive for September, 2008
Posted on September 18, 2008 with No Comments
Its easy to make your own rose pot pourri, especially if you are lucky enough to have your own garden. But, even if you have not, keep any fallen rose petals from household arreangements and bouquets, strip off any petals left when you throw away the flowers, and put them spread out on kitchen paper in a dry, dark place such as a loft or airing cupboard.
A dark place is best to keep the colour in your petals. Just leave for 2-3 weeks until the petals are completely dry to the touch. You can now fill a bowl to put on a bathroom shelf, or in your spare room. Sew some into pretty bags made from lace edged handkerchiefs, and hang from a pretty ribbon in your wardrobe.
If the fresh scent fades then the pot pourri can be revived with some essential oil of roses, but it shouldn’t be needed as by then you will have a whole lot more rose petals drying for the next batch!
Posted on September 17, 2008 with No Comments
One of the most important elements that makes a home a true home is atmosphere. The place where you live should not just be a collection of rooms, it should have an atmosphere that helps you relax and refocus your energy.
Redecorating your home can be time-consuming and expensive, but with a few arrangements of flowers you can give your living space the exact atmosphere you desire.
Research has also proven that flowers can give natural energy to a home by shifting our emotions in a more positive direction.
One study done by Harvard University gave its subjects a bouquet of flowers each morning and they found that the people immediately had a positive shift in their mood, they were happier and energetic after they were given their flowers.
Best-selling author Jayme Barrett says, “Flowers are a wonderful way to ease the stress of everyday life and refocus our emotions.” She went on to say, “We need and deserve simple ways of creating homes where we feel happy and harmonious by disconnecting from the hectic world outside.”
[Via: The Outpost]
Posted on September 16, 2008 with 1 Comment
Officials in Des Plains, Illinois, were considering planting real flowers in hanging baskets downtown, instead of the fake silk ones that are now adorning the city streets. They thought that this would be a hassle free question but they were wrong.
As soon as this proposal for change was announced, emails and phone calls started to flood in. Many citizens felt that real flowers would cost too much in terms of time and watering.
Alderman Jean Higgason said: “Out of all the issues that come up, I really thought that was one of the least controversial but I was wrong.”
In other towns officials have a had a lot of luck with fake flowers, saving a lot of costs in terms of maintenance.
Director of Public Works in Wheeling, Tony Stavros, has had his employees “water” and “spray” the plants in order to trick people into believing they are real.
Workers have often gotten compliments on their ability to keep the flowers looking so good.
[Via: Chicago Tribune]
Posted on September 15, 2008 with No Comments
Cushion chrysanthemums or mums are already filling the stores this season. Red, yellow, and orange flowers are flooding the shelves of stores, to ensure that you have a flood of colour in your garden for fall.
Prices are extremely low as well, with a large pot of mums going for as little as 11 dollars. This is an extremely low price considering all the hard work that is needed to grow these flowers.
But prices set aside most savvy gardeners know that this is the flower to be jumping on, not just for its range of colours but because of the beauty and endurance of this flower which cannot be surpassed.
This is basically a win-win situation — gardeners get the flower they rely on every year to bring them lasting colour into fall and growers are happy to produce the flowers when they know that it will bring them business.
This year the trend for planting flowers in containers has become so widespread that many mums come in hand-painted corrugated metal-looking pots, ready to be placed in the most beautiful spot on your patio.
[Via: canada.com]
Posted on September 14, 2008 with No Comments
A University study showed that buying roses from Africa can be less harmful to the environment than roses from the Netherlands!
- Kenyan Roses shown to emit 5 times less carbon than Dutch
Results released today from Cranfield University showed emissions from Kenyan flowers (including air freight) were 5.8 times lower than for Dutch flowers
- A challenge to local sourcing
Results have provided a fresh challenge to current thinking on local sourcing and the impact of air freight versus artificial heating and lighting for cut flowers
- Robust study examines over 500 inputs
The experts in environmental analysis at Cranfield University studied the production, packing, cooling and transport to Hampshire and included direct energy consumption, the manufacture, use and delivery of fertilisers, pesticides, vehicles, and materials used for buildings.
- Life Cycle Assessment
Cranfield scientists completed a ‘Life Cycle Assessment’considered both the immediate emissions from growing the crop and the energy used to create and transport every component.
- Global Warming Potential
The study looked not just at current CO 2 emissions but also the wider Global Warming Potential (GWP) projected over the next 20, 100 and 500 years including other greenhouse gases such as methane and nitrous oxide.
- Less Global Warming Potential from Kenya
The experts calculated that the GWP over the next 20 years would be 6.4 times higher when roses are grown in glasshouses in Holland than on the equator (in Kenya) and flown to the UK.
- Explanation
- Yield of roses in Kenya to be nearly 70% higher
- The main Kenyan energy source is geothermal, whereas the Dutch is mainly fossil fuel
- Roses grown in Kenya have the advantage of natural heat and light when compared to Holland.
- Roses are packed and transported in specially designed boxes which are efficient to air freight.
- Conclusions
- This study demonstrated the natural production advantages of Kenya compared with the artificial growing conditions of Northern Europe.
- Kenya is able to utilize the optimal year round growing conditions and well as the supply of renewable geothermal energy, whereas growers in Holland need to rely on significant inputs of gas and electricity.
- The Cranfield University study also demonstrated the importance of evaluating all the production inputs as well as the transport component in determining the overall impact of different supply chains in terms of total greenhouse gas production.
For further information please contact:
Ian Finlayson 07785 700058, Jim Floor 01256 704100
source: WorldFlowers
Posted on September 13, 2008 with No Comments
Peter Kukielski, the curator of the Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden and Rose Collection at the New York Botanical Garden, can hardly wait for fall to begin and for late-blooming roses to spread their petals. This is the type of rose re-flowers is done in the fall when they [roses] produce their most beautiful blooms.
Kukielski has been busy getting rid of poorly performing rose plants and replacing them with new plants that are capable of producing blooms from the beginning of June until the stronger frosts in the fall.
“We tried to bring in more ever-blooming varieties so the garden has interest all season long. In my opinion, late September into October is a very close second to June as far as beauty. The days are nicer, the nights are cooler and the sunlight is better coating everything with a golden glow,” says Kukielski.
Summer puts a lot of pressure on roses, they need much more energy to flower during the warmer months.
Kukielski says: “It’s hot, humid and exhausting, roses have their fabulous spring, shut down a bit during summer and then display another burst of glorious colour in the fall when they’re less stressed.”
[Via: wenatcheeworld.com]
Posted on September 12, 2008 with No Comments
No matter how much work a skilled gardener puts into their garden, it can all be to no avail if it suffers a bad attack from garden pests.
What to do? First we must identify the particular pests and how to deal with them. I have found a useful website with a list of pests
Posted on September 12, 2008 with No Comments
One of the best ways to welcome the coming fall season is to decorate your deck with containers of fall-friendly flowers. Usually, chrysanthemums are the favourite for fall, but this should not hold you back from trying some other flowers.
First of all, you need to choose your container or containers. Small pots are good for smaller chrysanthemums as they will not overwhelm the display. For your larger containers you can try some bigger mums.
The colours of your flowers will decide the effect your flower display will have. If you use flowers that all have the same colours, or similar colours you will create a strong and bold effect. By using many colours, you will make your display seem more fun and vibrant.
To make your displays even more interesting try to add flowers of different heights. Adding grass to your displays can also add a point of interest. Carex “Toffee Twist” is one of the options you should consider — it is cinnamon-coloured and will fit well into any fall display.
Finally, some other fall flowers you can consider for your display are breacteantha (Strawflower), diascia, nemesia, osteospermum, phlox, and pansies.
[Via: courierpress.com]
Posted on September 11, 2008 with No Comments
Many people would say that with fall just around the corner, they do not have much work left to do in the garden. They are mistaken — there are still quite a few things left to do in the garden. This is the time of year when flowers like roses, flowering perennials and annual planting beds need a final layer of fertilizer. They will get an extra boost of colour and produce more flowers into the fall season. It is best to use an organic product as it will release the most essential elements into your soil.
This is also the time to get some of the last of your deadheading done in your garden, this will ensure that the blooming period of your fall flowers will be extended. Deadheading will give your plants a reason to produce more blooms. Pincushion flowers and geraniums will bloom once again if they are deadheaded.
Flowers see a lot of damage and disease throughout the summer, so as you are deadheading look out for dry or diseased foliage. By tidying up your flower borders you will make an improvement to your flower beds. Cutting back the leaves of hostas, heucheras, and durable perennials will help them in sprouting new and fresh leaves. With this work done you can finally sit back and enjoy your garden.
[Via: columbian.com]
Posted on September 10, 2008 with No Comments
Nature lovers are flocking to the Indian city of Mumbai (Bombay), because a flower that blooms once every 10 years is about to put its petals on display.
The Karvy is a bright purple flower and it grows in the forests boarding this big city — it blooms in a veil of flowers and makes quite a sight.
The stems of the flower are used for thatched buildings, while the juice produced by the flower is used for medicinal purposes.
This flower blooms somewhere between July and September, but the process of blooming takes about a decade.
There are other varieties of this flower which take even longer to bloom, some of them having a bloom cycle of 14 years.
Julius Rego, a local businessman took two hours out of his day to travel to Mumbai to see the flowers. He says, “it is not just the flowers but the entire landscape.”
“Several insects, butterflies, bees are attracted to this flower and one gets to see so many more varieties at this time. To sit amid these flowers for some time gives such joy.”
The ears and the eyes get quite a feast when these flowers bloom.
[Via: BBC]
