Archive for September, 2009
Posted on September 30, 2009 with 2 Comments
Winter can be long and tiring, and after the long cold months have passed there is nothing more refreshing than seeing spring bulbs pushing their way through the spring soil. They bring us tons of colours right at the beginning of the season, along with the hope for milder weather. It is also a lucky situation for gardeners — not only do they offer colour but they are easy to care for.
This is the time of year when you need start investing in spring, to get your bulbs into the ground. Once you have chosen your bulbs, they need to be placed and planted properly and you are on your way to having a beautiful spring garden.
Make sure you plant them in an area where they are sure to get lots of good sunlight. The drainage also needs to be good as bulbs can rot. If your soils are poorly drained, you need to run organic matter through them to make an improvement.
The size of the bulb dictates the depth at which you need to plant. The rule of thumb is to plant three times as deep as the bulb is wide. Bulbs like snowdrops, crocuses and scillas should be planted at 4 to 6 inches deep, while bigger ones like hybrid tulips, daffodils and hyacinths should be planted at a depth of 8 inches…
[Via: CBS]
Posted on September 29, 2009 with No Comments
In order for a wedding to be perfect, it needs to be fitted to your needs and personality as closely as possible. Your look, personality, values and even favourite colours need to bring out. If you are not the type of girl who wants to be holding pink flowers during a sunny June wedding, then having an autumn wedding can really give you a new range of options.
Sharon McGukin, a floral designer and author from Georgia, says that in the south, sunflowers are really popular for weddings at this time of year. It is easy to imagine how this flower can really change the overall atmosphere of a wedding. McGukin uses different textures and vibrant colours when decorating for autumn weddings. Even pods, pine cones and twigs can find their way into a bouquet.
McGukin suggests we use mums, traditional roses or lilies to add colour to the bouquet, and it is a good idea to stick to the colour palette of your area. Finally, it is important to remember to not go overboard with colour — you need to have somewhat of a unified look.
[Via: theepochtimes.com]
Posted on September 28, 2009 with No Comments
You would never think that weeding out a dead flower could get you in any trouble. But recently, a woman was threatened with arrest for theft and criminal damage after she pulled out a dead flower from a council-owned border.
Angie Summers, 43, was just taking her lunch break when she decided to pull out a withered canna lily in a nearby public square. She felt that the flower was ruining the look of the display — the flower was about 18 inches in height and very dead.
Later, Mrs Summers was shocked to get a phone call from the police at her home – a passer-by had reported seeing her pick the flower to the town council.
The officer threatened to “put her in cells” and made her very aware of the fact that she could be prosecuted for theft and criminal damage. This type of charge can lead to a six-month prison term.
The charge was eventually dropped by the Wiltshire police, when they admitted that she had acted with good intentions…
[Via: Daily Mail]
Posted on September 24, 2009 with No Comments
Los Angeles artists and Toyota have teamed up to work on a functional art project. They have designed large, colourful flowers that provide free Wi-Fi and power outlets in public places.
Along with the creation of this flower, a new company called Poetic Kinetics has been created, with the help of Patrick Shearn and Cynthia Washburn. The flowers and the principles of the new company are on display at San Francisco’s Yerba Buena Gardens.
The bright colours of the flowers attract users during the day, and LEDS lights draw attention at night. The flowers have been going on tour around the country, with executive communications director for Saatchi and Saatchi, Toyota’s ad agency on the project, John Lisko, saying that they have been to New York, Chicago, Seattle, and will soon be going to Los Angeles.
The flowers also serve the purpose of conveying the theme of Toyota’s new Prius: Harmony between man, nature and machine.
[Via: CNET]
Posted on September 23, 2009 with 2 Comments
A lack of funds is not a good excuse for the fact that your walls are bare. Not everyone can afford Picasso or Renoir, but a bit of creativity does not cost a penny. This time of year is as good as any to create botanical prints.
This form of floral decoration dates back to Victorian times, when scientist’s leaves and flower specimens were made into art.
Botanical prints are too intrusive so you can make them fit in just about any room.
If you get several matching frames you can really create a point of interest in just about any room.
Botanical prints are not at all difficult to make — they can become the product of a walk in the park. The only thing you need to be sure of is that you are not picking somebody else’s flowers!
You need to gather fresh flowers and other foliage, dry them out and put something heavy on them to press them out. The time they take to dry varies from flower to flower…
[Via: nydailynews.com]
Posted on September 22, 2009 with No Comments
As the sunlight becomes weaker, it is not only the early risers that can catch a glimpse of the refreshing large blue chicory flower. This flower is reminiscent of the daisy and is especially plentiful after the rain.
The chicory is also known as the coffee weed, as many famous coffees in New Orleans are flavored with this plant. It is also used with several salad greens to add a tangy taste.
The flower has gained weed status in Canada and the United States as it is not a native plant. The flower derives from the eastern Mediterranean region, and it has been used with foods since the Roman times and ancient Egypt. Some European farmers have been cultivating it for food for thousands of years now.
The agricultural variant is grown for the roots these days, as they are what give coffee its flavor.
Though Chicory is a non-native plant, it has found its place and naturalized, not causing much damage or being invasive. The flower prefers soils that have some limestone…
[Via: wickedlocal.com]
Posted on September 21, 2009 with No Comments
The BBC News website recently wrote an article on flower gangs in Cornwall. Workers were being paid £50 a week to pick flowers such as daffodils from fields and roadsides. These workers, mainly from Poland and Lithuania, would spend half the year in Cornwall and the other half in Scotland. (Read it here)
Expolitation is not rare in the flower industry. While this was a tragic occurance, we also know that in Britain, ploys such as this one are often quickly discovered by the authorities and a ban put on the offenders. We know that on the whole, 99.5% of the flowers sourced in Britain are indeed ethically sourced, with fair wages being paid for all workers along the supply chain.
These aren’t the only ethically sourced flowers we can get here in Britain though. Fair Flowers Fair Plants (FFP) provide ethically sourced flowers from around the world. These flowers are taken to Holland and distributed at auction to buyers from the UK, Europe and even parts of North America.
FFP accredited flowers are grown under strict regulations. Each stem comes with an individual tag with a unique serial number that can be traced straight back through the supply chain to the grower.
We love FFP flowers; these provide solid documentational proof that the flowers we are holding are not the result of hard working, exploited farmers. The only problem we have is the carbon footprint that is involved with importing these flowers. These flowers are taken from places such as Kenya and Costa Rica, flown to Holland and then driven/flown to their final destination. This puts a huge toll on our environment.
When weighing the two against each other, we find that British flowers are the clear winner- due to the reduced carbon emissions involved in transportation. British law is strict and clearly states and enforces many of the same requirements FFP growers must adhere to. British law also is strict on the use of pesticides and only certain, tested pesticides are allowed to be used on cut flowers. While as we can see, exploitation does still exist in Britain, it is clear the amount of exploitation is minimal when compared to many other countries.
Someone somewhere is always trying to cut their costs to gain more- and exploitation is rife where it is allowed to appear invisible- but what is important is that Britain has the strength of the media and government funded, effective policing (such as the Gangmasters Licencing Authority) to readily combat and make visible any horticultural and agricultural injustice that may occur within Britain.
Posted on September 5, 2009 with 2 Comments
Gardening has a gone a long way over the past few decades, and now garden centers have a wide variety of things to offer, for just about any garden or gardener. Here are some basic things you should know before starting your own garden.
Annuals are important for most gardeners. This category includes impatiens, begonias, geraniums and marigolds. They do not need much care and bloom for most of the summer season, almost until the first frost. Gardeners are getting creative with the containers they plant them in, using anything from sneakers, paint cans, old bathtubs, cinderblock or other planters.
Perennials are a bit more permanent – they bloom each spring, and their tops die out each autumn, but roots stay alive underground. There is a wide variety of perennials to choose from in different heights and colours, and they bloom at varying times during the year.
Finally biennials bloom a bit longer than annuals but not as long as perennials. They usually live for about two years, developing their root system and above ground stem and leaves in the first year, and flowers in the second year, after which the plant dies…
[Via: examiner.com]
Posted on September 4, 2009 with 2 Comments
It seems that most gardeners and hummingbirds seem to have a similar taste in flowers. But many gardeners have not yet realized how great the penstemon or the beardtongue is. These easy-to-grow flowers are native to North America, and are a favourite of hummingbirds.
They grow an upright stalk, off of which dozens of flowers shaped like bells grow, and this shape is exactly what hummingbirds and bees like to go for.
The beardtongue and other wildflowers usually reach their blooming peak in August in mountainous areas, so this is where you can usually find hummingbirds at this time of year.
At lower elevations this flower will bloom in late spring or early summer, but the purple varieties seem to stick it out in August, as well.
Beardtongues can be found at many nurseries and they come in many different sizes to suit your taste. For drier areas it is best to get a smaller variety, but if you have a nice fertile flower bed, then a larger type can be great for borders in a garden.
[Via: wenatcheeworld.com]
Posted on September 3, 2009 with 1 Comment
Most of us would not think of heading to the bar to see floral creations at their best, but New York has been hit with a new trend – floral decorations in cocktails. Some of these are basically works of art and quite an indulgence.
Bar tenders have been using real flower petals bathed in gin or some other alcoholic beverage. Mojitos have been spiced up a notch with syrup made from dried lavender blossoms, while Champagne is a bit less fizzy with the help of wild elderflower liqueur.
Junior Merino, a bartender and consultant came up with a drink for the Modern in Manhattan called Coming Up Roses, a beverage combining rose syrup and crushed rose petals with rum. He says, “People are realizing there are a lot or edible flowers or flavoured liqueurs that taste beautiful in a cocktail glass. It’s a discovery for many: interesting flavours and tastes they never knew existed.”
So if you are hosting a cocktail party any time soon, have a look at your garden for some inspiration.
[Via: nytimes.com]
