Erythrina

Erythrina

Erythrina  is a genus of flowering plants in the pea family, Fabaceae. It contains about 130 species, which are distributed in tropical and subtropical regions worldwide. They are trees, growing up to 30 m (98 ft) in height. The generic name is derived from the Greek word ερυθρóς (erythros), meaning "red," referring to the flower color of certain species.Particularly in horticulture, the name coral tree is used as a collective term for these plants. "Flame trees" is another vernacular name, but may refer to a number of unrelated plants as well.
 Many species of Erythrina have bright red flowers, and this may be the origin of the common name. However, the growth of the branches can resemble the shape of sea coral rather than the color of Corallium rubrumspecifically, and this is an alternative source for the name. Other popular names, usually local and particular to distinct species, liken the flowers' red hues to those of a male chicken's wattles, and/or the flower shape to its leg spurs. Commonly seen Spanish names for any local species are bucaré, frejolillo or porotillo, and in Afrikaans some are called kaffirboom. Mullumurikku is a widespread name inKerala.

Heliconia

Heliconia, derived from the Greek word helikonios, is a genus of about 100 to 200 species of flowering plants native to the tropicalAmericas and the Pacific Ocean islands west to Indonesia. Common names for the genus include lobster-claws, wild plantains or false bird-of-paradise. The last term refers to their close similarity to the bird-of-paradise flowers (Strelitzia). Collectively, these plants are also simply referred to as heliconias.It is the sole genus of the family Heliconiaceae, but was formerly included in the family Musaceae. The APG system of 1998, and its successor, the APG II system of 2003, confirms the Heliconiaceae as distinct and places them in the order Zingiberales, in the commelinidclade of monocots.The leaves of these plants are 15-300 cm (6 in-10 ft) long, oblong, growing opposite one another on non-woody petioles often longer than the leaf, often forming large clumps with age. Their flowers are produced on long, erect or drooping panicles, and consist of brightly colored waxy bracts, with small true flowers peeping out from the bracts. The growth habit of heliconias is similar to Canna, Strelitzia, and bananas, to which they are related.

The meaning of tulip flower

As one of the world’s most beloved flowers, a gift of tulips is a sure delight, enchanting in its beauty and simplicity.The is one of the world's most easily recognized and loved flowers. meanings of tulips express genuine coziness and comfort in all of the right ways. The meaning of tulips is generally perfect love. Like many flowers, different colors of tulips also often carry their own significance.Tulip (Tulipa) is a genus of about 100 species of flowering plants in the family Liliaceae. Its species are native to southern Europe, north Africa, and Asia from Anatolia and Iran in the east to northeast of China and Japan.

Flowers in people’s lives

Since ancient times, flowers in people’s lives play a huge role. They have always been associated with love, joy, cheerfulness and good humor. Our forefathers gave flowers not only on holidays, but also the simple days because he believed that the magic of flowers can lift a person on the diseased feet, inspired by the lightness of life. Flower in ancient time, after a man born, pick, dried, and always carry it with, they were like a guardian angel, the safety of the plagues, disasters, and energy vampirism.Nature has created a lot of different flowers.
Each of the two hundred thousand species of these beautiful plants on our planet has its own unique, beautiful and unusual, all raise a lot of joyful emotions and feelings. Flowers not only make our lives a lot of light, but they clean the air around us, fills it with oxygen, light and delicate flavor. Scientists have long been proven that this beautiful piece of nature can absorb negative energy, give us a positively charged particle. Many scientific experiments confirmed that the vegetation has energy and have an impact of external effects – pain, death, affection.Each Flower is caused by a variety of feelings you only need to be specific in its unique charm and character. Every Flower in addition to it’s specific aroma, beauty and aesthetic effect itself has some kind of hidden symbolism, the inner mind, which sometimes can even explain it-like character traits of people.

Meanings of Rose Colors

Red Roses: A red rose is an unmistakable expression of love.Red Roses convey deep emotions - be it love, longing or desire. Red Roses can also be used to convey respect, admiration or devotion. A deep red rose can be used to convey heartfelt regret and sorrow. The number of red roses has special romantic meanings associated with them. 12 red roses is the most popular of all which conveys "Be mine" and "I love you"
White Roses: White is the color of purity, chastity and innocence. White flowers are generally associated with new beginnings and make an ideal accompaniment to a first-time bride walking down the isle. White flowers can be used to convey sympathy or humility. They also are indicative of spirituality. Hence, White roses also follow suit.
Yellow Roses: Yellow roses are an expression of exuberance. Yellow roses evoke sunny feelings of joy, warmth and welcome. They are symbols of friendship and caring. The yellow rose, like the other roses, does not carry an undertone of romance. It indicates purely platonic emotions.
Pink Roses: There are a lot of variations of the pink rose. Over all, pink roses are used to convey gentle emotions such as admiration, joy and gratitude. Light pink rose blooms are indicative of sweetness and innocence. Deep pink rose blooms convey deep gratitude and appreciation. Pink roses also connote elegance and grace.
Orange Roses: While a yellow rose reminds us of the sun, an orange rose reminds us of a fiery blaze. These fiery bloomssignify passion and energy. Orange roses can be used to express intense desire, pride and fervor. They also convey a sense of fascination. These flowers rival only the red roses as messengers of passion in romance.
Lavender Roses: A Lavender rose like its color conveys enchantment. It also expresses "love at first sight" . Darker shades of lavender roses (close to purple) convey a sense of regal majesty and splendor. These roses are used to express fascination and adoration.
Blue Roses: A perfectly blue rose is still elusive like the perfectly black rose. Blue roses cannot be achieved naturally so they represent the unattainable or the mysterious. Blue roses therefore embody the desire for the unattainable. They say "I can't have you but I can't stop thinking about you"
Green roses: Green is the color of harmony, of opulence, of fertility. It is also a color indicative of peace and tranquility. Green roses (these are off-white roses with shades of green) can symbolize best wishes for a prosperous new life or wishes for recovery of good health
Black Roses: Black is the color of death and farewell. A black rose, like the blue rose remains elusive. What we know as black roses are actually really dark red roses. Black roses convey the death of a feeling or idea. Sending black roses to someone indicates the death of the relationship.
Mixed Roses: By mixing rose blooms of different colors purposefully, you can create a bouquet of emotions. For example, a bouquet of red and white roses would mean I love you intensely and my intentions are honourable. A random mix of roses would convey mixed feelings or send a message: "I don't know what my feelings are yet but I sure do like you enough to send you roses."

Fresh Cut Flowers Delivered for Christmas

Readers of this blog know I am ambivalent about buying cut flowers. On the one hand, you’re paying money for something that won’t last. On the other hand, they are psychologically beneficial and can last pretty long for what you pay for them. So, when I was contacted over a week ago by someone from Sunflowerguy.com, asking if I’d like to review their bouquets, I thought, why not? It is getting dreary around here and I could use a pick me up.
We are a flower grower in Southern California and also ship fresh cut flower bouquets directly to consumers through our website. We are actually the largest grower of ornamental sunflowers in the world and have developed an innovative packaging that allows our bouquets to be shipped without drying out or being compressed. You might say it’s a fresher way to send flowers.

They do offer sunflowers at this time of the year, but I chose the “Simply Stylish” arrangement. The fresh flowers were delivered on Friday, December 10th. They came in a box:
I could give a fair review. I tried to imagine what it would be like if an elderly person received these flowers. The card that came with the flowers said to remove the green foam and rinse the stems. I wondered if I was supposed to put the stems back into the green foam. The instructions didn’t say, but I asked my contact and he said the green foam could be thrown away. I was relieved to hear that, as it crumbled in my hands.
Then the card said to cut stems about one inch from the bottom. The stems were quite thick; I finally gave up on kitchen scissors and dug my pruners out of my garden bag. I don’t know how an elderly person or anyone without weak hands would manage it. My contact said it wasn’t absolutely necessary to cut the stems, but I know from my own past experience it does help make the flowers last longer.
The final instructions were to add the provided flower food and water to the vase and put the flowers back in. No mention was made of the rubber band, so I asked my contact about that. He said the rubber band, like the green foam, was only to help keep the flowers together in transit. I guess a lot of people wouldn’t worry about any of that, and just do whatever seemed best to them, but I wanted to give these flowers a fair chance. They say that every bouquet is guaranteed for eight days, and I wanted to see if they indeed lasted that long.
You can see how the edges of the rose petals have darkened. I think this was cold damageI think this was damage from the cold. My husband says he noticed it the first day, but I didn’t notice it until later. I have no idea where the flowers were in the twelve hours before they were delivered, but I do know it got down to 0F around here. Of course, no one can guarantee the weather, but if your winter temperatures tend to be more reasonable, your flowers will likely arrive undamaged.
This is what the arrangement looked like eight days laterI am not a real picky person; at this point I would say it wouldn’t be suitable for a fancy dinner party but is good enough for “every day.” Perhaps if I had paid my own hard cash for it I would feel differently, I don’t know.
If you go to Sunflowerguy.com you will see there are many different arrangements to choose from. Some have sunflowers in them, and some do not. Many are very much in the holiday spirit. Right now you can get $5 off any bouquet if you use the coupon code winter2010 when you check out. And they have an ongoing contest where you can get flower delivery for an entire year.

Shine a little LED on the subject of Stink Bugs

If you think you’re safe, beware. Researchers predict that if one out of 10 homes had stink bugs last year, nine in 10 homes could have them this season. According to Dr. Tracy Leskey, a research entomologist with the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, adult stink bugs are moving inside and looking for places to spend the winter.

"Now is the time to fight stink bugs," says Rod Schneidmiller, president of Sterling International, developer of the RESCUE! Stink Bug Traps. "Whether you use a homemade trap or one of ours, do something this fall to break the cycle and reduce their numbers."

By Halloween, most stink bugs will have moved inside to hibernate. Experts say a good indoor stink bug trap with an LED light works best to attract stink bugs indoors.

To prevent stink bugs from taking over your home this winter, follow these tips from the pros:

* Seal up your castle. The first line of defense is to close your windows and doors, and seal up any openings where the bugs can enter. They can flatten out and slip through the cracks to hide in your house for winter.

* Create a barrier outdoors. Outdoors stink bugs are attracted to scent. Indoors they move to light. Place traps on porches, posts and trees around your home. New traps on the market catch both young and adult stink bugs with a pheromone attractant that lures them from up to 30 feet away.

* Check traps frequently. Make certain your traps are catching stink bugs. If not, move them to another spot. "Be vigilant," says Doug Oster, author of Grow Organic. "You have to out-smart them."

* Pick them off. When you see them on your plants, deck or curtains, pick them off with a tissue, drop in a cup of soapy water and flush down the toilet. Do not release outside. "These aren’t lady bugs," says Oster. "A dead stink bug is the only good stink bug."

* Seek and destroy them indoors. Once they migrate indoors, the bugs congregate in warm dark areas. Indoors they are attracted to light, not scent, so place your traps in attics, living areas and basements where the bugs gather to hibernate through the winter. "Light is what works indoors," Oster says. RESCUE! just introduced a new Stink Bug Light - an attachable LED proven to lure the bugs into the trap. The light easily snaps onto the Stink Bug Trap and plugs into either a wall outlet or battery pack.

* Don’t vacuum. If you vacuum, you’ll scare them and they will emit a foul odor that will linger in your vacuum cleaner and home. If you do, change and dispose the bag immediately.

wedding flowers whether indoor or outdoor

Your wedding is one of the most very important occasions in your life. Whatever the scale and type of the wedding, well chosen flowers can transform the location of the event, whether indoor or outdoor, and make it into a special occasion for you. Your wedding bouquet should compliment your wedding dress. Set yourself a budget and stick to it. Any florist who’s worth their weight should be able to work within your budget.

You can have the wedding of your dreams and you can have it at any location imaginable – when you carefully plan and select your wedding flowers and lighting.
The charm and fragrance of flowers in combination with the usage of natural light, candle light and lighting fixtures sets or enhances your wedding theme. If you’ve always planned to be married in a romantic paradise, set the scene with soft lighting and warm or pastel shades of pink, lilac, creamy white, gold-tones in the lights, flowers, and ribbons.
Flowers have always been part of the love and romance of weddings, right back to European’s brides and grooms, who wore garlands of flowers to symbolize new life and fertility. Later brides wore light orange blossoms in their hair to represent purity and fruitfulness.
Flowers set the mood and tone for your entire wedding and choosing them has never been easier. That’s because the newest trends in wedding flowers are not about matchmaking – the bridal bouquet, boutonnieres, corsages and centerpieces no longer have to be identical. The latest floral styles are all about color, boldness and individual design. Wedding flowers usually follow fashion trends and right now individuality is in, while conventionality is out. This means that the bridesmaids’ bouquets do not have to match the bride’s and each bridesmaid can potentially have a unique bouquet. Colorful blossoms, as opposed to conventional white, are also in style especially plums and lavenders. This makes it easy for brides making their own centerpieces because anything goes. Be creative! Create a different floral assortment for each table.
Beautiful wedding flowers will enhance your special day and will remain in your memories and pictures forever. Your wedding day will be one of the most important days of your life.

Plant grafted Roses The Easy Way

Last October, when grafted roses planted, he explained that the graft must be four inches below ground level. He noted how, with roots extending a foot or more above the bud union, finished digging holes deep enough.

Never again! Yesterday I heard Ginenthal Lee, who owns Der Rosenmeister nursery in Ithaca, to remember the basics. You may remember from a visit to Rosenmeister Der Lee has specialized in cold-hardy roses. He accepted that it must plant the seed of the seven 53 inches below ground level, but stressed that there is no need to plant the roots down.

Not down, but Sideways

Instead, you can plant shrubs at an angle with the graft to the proper fishing depth and the roots down, but more horizontal than vertical. (Those of you who are planting tomato seedlings in a corner so that the trunk is buried up to the first set of leaves immediately know what I mean.) This means that you dig a large hole, instead of a very deep hole, which most people find it easier to do. It can also mean moving temporarily to other plants and replant them in the course of the buried roots is increased if your beds, which are crowded as mine.

Buy a shrub unbalanced

If you use this method of planting grafted roses, and when you go shopping for his part, does not want the branches of a bush evenly on all sides. You want a balance of those in which all the growth seems to be growing in one direction. When planting the rose in hand, you can enjoy this lame positioning for growth, so all points up. Another advantage of the plantation is the side that more roots in the layer will be the most fertile and spacious. Lee also said that eventually increased the grafted root grafting and the pattern is going to die, which gives, in essence, an own root rose after three to four years.

Read Lee Der Rosenmeister Blog

I learned much of his speech, and you can learn from him, too. Lee started blogging and his posts are very informative. He said he has a completely redesigned Web site in the pipeline, so stay tuned!

This is no Ordinary Snowdrops

       And look at the snow, and then there are snowdrops. I am for the most part, satisfied with the Galanthus nivalis (pictured below), I had many years ago, which said a lot in my division, and their efforts to spread on their own. Other differences are obsessed with stems of flowers, Spat, petals and internal and external. We call them galanthophiles. Hitch Lyman, owner of the nursery Temple, is one of the most galanthophiles in the United States.

He has more than 400,100 varieties of snowdrops growing in his garden, which is open to the public on Saturday, 2 April 10 at 16:00, in the framework Garden Conservancy Open Day ($ 5 entry fee). I'm going to be there, and I hope you can join me.

Updated Conservation Garden: The Garden of host Hitch Lyman in Trumansburg, New York has asked us to send a special message in the snow expected to be covering his garden on Saturday. The garden is open to visitors, but if you find that you can not do this, visitors are welcome to come on Saturday, April 9, as in other places, at the same time, 10:00 to 16:00 Visit our website for more details about the open house.