For those who love flowers and love having outdoor and indoor flowers around their home, they know that winter can be a tough season on their plants. Cut flowers and potted flowering plants such as poinsettias and flowering bulbs can last longer when one adopts a few flower care techniques.
The following is a list of tips on how to make your flowers last through the winter:
Potted Flowers
1.When selecting a potted plant, the best choice would be a plant where there is just the bud that is showing. If there is no plant with just a bud, then pick a plant with bright green leaves. The plant you choose should not have roots protruding from the drainage holes. If there are roots this means the plant is root bound and should not be chosen
2.Fill a water catcher with small stones. Fill the water catcher with enough water to barely cover the top of the stones.
3.Water the plant. Pour the water until it coming out of the drainage holes. Place your potted plant on top of the stones in the water catcher.
3.Place your potted plant in an area where it will be exposed to about 6 hours of sun each day. Temperatures of the room that the plant is in should be about 60 degrees F., even at night.
4.Whenever there are dead leaves and faded flowers, remove them.
5.Keep the water fresh and clean.
Cut Flowers
1.Prepare a vase for the flowers. Get your favorite vase and thoroughly wash it with dish detergent. Rinse the vase thoroughly and dry it.
2.When selecting your flowers, pick flowers that have just begun to open or are still a bud.
3.Place the stems in a container of cold water. While the stems are soaking in the water re-cut the stems by using a pair of scissors. When you cut the stems, make sure you cut it on a slant to allow for better water uptake. Take out any leaves that are in the water.
4.Fill the vase with half water and half with citrus soda such as Sprite. A teaspoon of sugar added to the water is a suitable replacement for citrus soda. You can add a few drops of lemon to the mix if you do not use citrus soda. Add the appropriate amount of flower food. Add a 1 tsp. of bleach. Mix and then add the flowers and arrange them.
5.Place the vase of flowers in a cool area out of the sun for about 2 hours. This will help the flower absorb the water/food mixture thereby increasing the lifespan of the flowers.
6.Put your vase of flowers in a place that is away from direct sunlight, drafts, and excess heat such heating vents. At night, place your arrangement in the refrigerator, but remember to take it out in the morning. Change the water and food every few days.
If properly cared for, you can extend the life of cut flowers and keep potted plants throughout the winter.
About the Author:
Whether you are looking for a dozen roses, bouquets of fresh flowers, birthday flowers, or send flowers for funeral, we offer great selection at competivie prices. We are your online florist and flower shop since 1877. http://www.tidysflowers.com/
Keyword tags: fresh flowers,arranging flowers,dry flowers,flowers,florist,birthday flowers,funeral flowers,roses
Monday, December 7, 2009
Friday, October 16, 2009
Rose of Sharon
Rose of Sharon, or Hibiscus syriacus, is a deciduous flowering shrub that has a few other common names. These are Rose of Althea and Shrub Althea. It is an ornamental shrub that is widely collected.
These are very valuable shrubs because of the fact that it has a late blooming period compared to other shrubs. It blooms around August, which means that your Rose of Sharon bush will offer you colour when many of your other shrubs have stopped blooming.
Appearance
These shrubs can grow to heights between eight and ten inches and have a spread of four to six inches. Some cultivars tend to stay shorter than that. Most bushes have small, deeply-lobed, light green leaves. It is vase-shaped and similar to other species of hibiscus, these bushes have flowers that come with a striking stamen.
Flowers
When this shrub blooms, it can give flowers that are white, lavender, light blue or red. Some even have double blooms. Lone flowers have a short life span, and generally last only a day. However, plenty of flower buds come up during the shrub's new growth, so that there is prolific flowering over the long blooming period in summer between the months of July and September. This shrub blooms quite heavily, and one of the reasons so many people love it is because of its attractive flowers.
Popularity
Because of the plentiful and attractive blooms this plant produces, it is well capable of being a good specimen plant. Many people buy this plant because it is very easy to shape the shrub, which makes it one of the primary shrubs people think of when they want to create some hedges around their garden. It cannot act as an effective privacy hedge, though, because the shrub is deciduous and only in summer will it be filled with dense foliage.
The bloom it produces attracts many bees, some of which are needed by farmers and naturalist, and they use this shrub as an attractive lure for such insects. It can also attract unwanted bees, so you should be careful when having this in your garden. This shrub is a heat-loving plant, which makes it popular with many growers who live in the south-eastern parts of the United States because the shrubs can withstand the tremendous summer heat.
Care Tips
This shrub prefers being planted in well drained soil with full sun. Older Rose of Sharon bushes have the potential to be susceptible to fungal damage if they are grown in locations that don't get full sun. It is able to tolerate wide ranges of soil pH and is also salt tolerant.
If you're going to prune them into hedges, then you should do so in early spring before the new growth starts so as not to disrupt the blooming and growth cycles of the plant.
In very hot, dry locations, the Rose of Sharon is susceptible to spider mites. New growth also experiences a problem with aphids. Spraying every now and again with insecticide or water mixed with bleach should take care of these problems.
About the Author:
http://www.dntnursery.com
Keyword tags: tn nursery, nursery wholesale, perennials, fern, shrubs, hedges, native plants, trees, roses
These are very valuable shrubs because of the fact that it has a late blooming period compared to other shrubs. It blooms around August, which means that your Rose of Sharon bush will offer you colour when many of your other shrubs have stopped blooming.
Appearance
These shrubs can grow to heights between eight and ten inches and have a spread of four to six inches. Some cultivars tend to stay shorter than that. Most bushes have small, deeply-lobed, light green leaves. It is vase-shaped and similar to other species of hibiscus, these bushes have flowers that come with a striking stamen.
Flowers
When this shrub blooms, it can give flowers that are white, lavender, light blue or red. Some even have double blooms. Lone flowers have a short life span, and generally last only a day. However, plenty of flower buds come up during the shrub's new growth, so that there is prolific flowering over the long blooming period in summer between the months of July and September. This shrub blooms quite heavily, and one of the reasons so many people love it is because of its attractive flowers.
Popularity
Because of the plentiful and attractive blooms this plant produces, it is well capable of being a good specimen plant. Many people buy this plant because it is very easy to shape the shrub, which makes it one of the primary shrubs people think of when they want to create some hedges around their garden. It cannot act as an effective privacy hedge, though, because the shrub is deciduous and only in summer will it be filled with dense foliage.
The bloom it produces attracts many bees, some of which are needed by farmers and naturalist, and they use this shrub as an attractive lure for such insects. It can also attract unwanted bees, so you should be careful when having this in your garden. This shrub is a heat-loving plant, which makes it popular with many growers who live in the south-eastern parts of the United States because the shrubs can withstand the tremendous summer heat.
Care Tips
This shrub prefers being planted in well drained soil with full sun. Older Rose of Sharon bushes have the potential to be susceptible to fungal damage if they are grown in locations that don't get full sun. It is able to tolerate wide ranges of soil pH and is also salt tolerant.
If you're going to prune them into hedges, then you should do so in early spring before the new growth starts so as not to disrupt the blooming and growth cycles of the plant.
In very hot, dry locations, the Rose of Sharon is susceptible to spider mites. New growth also experiences a problem with aphids. Spraying every now and again with insecticide or water mixed with bleach should take care of these problems.
About the Author:
http://www.dntnursery.com
Keyword tags: tn nursery, nursery wholesale, perennials, fern, shrubs, hedges, native plants, trees, roses
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Roses For Christmas – Gift Ideas For Rose Lovers
It is said that one of Cleopatra's gifts to Mark Anthony was a bathing room full of scented rose petals, strewn across the floor to a depth of three feet! Personally I'm not quite that extravagant or possess such a large rose garden to produce so many fresh petals but I do appreciate the sentiment.
Christmas in the northern hemisphere means we look out over our rose beds of bare canes and some of us miss the summer blooms, the vibrant colors and the delicate scents.
Christmas gifts for rose lovers can help maintain the sentiment and bring joy to an otherwise heavy heart. To help you with your gift giving plans, here are a variety of gift ideas for the rose lovers on your 'nice' list.
Use Your Own Roses
If you have had the foresight to save and dry some of your own roses, why not use them to create a summer memory? A dry rose bud centerpiece or small door wreath both look nice, or how about using a variety of dried petals and a cinnamon stick to make up a potpourri which can easily be presented in a small wooden box topped with a rose bud.
Use Your Rose Hips
These wonderful little berries can be the source of many an unusual and welcomed gift. Boiled they can become a rose hip tea, rich in Vitamin C or added to your door wreath of dried rose buds they complete the Christmas color theme. My Aunt has the best idea however, she uses them to make rose-hip jelly. Now wouldn't a pot of that go down well at Christmas time?
Get Crafty with Petals
Dried rose petals, your own or purchased, can be used in paper-making, candle-making and soap -making. They bring color and some scent to all these crafts and their value can easily be enhanced by adding a card with dried and pressed rose buds. Gifts like these become even more poignant if the card noted that the petals being used had been cultivated in your own rose bed!
Crystal and Glass
Okay, so your not into crafts and you forgot to collect and dry your own roses this year. No Problem. What about a single rose made in crystal or a small tiffany style lamp with a rose design motif or, my favorite, a crystal rose shaped pendant? There are some stunning designs available that incorporate rose shapes and colors and these would be perfect for your rose loving friends.
Books and Stuff
Actually I really like to receive a yearly calendar full of rose photographs at this time of year. Books such as '100 English Roses for the American Garden' or any of the Peter Beales books make good choices. How about 'A celebration of Roses – An Illustrated Anthology of Verse and Prose' if you prefer a more lyrical outlook, or 'And Roses for the Table – A Garden of Recipes' for the budding chef on your list. Don't forget the notepaper and envelopes with printed rose buds or the yearly subscription to the 'American Rose Society'. Then there is another favorite of mine, a yearly subscription to my favorite magazine 'The Rose'.
Dabble in Oils
Not painting so much, although a nice framed picture of your favorite bloom would be a great idea, but rose oils. It's worth considering for it embraces both ends of the spending spectrum. Rosewater is both useful, fine scented and rather inexpensive, while rose attar (true rose oil!) is both exotic and costly. Who wouldn't like to receive even a small gift in this category?
Small Tools for the Spring
How nice to be reminded that spring will be around again and you will have a new tool to help you produce those superb blooms. My most used small tool is a water probe which is both inexpensive and invaluable. How about small pruners or a sharpening kit for old pruners? The ultimate gift in this category however is a pair of rose gardening gloves, the ones that are thorn proof and have long sleeves, covering the lower arms from scratches. These would really bring a smile to your rose lover friend.
When I was a child I always envied our relatives in Australia at Christmas time, because they got to spend Christmas at the beach, but now I envy them because they have a full rose garden of blooms at Christmas while I, living in the Northern Hemisphere, stare out at bare rose canes. I know the spring is coming so I go hunting for Christmas gifts for my rose loving friends and somehow this bridges the winter gap. Hopefully these ideas can help you with your gifts for your rose loving friends.
Oh, and don't forget, reminding them to get a tetanus shot every ten years is probably the most useful of all gifts, but of course it is a little difficult to wrap!
About the Author:
You can learn all about the crafts mentioned above at: http://www.rose-works.com. Crystal, Books, Oils and Small Tools can be seen at: http://www.rose-works.com/rose-works-store.html
Keyword tags: roses, roses for christmas, christmas gifts, gift ideas, christmas crafts, rose-works
Christmas in the northern hemisphere means we look out over our rose beds of bare canes and some of us miss the summer blooms, the vibrant colors and the delicate scents.
Christmas gifts for rose lovers can help maintain the sentiment and bring joy to an otherwise heavy heart. To help you with your gift giving plans, here are a variety of gift ideas for the rose lovers on your 'nice' list.
Use Your Own Roses
If you have had the foresight to save and dry some of your own roses, why not use them to create a summer memory? A dry rose bud centerpiece or small door wreath both look nice, or how about using a variety of dried petals and a cinnamon stick to make up a potpourri which can easily be presented in a small wooden box topped with a rose bud.
Use Your Rose Hips
These wonderful little berries can be the source of many an unusual and welcomed gift. Boiled they can become a rose hip tea, rich in Vitamin C or added to your door wreath of dried rose buds they complete the Christmas color theme. My Aunt has the best idea however, she uses them to make rose-hip jelly. Now wouldn't a pot of that go down well at Christmas time?
Get Crafty with Petals
Dried rose petals, your own or purchased, can be used in paper-making, candle-making and soap -making. They bring color and some scent to all these crafts and their value can easily be enhanced by adding a card with dried and pressed rose buds. Gifts like these become even more poignant if the card noted that the petals being used had been cultivated in your own rose bed!
Crystal and Glass
Okay, so your not into crafts and you forgot to collect and dry your own roses this year. No Problem. What about a single rose made in crystal or a small tiffany style lamp with a rose design motif or, my favorite, a crystal rose shaped pendant? There are some stunning designs available that incorporate rose shapes and colors and these would be perfect for your rose loving friends.
Books and Stuff
Actually I really like to receive a yearly calendar full of rose photographs at this time of year. Books such as '100 English Roses for the American Garden' or any of the Peter Beales books make good choices. How about 'A celebration of Roses – An Illustrated Anthology of Verse and Prose' if you prefer a more lyrical outlook, or 'And Roses for the Table – A Garden of Recipes' for the budding chef on your list. Don't forget the notepaper and envelopes with printed rose buds or the yearly subscription to the 'American Rose Society'. Then there is another favorite of mine, a yearly subscription to my favorite magazine 'The Rose'.
Dabble in Oils
Not painting so much, although a nice framed picture of your favorite bloom would be a great idea, but rose oils. It's worth considering for it embraces both ends of the spending spectrum. Rosewater is both useful, fine scented and rather inexpensive, while rose attar (true rose oil!) is both exotic and costly. Who wouldn't like to receive even a small gift in this category?
Small Tools for the Spring
How nice to be reminded that spring will be around again and you will have a new tool to help you produce those superb blooms. My most used small tool is a water probe which is both inexpensive and invaluable. How about small pruners or a sharpening kit for old pruners? The ultimate gift in this category however is a pair of rose gardening gloves, the ones that are thorn proof and have long sleeves, covering the lower arms from scratches. These would really bring a smile to your rose lover friend.
When I was a child I always envied our relatives in Australia at Christmas time, because they got to spend Christmas at the beach, but now I envy them because they have a full rose garden of blooms at Christmas while I, living in the Northern Hemisphere, stare out at bare rose canes. I know the spring is coming so I go hunting for Christmas gifts for my rose loving friends and somehow this bridges the winter gap. Hopefully these ideas can help you with your gifts for your rose loving friends.
Oh, and don't forget, reminding them to get a tetanus shot every ten years is probably the most useful of all gifts, but of course it is a little difficult to wrap!
About the Author:
You can learn all about the crafts mentioned above at: http://www.rose-works.com. Crystal, Books, Oils and Small Tools can be seen at: http://www.rose-works.com/rose-works-store.html
Keyword tags: roses, roses for christmas, christmas gifts, gift ideas, christmas crafts, rose-works
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