The Meanings of Flower

Posts Tagged ‘Flowers’

Japanese Camellia, Camellia japonica. American gardeners in the South know and love the Camellia japonica, a landscape shrub, bush, or tree that can grow 20 feet tall. The Camellia japonica became an important garden landscape plant in the World War II war years in the 1940′s when Dr. Tom Brightwell collected a large Camellia cultivar planting at the University of Georgia Experimental Station at Tifton, Georgia, that is still actively maintained as a Camellia arboretum for gardeners to tour publicly and to compare varieties, color of flower blooms, flower size, and flower density studies. Several hundred Camellia shrubs, bushes, and trees are planted and growing at the Tifton, Georgia location. Camellia japonica was the favorite flowering plant of Dr. Tom Brightwell, although he planted Camellia Sasanqua trees and bushes also in the garden. Dr. Brightwell not only planted Camellia seed, but he selected the outstanding cultivars and grafted or budded those Camellia varieties named by him onto Camellia seedling rootstock.

Several other well known Camellia gardens are located in the United States; The Burden Center at Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Bellingrath Gardens at Theodore, Alabama; The City Park at New Orleans, Louisiana; Clemson, South Carolina Botanical Gardens; Atlanta, Georgia, Botanical Garden; Harry P. Leu Gardens, Orlando, Florida; The United States National Arboretum, Washington D.C.; Thomas H. Perkins III Camellia Garden, Brookhaven, Mississippi; Huntington Camellia Garden, California; Massee Lane Camellia Garden, Fort Valley, Georgia; and the Vale Camellia Garden, Waltham, Massachusetts.

The Massee Lane Camellia garden was donated as the headquarters for the American Camellia Society organized in 1945. The Camellia japonica shrubs, bushes, and trees are planted under the shade of pine trees and flowering Southern Magnolia trees as shading that is required for the best Camellia plant growth. The 9 acre Camellia tree garden is bordered by brick walkways, where over 1000 Camellia shrubs and trees can be viewed and enjoyed by the public during the fall, winter, and spring.

Dr. Tom Brightwell of the Tifton, Georgia Camellia garden exchanged Camellia plants with the land donor of Massee Camellia gardens, Mr. David C. Strother. Dr. Brightwell also researched the Camellia and exchanged Camellia cultivars with William Hertrich of Huntington Camellia Gardens in Los Angeles, California and with numerous Camellia researchers at Massee Lane Gardens, 100 Massee Lane, Fort Valley, Georgia, the headquarters of the American Camellia Society.

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The Huntington Botanical Garden in Los Angeles, California boasts a Camellia garden of 1200 different cultivars of Camellia japonica and Camellia sasanqua that covers twelve acres for public viewing of the Camellia blooms during the flowering season. The superintendent, Mr. William Hertich, of the Camellia garden planted thousands of Camellia seed to be used as a rootstock on grafting superior Camellia cultivars. These seedling rootstock resulted in the growth and selection of hundreds of new hybrid Camellia selections, many of which still grow at the garden today. William Hertich devoted many years of his life growing and photographing the Camellia trees and flowers. Mr. Hertich published his work on the Camellia plant in 3 volumes at the Huntington Camellia Gardens.

Other very large Camellia gardens outside the United States are the Peter Fisher Camellia Garden in Hamburg, Germany and the Royal Botanical Camellia Garden in Melbourne, Australia. The Higo Camellia bonsai Camellia plants from Japan can be seen at the Huntington Camellia Gardens along with aromatic, fragrant Camellia cultivars and a large collection of Camellia Sasanqua introductions from Nuccio’s Nursery of Altadena, California. A new important book by Ann Richardson, A curator’s Introduction to the Camellia Collection, can be purchased from the Huntington Library Press for .95 and is filled with valuable information for any lover of the Camellia flower, tree, or plants.

Growing Camellia plants into trees takes many years unless you buy a large flowering size Camellia tree that can be very expensive.. Very few perennial evergreen shrubs display the beautiful form in the landscape and the massing flowering habit of the Camellia. The Camellia japonica has the flower colors of pink, red, white, purple, and peppermint. The Camellia japonica can begin blooming as early as December and continues into March and April on some varieties, depending on weather warm-ups during the winter. Camellia shrubs and trees resent being transplanted in the landscape from one spot to another, and often die unless transplanting takes place during the winter. Even then, the Camellia does not transplant well, and can sit inert in a location showing little growth, if any, and many times will decline in size or die unless a large root-ball is dug. Camellia plants should be purchased from a nursery growing in a container, so that a full root system can be planted and grown. Never buy a Camellia plant bare root!

Camellia shrubs and trees prefer light or heavy shade for growing, and pine trees or flowering magnolia trees are the perfect companion plants for the Camellia shrub. Full sun will burn the leaves of a Camellia shrub except for interior leaves and no one wants a plant looking like that in a landscape garden. The discovery of the plant hormone, gibberellic acid, with its accelerative growth effect on individual flowers of the Camellia became an important method of winning prizes at Camellia flower shows. A normal Camellia flower, teacup size, could be treated with a drop of gibberellic acid at an inferior (lower) bud, and the teacup size flower would continue to grow to the size of a dinner plate. This treatment process has become important in treating other plant products to increase growth size of flowers, fruits, leaves, and in rooting hormone mixtures and seed germination.

A unique characteristic of both the Camellia japonica and Camellia sasanqua is the beautiful and spectacular bloom-drop circle that forms beneath the tree, surrounding the plant after older flowers fall and shatter on the ground. The glow of the fallen petals in the circle increases as the season progresses and many gardener’s view the bloom-drop circle as fanciful and beautiful as the fresh flowers remaining on the tree. The Camellia Sasanqua is often and commonly called simply, Sasanqua. The Sasanqua flower colors of red, white, pink, purple, and peppermint are the same colors, but smaller than the Camellia japonica blooms. The Camellia Sasanqua can grow 16 feet tall and blooms earlier (October to March) than Camellia japonica. The leaves are a glowing waxy green and evergreen with a slight curving habit. Single red, white, or pink flowers of Sasanqua are preferred by most buyers, but double flowering Sasanqua is stunning when in full bloom. The Sasanqua provides a perfect specimen landscape plant that will tolerate full sun, and is most often used in Zone 6-9 as a privacy hedge for screening out noisy neighbors.

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You can grow these container garden plants yourself from seed, as I usually do (my next article will tell you how to do this and how to care for them as they grow) or you can buy them as young established plants from the garden centre, DIY store, market stall etc. Got that? Good! Now let me tell you about my favourite bedding plants to use in container garden, these are my favourite for a reason; easy to grow and care for, and quite showy.

Most of the flowers that I use for my containers are commonly known as bedding plants – in the broadest term most bedding plants are half-hardy annual (HHA). For a brief explanation; an ‘annual’ plant is one that grows from seed to flower and then (after producing its own seed) dies all within the same year, ie. ‘annual’. If the plant is ‘hardy’ then this means that it can withstand some difficult weather conditions (heavy rain, frost, etc) without any detrimental effect. If however the plant is ‘half-hardy’ then it can withstand the difficult weather mentioned but only once it is established, so seed germination and propagation of the young seedlings requires some protection from the weather, but once established they are fine. So ‘half-hardy annual is a plant that needs protection to germinate and for the seedlings to grow and produce good roots, it will then be fine outside with no protection and will continue to grow and produce flowers, but will produce seed and eventually die within the same year (often a year is known as a ‘season’ in gardening terms).

Lobelia. Small pretty flowers in shades of white, pinks, blues, and purples and a must for every container garden; wouldn’t be without a few varieties of lobelia, I use them every year. Very easy to grow from seed and care for. Both seed and young plants are reasonably priced and widely available. Lots of varieties; I recommend ‘string of pearls’ – wonderful small bushy plants in mixed shades, ‘crystal palace’ – deep violet/mauve and bushy growth, ‘Cambridge blue’ – another bush lobelia (the name says it all), for your hanging baskets try ‘cascade mixed’ – delightful trailing habit in mixed colours.

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Alyssum. Another great little very easy flower for your container garden; I use alyssum ‘carpet of snow’ – wonderful little white scented flowers, and although they are meant to be bushy if you use them around the edge of your containers and hanging baskets they will trail over the edge – which is exactly how I use them for my container garden.

Impatiens. Often known as ‘busy lizzie’, lots of varieties available, all of which are easy to care for but sometimes the germination can be a little erratic, but only rarely and it often depends on the variety and method of propagation. In a good range of colours from white through pinks to reds and purples, there is also some bi-colour flower varieties around also. These beauties can very quickly produce a mass of delightful flowers with little help. My personal favourite container garden flower, but I do tend to purchase these as young plants rather than trying to grow the seed, not that it’s difficult to grow from seed but I have personally not had much luck that way (any advise would be most welcome, please email me). Either way I would feel rather upset if one year I had no Busy Lizzies in my containers.

Geranium. Bringing a warm Mediterranean feel to your container garden planting, these delightful plants (also known as ‘pelargonium‘), often with a dark underside to the large two-tone leafs, and big stems of flower balls in white, pinks and red in lots of varieties. Very easy to grow from seed and care for, and although the geranium is actually half-hardy perennial it is often treated as an annual. Another ‘wouldn’t be without’ to my collection. Plant just a single geranium in a good sized plant pot and use as a stand alone (centre of the patio table for example), or plant about 3 red ones in a container and surround them with ‘cineraria silver leaf’, beautiful sight!

Cineraria. Not exactly a flower but one I feel I must include here. The silver leaf of this stunning plant gives it it’s attraction. Another half-hardy perennial usually treated as annual, this plant can and often is used to great effect with red or blue flowered plants, or plants with dark foliage. Goes well with ‘salvia blaze of fire’.

Salvia. I always use ‘blaze of fire’ – wonderful scarlet flower spikes, but there are other gorgeous varieties available. I plant these in my container garden with ‘cineraria silver leaf’ to create a great contrast. Very easy to grow from seed and reasonably priced.

Dahlia. Another great and easy to grow half-hardy perennial often used as annual. Big single or double flowers with dark foliage, in every colour but blue. These I think are best used alone, by this I don’t mean singularly; I suggest a few or several in one tub with no other type of plants – dahlias are so showy they don’t need anything else. Even if started from seed these plants will produce a tuber (swollen root system) by the end of the season which can then be lifted and stored to use again the following spring. I recommend the many dwarf varieties for your container garden.

That concludes my suggestions for now. There are many other flowers and non-flowering plants available to use in your containers, but the above big 7 are my own personal favourites that I use every year, along with other plants that I vary from year to year.

If you would like more information or suggestions, or to reserve your copy of my new ebook ‘The Shoestring Garden’ coming soon, then please drop me an email, I look forward to hearing from you.

 

COMMON NAME           Portulaca / Sun Plant

Family                         Portulaceae

Raising of Seedling       March-April Transplanting Month April-May

Planting Distance          15 cm x 15 cm

Height of Plant             Dwarf: 15-20 cm

Flowering Month          May-September

Colours                       Orange, purple, red, pink, yellow and white

Soil                             Light

Sunlight                       Full

Irrigation                     Normal

Suitable For                 Sunny spots, edging, hanging baskets, shallow

pots, carpet beddings and ground cover

 

Portulaca grand/florahas round and short fleshy stems bearing cup-shaped single or double flowers. The leaves are cylindrical, thick, fleshy and pointed.

The plant is pretty, low-growing hardy with creeping habits and requires less propagation care. It is easy to grow and requires moist sandy soil. Dryness and dampness is injurious to the plant. The very minute seeds are mixed with sand for a uniform spread and sown in nursery beds or flower beds. It takes 8-10 days for the seeds to germinate and flowering takes place in 90-110 days. Perennial varieties are multiplied by top cuttings.

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The flowers open in the morning under full sunshine and close by afternoon or immediately when kept under shade. It flourishes best in summers and rainy season and can grow throughout the year in moderate climate but cannot withstand extreme cold.

The plant is compactly sown and admired for its mass effect.

COMMON NAME          Nasturtium

Family                        Tropaeolaceae Raising of Seedling September-October Transplanting Month October-November

Planting Distance         30 cm x 30 cm

Height of Plant            Medium: 30-45 cm

Flowering Month          February-March

Colours                       Red, orange, yellow, scarlet and various hues

Soil                            Light

Sunlight                      Full/Partial

Irrigation                    Mild

Suitable For                Beddings, ground cover, border plants, hanging

baskets and as pot flowers

 

Tropaeolum majushave smooth, wiry and sprawling stems. The leaves are round and green in colour while few varieties have spots and markings. The large spurred flower consists of five petals with sepals of spur-like end.

Nasturtium is very commonly sown as it is easy to grow and flourishes on any kind of soil. Direct sowing is always preferred. The flowers are single or double and require at least half-day sunlight. The flowering takes place within 80-90 days. There are few varieties; the dwarf variety is suitable for pots and flower beds while the tall ones can be trained as climbers; a few are also creeping in nature. A light irrigation and restrained manure produces less foliage and boosts the bloom. Any excessive foliage can be thinned manually. Main varieties are floriferous and they are available in a wide range of colours.

The decorative leaves and flowers are fabulous in flower arrangements. It is grown for its unusual shape. It is included in edible flower list and its leaves are also used as tossed salad in Europe.

English yew

The evergreen, densely-branched tree is gaining in popularity, with its beautiful needles, which appear in different shades of green and yellow, and its great variety of shapes. Growing to around 6 feet 8 inches (2 meters), “Lutea” is a somewhat low-growing variety that bears pretty, spherical, yellow fruit in fall. The yellow, or in other varieties often red, berries are a popular food for birds, but only appear on female plants, yews being dioecious; in other words, male and female flowers are produced on different plants. “Lutea” is an ideal choice as a single shrub, for cultivating a dense, formal hedge or as a background for shrub beds. It has virtually no location requirements and will tolerate sun or shade and any fresh soil. Take care: all plant parts, except for the arils, are highly toxic.

White cedar

This tree has a variety of uses, but as an evergreen screen it is virtually unbeatable. The rounded, conical conifer can be clipped however you please and it is suited to any soil type, provided there is sufficient moisture present. Light-loving. Take care: the cones are poisonous.

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Eastern hemlock

The delicate “Pendula,” with its cascading branches, is almost predestined to be a specimen and ably makes its impression hanging over walls and banks. Its beautiful weeping shape and fine, natural- looking needles make it an outstandingly elegant, evergreen conifer. It likes fresh, humus, acid to neutral soil. Protection from cold winds and the hot midday sun is recommended.

Bigflower tellinia

The restrained beauty of this shade-loving perennial is apparent only at second glance From the late spring, long clusters develop, on which hang numerous delicate, small, greenish-white flower bells. The pretty, heart-shaped, scalloped foliage, bearing hairs on the , underside, is evergreen This woodland plant fits in well beneath trees and shrubs or as ground cover in borders. It likes a damp soil, but will also tolerate dryness. Tends to self-seed.

Pyrethrum daisy

The scarlet-red flower heads, with their conspicuous, radiantly yellow centers, look though they have been painted. With its finely pinnate foliage, this upright, evergreen perennial is a real asset to any border and so makes a wonderful cut flower. Select sunny location for it, with well-drained II. Take care: contact with skin may cause irritation.

Caucasian germander

In early summer, the tall-growing, veronica-like Caucasian germander develops  large, very attractive reddish-pink flowers panicles, which are very popular with bees and bumblebees and are also good used as cut flowers. It has beautiful, finely-toothed, mid-green foliage. All  in all, a highly individual addition to rock gardens or herb gardens. Spreads by  means of runners. Like well-drained soils.

Living in Southern California has some advantages for growing flowers. We can plant annuals more than once a year to be able to enjoy all those blossoms year round. Once the early bloomers have died out we can replace them with new. Just think we can have snapdragons and pansies all year long.

The best time for planting our spring flowers is during the fall, that is September through early December, here in Southern California. In many other parts of the country planting bulbs will cease once the first frost arrives. We also need to purchase our bulbs as soon as they appear in garden center stores, if we wait until November or December the firmest bulbs, which are the best will be gone. When we purchase early and want to plant later in the season, we need to keep our bulbs in a cool dry place until that time.

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Because bulbs are perennials they will come back year after year, but because we live in Southern California some of those bulbs need to be dug up and stored in a cool place until spring. Some of our areas don’t get a frost in the winter, so in the spring after they have bloomed, we need to dig up our crocus, hyacinths, and tulips, and keep them in a cool place until fall planting. We don’t need to do this with any of the other flowering bulbs.

If you see a garden that has a bed of bushy tulips or daffodils, you can assume that they were planted many years ago. Most bulbs have a habit of multiplying of the years.

We need to have our soil ready before planting the bulbs. An important factor is that the soil drainage must be good and if the soil has a lot of clay we need to add compost and it needs to be worked in very well. Spring bulbs need 5 tablespoons of fertilizer mixed with the soil at planting and again when they start coming up through the soil.

There are a few good areas to plant flowering bulbs. The majority of the bulbs need sun and can even be planted under trees because they will have finished blooming before the new seasons leaves arrive. Our summer bulbs will require partial shade or full sunshine, so these bulbs should not be planted under the trees. When we plant our bulbs remember that the larger bulbs need to be planted nearly twice as deep as the smaller ones.

Planting vegetables and flowers in August will give your garden a mid-summer pick-me-up just as spring-planted vegetables and flowers begin to lose their luster.

Plant a second crop of tomatoes in full sun from starter plants. As current tomato plant production begins to wane, new plants will start to produce and ripen by November.

 

Plenty of vegetables can be planted in August with a fall harvest target date. They include beans, celery, corn, cucumbers, lima beans and summer squash. Use starter plants instead of seeds for best results.

 

An assortment of herbs can be planted in August and still provide a hearty harvest. Plant basil, oregano, parsley, rosemary, thyme and mint from transplants. The plants will thrive through fall.

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Some trees can be planted even in summer heat. These summer blooming trees include Jacaranda, Magnolia Grandiflora and Crape Myrtle.

Plant summer annuals including cosmos, zinnias and marigolds from transplants for quick color. Trim dead flowers daily to keep plants producing longer. Plant seeds for cool season annuals. Start them indoors to better control sun and temperature exposure. These annuals include calendula, delphiniums, pansies and snapdragon.

Perennials may begin to look scraggily about this time. Consider pruning to only a few inches. These hearty plants will bounce back quickly later in the year or next spring with healthier and fuller growth.

 

Watering plants can take up most of your garden time in August, especially if hand watering. Remember to water early in the morning, two-to-three times a week. Water should soak in at least five or six inches below the surface. Container plants that are always wilting despite constant watering should be moved to a shadier location.

This tender perennial is much more likely to be found under its old name of bacopa than as a sutera.-Its small white flowers are uninspiring individually, but the trailing stems are covered with them, making the plant ideal for trailing over the edge of containers. Height: trailing.

‘Snowflake’ is the only variety likely to be found.

Moisture-retentive, fertile soil, in full sun..

Take cuttings in early spring, or in late summer to overwinter in a frostproof greenhouse.

Seed-raised verbenas are discussed on page 33, the ones described here are raised from cuttings. Although many seed- raised varieties make excellent container plants, some of the vegetatively propagated kinds make bigger and bolder plants with a more robust and spreading habit — ideal for containers.

Colours are mainly pinks, blues and purples, sometimes attractively shaded.

Although these hybrids will continue growing and flowering even in low temperatures at the end of the season, they are best regarded as tender. Lift and overwinter plants in a frost-free frame or greenhouse, or take cuttings to overwinter.

Height: 30cm (l ft)

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 ’Sissinghurst’ is an outstanding pink variety, ‘Homestead Purple’ a robust plant for planting in a mixed tub.

Undemanding but best in well-drained soil in full sun.

Take cuttings in spring from overwintered plants, or in late summer and early autumn for overwintering in a light and frost-free place.

Seed-raised varieties are usually compact, bushy plants ideal for summer beds. They can be used in containers, especially window boxes and tubs, but are most useful for summer bedding schemes.

Many of those raised from cuttings are vigorous and spreading, and are best at the front of a herbaceous or mixed border or in a large tub.

Other verbenas, such as the Tapien range, have vigorous prostrate growth, and are suitable for hanging baskets or tumbling over the edge of patio tubs.

 

The zonal pelargoniums, cascading and ivy- leaved kinds are indispensable summer bedding plants that flower prolifically even with minimal attention, the Regals make beautiful houseplants, and scented-leaved species will bring a touch of spice and fragrance to your life indoors and out. You can even use the scented leaves of some kinds in the kitchen.

The pelargoniums most widely used for garden decoration are the zonal, which have a dark circular zone around the leaves. Usually they are grown for the sheer brilliance and abundance of their flowers, which bloom non-stop from early summer until the first frost (and even beyond if grown indoors). They are reasonably drought- resistant, which is another reason why they are good container plants.

Enthusiasts grow varieties that have to be raised from cuttings, but for massed bedding or containers, seed-raised varieties are usually used. These are relatively inexpensive to buy as plants in spring or early summer, and you can raise your own if you prefer. Where a large number are grown, it is normal to discard them at the end of the season to save the time, space and trouble involved in attempting to over winter them. But you can take cuttings to overwinter in the greenhouse or on the windowsill if you prefer.

You may find the seed-raised varieties listed as ‘geraniums’ in seed catalogues. Sow them early so that they come into bloom in early summer rather than at the end of the season. New varieties are introduced every year, and they are constantly being improved, so consult current catalogues for the best of them.

There are also varieties of ivy-leaved and cascading pelargoniums that can be raised from seed. These used to be inferior to the type raised from cuttings, but modern varieties are well worth growing.

 

Oriental poppy

The captivatingly beautiful plum-purple flowers of “Patty’s Plum” offer a genuine alternative to the typical standard red of the oriental poppy. The inimitable appearance of its large, parchment-like flowers, with striking crosses of black stamens in their centers, earns it a prominent, sunny, and warm spot in the yard. The main thing is that the soil should be deep and well-drained. The short-lived flowers are continuously replaced by new ones, followed by its characteristic decorative seed capsules.

Common peony

The expressive carmine-red double flowers of “Rubra Plena,” with their slightly crinkled edges, are a really valuable addition to the early summer garden. Sufficient space should be allowed from the outset when planting this beautiful flowering plant, as later transplanting will not do this slow-growing perennial any good. It will thrive increasingly from year to year in a deep, rich in nutrients, and moist but well-drained soil, preferably in the sun. Lovely cut-flower perennial.

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Herb Paris

What makes Paris quadric folia such an attractive, eye-catching plant is not so much the inconspicuous flower as the bizarrely-positioned spherical blue-black berry which matures from it and the four voluptuous leaves. But that’s enough drama. As a woodland plant, it is best suited to semi-natural sites beneath trees and shrubs, in partial shade to full shade, and to a moist acidic soil. The plant will require you to be patient for a few years until it appears. Keeping it moist and mulching with coniferous needles may help. Take care: the berry which it appears to be handing you nicely wrapped is poisonous.

Grandiflorum group

The bushy “Delli” is a miracle of plant breeding. The large, frilled flowers combine a discreet pink tone with elegant white.

Peltatum group

Flower and leaf are equally enchanting in this chameleon-like, trailing ivy-leafed pelargonium, as the evergreen “L’Elegante” bears gray-green leaves whose cream-colored edges turn rose pink if kept dry. To go with these, it has simple white flowers with a small red tattoo.

Angel group

The compact “Mrs. G. H. Smith” is adorned with white rose-tinged flowers with a carmine-red marking superimposed on the upper petals. This angel pelargonium has slightly lemon-scented leaves.

Rose-scented pelargonium

The superb P. capitatum is one of the most heavily rose scented pelargoniums. Pretty, pink,umbelliferous flowers, coupled with rounded, slightly divided, dark green leaves. This spreading and vigorous perennial is not only an ideal ground cover plant but also, thanks to its somewhat overhanging habit, decorative hanging-basket plant.

When words cannot be spoken, flowers can do it for you, conveying messages to the receiver of a gift of plants, trees, and flowers on significant occasions and milestones in their life is living proof of a special time, when planted in the garden blooming year after year brings joy and happiness remembering, thus memories are made of this.

 

Garden plants grow strong and produce beautiful blooms which we take for granted, but not a lot of people would wonder about how the plant or flower came by its name.  Many flowers are named after the people who introduced them, for example the Bougainvillea, was named after a French admiral, Louis de Bougainvillea, who discovered the vine growing in Brazil during a long journey to the Pacific Ocean in 1768.

 

In Greek mythology the Narcissus was named after a handsome youth that scornfully spurned the love of the nymph Echo, thus the goddess Aphrodite punished him by making him fall in love with his own reflection in a pool and because he obviously was unable to possess the image he pined away and became the flower that now bears his name.

 

Over many years flowers have been named after royalty and famous stars, the Marilyn Monroe rose is an apricot colour hybrid rose, Julie Andrews is the name of a coral-salmon hybrid rose, a special variety of Tulip was named after Bollywood beauty and former Miss World Aishwarya Rai in 2005, and orchids are named after Princess Diana and Queen Elizabeth in Singapore’s botanical Garden.

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The Queen was again presented with a rare orchid named in her honour at this year’s Chelsea Flower Show, also other royal blooms unveiled at the show were a sweetpea and rose named after the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, the newly weds.

 

Other celebrities were honoured with plants and roses named after them Helen Mirren was delighted with the launch of the ‘Helen’ a carnivorous plant, also the ‘Natasha’ a rose named after the late actress Natasha Richardson, daughter of Vanessa Redgrave.

 

The garden we plant is always a thing of beauty and the avid gardener looks to shows like the Chelsea Flower Show for inspiration and tries, in a smaller scale of course, to replicate what they have seen and been inspired by.

 

Gardeners today are so much more adventurous and artistic than gardeners of yesteryear; they do wonderful things with container plants, hanging basket plants, and ‘weave’ bedding plants, and garden bulbs, in and out of vegetable plants.

 

A spokesman for Blooming Direct, a horticultural online business on the Island of Jersey, said “gardeners are very clever especially in urban areas where space is limited where they make the most of the area they have and will plant all sorts in containers, even garden shrubs and perennial plants. Gardening is now a very popular hobby and we are busy shipping out plug plants all over the UK because at this time of the year when the sun is shining what better than to see vibrant colour in your own personal space”. He went on to say “we stock everything for the garden and orders to the UK are absolutely FREE”.

 

Trees and plants are living things and worth giving as a gift to mark a special occasion, after all memories are made of this.

 

For further information visit:  www.bloomingdirect.com

Some of our fall flowers are quite beautiful but the aster is one of the prettiest and it makes our fall gardens stand out. These flowers are very remeniscent of spring and early summer. There classified as a perennial and are very easy to grow.   

It is best to check with your local home and garden center or garden nursery for the hardiest plants in your region. You need to remeber that asters need plenty of space, a lot of sun and moist soil. If you plant your asters in full sun you will see how well they will thrive, most of them like soaking up the sun as much as possible. If you add compost to the soil it will become richer and it will also act as a type of mulch for the plants.   

The rapid growth period for the aster is usually at the end of summer. This is the time they will want more water every week so they will not dry out. They also like to have a lot of room so that the air around them moves freely. Asters are basically pest free but will sometimes end up with a powdery mildew which is caused by water being left on the leaves or going without water for too long a period of time. Overcrowding can sometimes cause this to happen.

That nice compact pot of asters you bought last year and planted in the garden this year probably looks like an open wiggly mess of a plant. Do not be discouraged, when you bought them from the nursery they were probably sprayed with a minimizer spray so they would stay compact in their container and would not out grow it. Once you put them in the flower garden they found more room to grow and that is why they look the way they do. If you want your aster plant to be compact, all you need to do is pinch back the tips of every stem. This will force branching out on all sides of the plant much easier. At the end of spring you can pinch about every 2 weeks to get a bushier plant. Cutting back aster will delay the blooms by approximately a week or two. This just means the blooms will last longer into the season.

If your flower bed consists of only asters, pinch the asters in the front of the bed but not in the back. The un-pinched asters in the back section will grow taller and bloom earlier. When they have fnished blooming the ones you pinched in front of the bed will start blooming and will hide the stems in the back. Doing this will give you more blooming asters that will extend your growing season.