Flowers Blog

Hippeastrums are most commonly known as Amaryllis and they are a wonderful flowering house plant. This flower comes from the family Amaryllidaceae and there are about 75 species of this variety. This flower is native to tropical and subtropical regions of North and South America.

The name of the flower comes from the Greek word Hippeus, which means "mounted man" and astron "star." The flower strongly resembles a medieval weapon used by horseman.

The hippeastrum is readily available in most stores and supermarkets; they usually come in a pre-prepared package containing a bulb, some compost and a pot. They can also be grown in a glass filled with water and the bulb placed on top.

The hippeastrum is easily brought to bloom, especially after a longer period of time. This flower comes in quite a few varieties, with varying shades of red, white, pink, salmon and orange. Striped and multi-coloured varieties can also be found, they are usually a combination of pink, red and white.

[Via: The Whitehaven News]

Dennis Trevorrow and his wife Anthea of Salisbury recently held a presentation about a rare breed of flowers for Port Pirie Garden Club Members.

This couple has been growing streptocarpus flowers avidly for many years. These flowers are a relative of the African Violet and the Gloxinia, and require much of the same care. The original species is rarely found outside of specialized greenhouses.

They have also put a lot of work into creating improved hybrids that come in colours like mauve, magenta, pink, white and blue.

This flower is most commonly known as the Cape Primrose. They are very commonly used as indoor decorations. Some of the members of the club decided to give themselves a challenge and buy an example from Mr. Treverrow.

[Via: The Recorder]

Not only is winter about to set in but we all have economic problems knocking at our door. Most of us are looking for a boost but do not have the money to do it. Experts are predicting that most of us will cope by allowing ourselves small luxuries.

Consumer psychologist and professor of business and psychology, Kit Yarrow, at Golden Gate University in San Francisco says, "small indulgences are like life's exclamation points. Even in a down economy, when people are getting smaller luxuries, they're even more important. We need to feel bolstered. We need to feel delighted."

"Other research has proven that flowers make people happy when they receive them. What we didn't know is that spending a few days with flowers in the home can positively affect a wide variety of feelings."

The next time you need a boost from a small luxury in life, fresh-cut flowers are probably the smartest spend. A behavioral study found that people feel less anxiety, worry and depression when they have fresh-cut flowers in their presence – these are great benefits when we are expecting difficult times ahead.

[Via: TheEarthTimes]

At the University of London researchers have made an interesting discovery. Bees carry smells back to their hives and teach members of their colony which flowers are carrying the most nectar.

Honeybee, a cousin of the bumblebee, performs a dance to show members of their colony how to find a food source, but bumblebees communicate information differently.

Bumblebees are much quicker learners and are able to teach their brothers and sisters where the best flowers can be found, simply by using scent.

"Bumblebees tend to live in environments where there are lots of different species of flowers spread over a wide area. The amount of nectar and pollen produced by each of the these flowers will change day by day and hour by hour, so finding the best supply of food is a challenge," says Dr Nigel Raine a biologist at Queen Mary, University of London.

"When foraging bumblebees find a type of flower that has a good food supply, they carry the scent of the flower on their body and scented nectar in their stomach. Once inside the hive they run excitedly around the nest, which attracts the other bumblebees attention."

[Via: Telegraph.co.uk]

The first chill has arrived whether you were eagerly awaiting it or dreading it. Most gardeners are just itching to make their planting for the next season when fall arrives, but this is a game of patience and you have to find the right moment. Fall and winter flowers need the cool air to enhance their performance.

There is a long list of plantings for fall and many gardener's favourites are found on it. You may have already seen alyssum, petunias, pansies and dianthus in flower beds and hanging baskets. Many gardeners prefer to purchase flowers that are already blooming, yet some of the best cool weather flowers like delphinium and California poppies are only in their green stage at this point.

This is why it is important to know your flowers and what to expect from them at every time of year. Like some of the flowers already mentioned some are not good performers until the late winter to early spring months but need to be planted right now. Geraniums, alyssum and snapdragons on the other hand are already blooming and will continue to bloom until spring if they do not get affected by a freeze.

Your safest bet of course are pansies and violas as they are extremely resistant to freeze. Sometimes even after a hard freeze they are able to bloom.

[Via: OrlandoSentinel.com]