Flowers Blog

When you think of flowers, winter does not really come to mind. However, the Phipps' Winter Flower Show is trying to change this.

When it is cold and dark outside, people really need the sight of beautiful and cheery flowers. The Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Garden is offering a warm atmosphere for admiring these works of nature. The Winter Flower Show, opened today is full of Christmas cheer, the trees are decorated, there are multi-coloured poinsettias, thousands of bright lights and even Santa comes to visit.

Michele Frey McCann, Phipps' exhibit manager and designer says, "I think this time of year, you need a break from a lot of the activities that are going on. Bring your family and friends to enjoy the flowers."

[Via: Pittsburgh Tribune Review]

A phalaenopsis orchid developed in Taiwan won the prize at the international flower show in the Netherlands last months, giving its growers the confidence they needed to expand the cut flower market in Japan, according to the flower company executive.

Vice general manager of the Taipei-based Royal Base Corp., Lin Hou-Chih, who took part in developing the flower, the flower had a quality which was named "Join Angel" was what helped it win the prize. The "Horti Fair 2008" took place in Amsterdam and the flower won first prize in the category of phalaenopsis cut flower.

Flowers from this company also won second and third prize as well, in this category.

Lin says, the awards these flowers have won will help expand the companies market shares, especially in Japan for white cut flowers. They will be selling these flowers for funerals as the traditional mourning colour of Japan is white.

[Via: Taiwan News]

Great Yarmouth in Britain will be bringing its history life with a display of flowers at the parish church, in the form of tour designed to resemble the town in medieval times.

Floristry students from Great Yarmouth College have planned and designed seven displays, marking the granting of the King John Carter, which occurred about 800 years ago.

Friends and family have been enlisted to help with the preparations needed for the floral displays, which will include a jousting marquee, six-foot paper mache medieval ladies and a throne.

"It will be truly spectacular. The students have done hours of research in the library and on the Internet to make sure every historical detail is accurate. We just hope people will make the time to come into the church and enjoy it," said floristry course leader Julia Knights.

"Staging this sort of event with all the background research will help them later in the industry because today there are themed weddings, parties, functions and celebrations and students need to know how to respond to a diverse range of ideas in a professional way."

[Via: The Advertiser 24, Image from here]

The Best of Thymes Herb Club meets regularly at the home of Jeanne McMichael. Recently they met and had an idealistic walk around the flower beds full of Knockout roses, petunias and mums.

Later on, the members of the club had dinner, at which Nancy Cox gave grace and the members talked about their favourite subject, flowers and family.

They report monthly on different types of herbs and flowers, with the cilantro being reported on by Roxanna Cunningham. The cilantro is the herb, while coriander is the seed of the herb that is used as a spice. The herb attracts bees and keeps aphids away from prized flowers in the garden.

Peggy Potts, the president of the club, discussed the Language of Flowers. She mentioned that everything was geared toward the meanings of flowers during the Victorian era, she even read a letter from the book from 1836.

Next month the ladies will hold their meeting elsewhere but the subject and their passion for it will remain the same.

[Via: The Brazil Times, Image from Flickr]

73-year-old Richard Sipko is called the "Cattleya King," he has been growing Cattleya orchids for 45 years. It started with a request for a garden from his mother, which is when he realised he had a talent and liking for growing flowers.

Sipko recalls, "Everything I tried to grow, grew. I read an article about a woman in Wyoming who grew an orchid in the winter by putting on the radiator, and it bloomed in three months. I'm always up for a challenge, so I thought I could grow them."

The Cattleya is one of the toughest orchids to grow and some of Sipko's prized flowers will be put on display at the Fall Orchid Festival at the Phipps Garden Center in Shadyside.

This species is rarely put on sale but visitors will have the opportunity to buy a few flowers from this species.

Sipko will also be speaking about his methods for growing this flower. He is truly an expert on this flower as he has about 1500 examples growing in his greenhouse.

[Via: pittsburghlive.com]