Posted on Mar 06, 2010 under dried foliage | Comments are off
Perhaps you received an amaryllis bulb as a gift for the holidays. No other interior flower can add such a volume of delightful color in a home during the long winters than the amaryllis. With so many colors to choose from – white, with streaks of red, various shades of red, orange,and yellow you will certainly want to take care of your plant to insure that it reblooms year after year. It’s not hard to do once you know the secrets.Planting
The large amaryllis bulbs are often purchased in potted kit form with directions included. These potted bulbs require only watering and light to begin growth. Plants which are already growing are available at many flower shops.
If you purchase unpotted bulbs, choose a pot or container having drainage only 1-2 inches larger in diameter than the bulb’s diameter. When planting the bulb there should be only ¾ to 1 inch of space between the bulb and the sides of the pot. Use a potting soil consisting of equal parts garden loam, peatmoss, and Perlite or sand. Packaged, commercial potting soils having good drainage may also be used.
Plant the bulb so the top one-third to one-half of the bulb is above soil. After planting, water thoroughly and place in a warm, sunny window.Care After Planting
Water thoroughly when the container soil is dry to the touch. Excessive moisture can cause bulb rot. As roots begin to develop and fill the container, the soil will dry more quickly and watering should be adjusted accordingly.
In several weeks a flower bud will begin to emerge. The bud will usually, but not always, appear before the foliage. Once the growth of the bud and foliage has begun, rotate the container daily to prevent the plant from leaning toward the light. Plants will occasionally require staking to keep the flower stalk in an upright position. To do so, gently insert a stake into the soil using care not to injure the bulb. Then carefully tie the stalk to the stake. Stakes may also be inserted at planting time.
If you’d like to prolong bloom, try the following method. When the flower bud begins to open, use tweezers to remove the yellow anthers inside the flower before they shed pollen. This may extend the flower bloom by several days. When the amaryllis is in full bloom the flowers will last longer if the plant is moved to a cooler room at night (55-65 degrees) and kept out of direct sunlight during the day. Large bulbs may send up two or three additional flower stalks.After Flowers Fade
Remove the flowers after they fade. The withered flower stalk can be removed with a sharp knife near the neck of the bulb. Do not cut off any foliage, because the leaves are needed for photosynthesis to replenish food reserves in the bulb. It is essential to keep the foliage growing vigorously, because after flowering, the bulb initiates flower buds for next year’s bloom.How to Rebloom the Amaryllis
It can be challenging to coax an amaryllis to rebloom each year. It’s easily accomplished if certain procedures are followed. The key to rebloom is found in the plant’s native habitat. The amaryllis is a native of the tropics, a region receiving nine months of rainy weather and three months of dry weather. The plant grows lush leaves throughout the rainy season, but when the dry season approaches the plant enters a rest period or dormancy in which the leaves die down and the plant remains inactive. When the rainy season begins again, the plant produces a rapid flush of growth accompanied by a flower stalk. Therefore, the blooming time of the amaryllis is regulated by the moisture of the environment. After blooming in its native habitat, the plant continues to grow throughout the remainder of the moist season. During this period the plant is storing up energy and forming flower buds in the underground bulb for next year’s bloom. Continue fertilizing twice each month. This outdoor growth period is critical. It is during this time that the amaryllis plant is storing up energy to produce flower buds inside the bulb for next year.
In late summer before frost take the plant indoors and discontinue watering, but give it full light. Keep the pot in a cool (50-60°F) basement or upstairs room. The leaves will usually die down during this rest period which is like the dry season of the tropics. After the leaves die, the plant may be stored in the dark.
In mid-winter repot the bulb into a pot no more than 2 inches larger than the bulb’s diameter. (Amaryllis perform better if slightly pot bound.) Plant the bulb so that only the lower half or two-thirds of the bulb is covered with well-drained potting soil. Use caution to avoid unnecessarily disturbing roots. If a total repotting isn’t needed, simply remove some soil at the top of the pot and add fresh soil leaving the bulb intact.
In mid to late winter you’re ready to bring the plant into regrowth. Place the plant in a sunny south window and water well. Healthy growth should soon begin with either leaves or the flower stalk beginning growth first.Pest and Disease Problems with Amaryllis
It is a rare plant that isn’t plagued by some insects and diseases. The amaryllis is no exception, although its problems are few in number. The North Dakota Extension Service list the following pests and diseases and gives advice on how to control them.Spider Mites:Reduce population by forceful spray of water. Control with an application of an approved miticide.Thrips:Because of the scraping-sucking mouth parts, thirps can be one of the causes for the amaryllis to fail flowering. Control by spraying with a forceful water spray and the use of an approved systemic insecticide.Viruses:These cause a blotchy or mottled appearance on the foliage. Generally, there is no recovery or cure for virus infections. It is best to dispose of the affected plant to prevent spread to other plants via feeding insects or handling.Fungus Diseases:Seldom a problem with amaryllis in the home. To prevent, avoid high humidity, crowding of plants and splashing water on the foliage. Use of a labeled fungicide in the early stages of infection may be effective.Failure to Bloom
Posted on Mar 06, 2010 under dried flowers | Comments are off
Cake decorating flowers help spruce up the cake. And of course, decorating a cake is the most difficult part of the entire process. If you can come up with innovative ideas to decorate the cake, everyone appreciates the delicious cake thoroughly. Cake decorating flowers give a new dimension to your cake.
You have a choice to select cake decorating flowers. You can use the real edible flowers to decorate your cake. Before you use real flowers to decorate your cake here are some things that you should keep in your mind.
Pick up only those flowers that you are absolutely sure are edible. Make sure the flowers you use are from your own backyard. So that you are sure that no pesticide is used. Do not use flowers bought from a florist. If you pick up flowers from garden centers or nurseries they may be treated with pesticides which can be harmful to you.
Some of the edible flowers that can be used are daisies, nasturtiums, Johnny-jump-ups, roses, calendulas, violets and lavender. Sometimes only petals are used to decorate the cake instead of the entire flower. Only thing is go easy on flower decoration as sometimes people have allergic reaction to the flowers.
You can sugar glaze the flowers by covering the flower with egg white and then sprinkle the flower with sugar. Let them fry which will take a few hours. The end result will be sugar glazed cake decorating flowers for your cake.
Another option is to use artificial flowers. You can choose from the wide variety that is available in the market. Cut the stems short. Put together the flowers. Arrange in any way that you feel looks good and put it on the cake.
You can get edible sugar flowers. With the help of food colors in paste form and dusting powder you can change the color of the sugar flowers to match the theme of the occasion. If you are decorating a wedding cake then you can match the flower color to the theme of the wedding hall or to the colors of real flowers the girls are carrying. The possibilities are immense as well as endless.
There are different types of flowers made from different ingredients. You can get flowers made with Buttercream, Royal icing, gumpaste or readymade silk flowers. Royal icing is used for making many flowers such as roses, pansies, daisies, violets etc. The royal icing dries hard so the flowers made from this icing can remain firm and do not wilt easily.
But if you want really hard flowers use gumpaste. It is sugar dough that can be easily rolled out. It can be shaped like flowers. Flowers made from the gumpaste look very realistic.
You can use Buttercream to make roses with or without leaves.
You can use the cake decorating flowers directly on the cake. Some of the manufacturers have come up with flower holders. You can use those holders to arrange your cake decorating flowers. Or you can bake the cake which has some space in the cake. You can put some kind of flower holder in that gap and then put real flowers in it so the flowers will not touch the cake but a stunning effect will be achieved.
Posted on Mar 06, 2010 under dried pods | Comments are off
In 2007, Americans consumed well over 55 billion servings of tea, or over 2.50 billion gallons of hot, iced and ready-to-drink (pre-bottled) tea beverages. Tea is a refreshing choice with no natural sodium, fat, carbonation, or sugar (always read labels on pre-bottled beverages to look for added sugar and sodium). When unsweetened, tea is almost completely calorie-free. Some of the other health benefits of tea include promoting proper fluid balance and heart health as well as cancer prevention. Tea contains naturally occurring antioxidant compounds. Tannin is one of the major components which contributes to the taste and pungency of tea and is the main chemical thought to be responsible for tea’s health benefits.
Any tea drinker has seen a wide variety of tea types and flavors. There are some important distinctions to make when choosing your tea. There are four “types” of tea all made from the same plant where the difference is in how the fresh leaves of the tea plant are processed and their level of contact with oxygen. During oxidation, tea leaves undergo natural chemical reactions that result in distinctive color and taste characteristics. Then there are a multitude of varieties and blends that are influenced by the geographic region where the tea is grown, methods of processing and exposure to other ingredients for added flavor.
The Four Types of Tea
Black, Green, Oolong and White teas all come from the same plant, a warm-weather evergreen called the Camellia sinensis. Each type of tea results from various degrees of processing and the level of oxidization. Black tea is oxidized for up to 4 hours and Oolong teas are oxidized for 2-3 hours. The tea leaves undergo natural taste and color changes through the oxidation process, allowing for distinguished characteristics. Green & White teas are not oxidized after processing and they most closely resemble the look and chemical composition of the fresh tealeaf. Each type has unique antioxidant properties and health benefits associated with drinking them.
You may also have heard of Red tea, which is not actually tea as it comes from the Rooibos plant. Herbal teas such as Red tea are not really “tea” at all, because they do not come from Camellia sinensis. Herbal teas are concocted of leaves, roots, bark, seeds or flowers of other plants.
Tea is grown in thousands of tea gardens or estates around the world, resulting in thousands of flavorful variations. The most common growing regions are in China and India and some of the most popular flavors are named after the places where they are grown.
Popular Blends
Earl Grey- Smoky and fragrant with hints of citrus Earl Grey refers to any black tea with bergamot flavor added, but traditionally it is a blend of Indian and Ceylon teas. Earl Grey is one of the most popular of all the flavored teas in the world and is usually enjoyed with a slice of lemon and without milk or sugar. Bergamot is a citrus fruit, somewhat like a lemon, orange and grapefruit mixed together.
Darjeeling Tea – Darjeeling tea is produced only in the Darjeeling region of India, a high altitude region where there is a mist in the air almost constantly providing a cool and moist environment for the tea trees. This unique terrain produces tea leaves that have a very distinct flavor. The flavor is often described as muscatel, leading Darjeeling to be known as the champagne of teas. Darjeeling is a lighter than many black teas and has a fruity, nutty and floral palette. For this reason the English have considered it to be one of the best afternoon teas.
Breakfast Tea – Breakfast tea is more strongly flavored than afternoon teas such as Darjeeling, and is often enjoyed with milk and sugar similar to how coffee is consumed. The most commonly drank breakfast blends include English and Scottish with a heavily malty flavors, and Irish, slightly stronger with Kenyan and Assam (another region in India) leaves.
Jasmine Tea – This is one of the most fragrant and flavorful of the tea blends and Jasmine tea is the most popular Chinese flavored tea. Jasmine tea is a special blend of high quality loose tea leaves with jasmine petals. The jasmine petals impart a delicate aroma and slightly sweet flavor to the tea. Jasmine tea is most often made using green tea but it can also be made using oolong, black or white tea leaves.
Herbal Teas – Unlike flavored tea and other blends, herbal “teas” are not technically tea at all because they are not made from the Camellia sinensis plant. Herbal teas are concoctions of leaves, herbs, spices and flowers from a variety of plants added to boiling water. Herbal drinks are typically recognized for their caffeine-free quality and also for soothing and rejuvenating effects. Popular herbal tea flavors include chamomile, peppermint, fennel, rose hip and lemon verbena. Considered a floral tea, chamomile has a very aromatic, fruity flavor and is credited to help alleviate toothaches, insomnia, muscle cramps, and to reduce the swelling of skin irritations.
The term “Red Tea” has always been confusing. Red tea is not akin to black, green or white teas. Red tea is made from the South African herbal plant called Rooibos or Red Bush but similar to real teas the Rooibos leaves are rich in antioxidants. This kind of tea has been proven to help boost the immune system, and is also caffeine-free.
“Honeybush Tea” is another herbal tea from Africa which has a sweeter taste than most teas and the fragrance of honey. A cousin of red tea, honeybush tea has no caffeine and very little tannin but plenty of antioxidants. It is used by many people to help alleviate digestive and heart problems that are aggravated by stimulants such as caffeine.
Unusual Varieties
Some other unusual examples from the Tea Association of the USA (www.teausa.org):
Ceylon Breakfast: A blend of fine teas grown on the hillsides of Sri Lanka producing a rich golden liquor with superb flavor. Chai: A blend of black tea with various spices and steamed milk as commonly drunk in India.
Flowery Orange Pekoe: A large leaf size containing an abundance of tip (the leaf bud of the Camellia sinensis plant).
Gunpowder: A type of Green tea which has been rolled into pellets.
Gyokuro: A prized Japanese Green Tea which is rich to the taste and pleasing to the eye. The tea undergoes special handling at every stage of its growth (shaded) and processing (hand-fired).
Imperial Tea: A rolled Green Tea from Ceylon, China, or India made from older leaves. It has a good aroma and is refreshing.
Keemun: A fine grade of Black Tea from China. It has a dark amber color and unique sappy liquor.
Lapsang Soucho: A fine grade of China Black tea with a distinctive smoky flavor which results from a unique drying process. Tea drinkers either love or hate the taste of this unusual tea.
Pan-fired: A Japanese tea which is steamed and then rolled in iron pans to halt further oxidation.
Pingsuey: In Chinese, the term means ice water. A Black Tea from the Hangchow district of Zhejiang Province. An excellent mild tasting tea. Pouchong: Some of the finest quality and high priced teas. A very fragrant tea which is also used as a base for making Jasmine Tea.
Posted on Mar 06, 2010 under silk flowers | Comments are off
Cleaning silk flowers is easy with the right cleansers, learn about house cleaning in this free video. Expert: Gale Gassiot Bio: Gale Gassiot makes her own organic compost or “gardener’s black gold.”
Posted on Mar 06, 2010 under wreaths | Comments are off
Whenever we think of wreaths, most of us naturally visualize a conventional wreath made of greenery and twigs. This usually comes with a bow of some sort and maybe pinecones. While these conventional Christmas wreath will always be a resolute preference, there are more than one ways to adorn and utilize wreaths. By taking a new approach to an age-old ornament, you can make something definitely exceptional and special that will be a showpiece in your home for coming years ahead. Here are a small number of things to think about when you alter your idea of wreaths:
Setting
This will probably have the major impact on the formation and material of your wreath. Apparently if the setting is outdoors, the wreath must be made of durable materials. Indoor wreaths are mainly considered by their setting in the home, as their structure and ornaments will likely mirror their surroundings.
Arrangement
Customarily, wreaths are hung above hearths and on front doors. On the other hand, it is entirely up to you where the wreath must go. Here are a few special ideas you might want to consider:
Windowpanes: Use a double-sided wreath hanger, like ribbons, chains, or nice rope and hang it facing outside or inside.
On the mirror: The dimension of your mirror will determine the size of your wreath.
On a lighted wall: Anyplace in the house.
Dining chairs: Little wreaths can be used to decorate the back of a dining chair by tying a bright ribbon.
Dining Table: Set it on a table and add candles or a bowl of fruit in the center of it.
C
hristmas tree: Wreaths made from different materials can be utilized to adorn a Christmas tree for an extra touch of sophistication.
Gift Packages: Use a tiny wreath tied with a ribbon to a special gift.
Dimension
The setting of your wreath will typically establish its size. Wreath sizes may differ a lot; but, most indoor wreaths ranges from 6 to 48 inches. An outdoor wreath utilized as a main point on a home’s peripheral might be as big as 70 inches in diameter.
Material Used
The material used on your wreath will significantly have an impact on its general design and look. While the choices are boundless, below are a few ideas you can start with:
Fresh or Synthetic
Natural materials may include pinecones, straw, wheat, grapevines, nuts, fresh or dried leaves, leaves, fresh or dried flowers, shells, and many others.
Synthetic materials may include Christmas balls, cloth, ribbons, art papers, styrofoam, or metal.
Ornaments
At last the fun stuff! Imagination is the limit when we talk about a wreath’s decoration. In embellishing your wreath, it’s necessary to think about the place where you are going to place the wreath (for instance, an outdoor wreath should have resilient embellishments), and who will be benefiting from it. Here are a few ideas you might want to consider.
Family room: You may use the same color and maybe the same decorations on your tree.
The Kitchen: Make an effort to decorate using cookie cutters, and other kitchen utensils
Kid’s Room: Hand made decorations, children’s toys, candy canes, etc.
No matter what your choices are, always keep in mind to have fun and use your imagination!
Your completed wreath will definitely be special, and you will want to keep it so that you can still use it in the following year. Make sure to think about this when you store it away by using products that are heavy-duty and handy. There are lots of wreath storage boxes available on the market today and will keep your wreaths cosseted while in storage. By selecting an ideal storage container, it is a guarantee that your wreath can be used and enjoyed for the many years to ahead.
Posted on Mar 06, 2010 under dried flowers | Comments are off
Subject : How to Purchase a Flower Bouquet
Flowers are the most fonded by most of the ladies, and also hope that can receive a flower bouquet from someone who is important to her. Whereas, may be some of the gentlemen would think that this is wasteful since the fresh flower may be dry after a few days.
Gentlemen, if you agree the above mentioned. Definitely we could tell you that you have a wrong mindset. Did you know, each types of flower have their own language! This is one of the most helpful tips to let you express the deepest feeling from you heart which is hard to say.
At the special occasion, no matter is on valentine, christmas or birthday, there are suitable to has a flower bouquet as a gift. There are no longer only fresh flower in a bouquet, which the combination with chocolate or beer is being popular nowadays and also a great idea as a gift.
Most of the time florist may be has no enough time to explain to you the each type of flower with the meanings, so you may have to put some effect to search it out without make the misunderstanding. For example, as we all know, rose are most commonly flowering to convey the message of love. Then did you know that no every colour of rose is symbol love?
Ohh?? What a surprise to see this? Could you imagine that you send a flower bouquet with the meaning of hatred or rejection to a lady you are wooing now or you like for some time? What is horrible, right? To prevent this happen to you, my advice here is do some research before purchase.
When you plan to buy a flower bouquet to someone special for you, you should better give up to buy a yellow colour rose bouquet to someone special for you. It is because yellow rose means friendship and rejection. Now you wonder that no every rose mean ‘Love’, right?
Actually buying a flower bouquet is not as hard task, there are 3W you should know before buy:
Ø Who you want to send? Is mother? Girlfriend? Or just normal friend?
Ø Why you want to send a flower? Valentine? Christmas? Birthday?
Ø What is the meaning you want to express? Love? Respect? Joyful?
After you have the answer of the 3W, then you can move the steps:
Ø Which flower you want to buy? Rose? Lily?
Ø Which flower shop you decided?
There are some points you have to know before select the flower shop
Ø There are provide the professional assistant in flower selection
Ø A nice skill florist, which it able to let you have a beautiful flower bouquet design
Ø Delivery is available
Ø A reasonable price
Actually there are not only have to buy flower at the flower shop, with the trend nowadays, many people prefer shopping on the internet which is easier and faster. There many relevant website provide this kind of service.
There are some risk when order from internet. The first thing is the quality of the flower, this is the problem that is hard to justify. To overcome this problem is to looking for the website which is trustable and the reputation is good. This also must depend on the period of delivery; the longer of the delivery will affect the freshness of flower.
Beside the flower bouquet, flowers are also common use on some ceremony. The most common flower arrangement we know and seen is on wedding ceremony. From the bridal hand bouquet, bridal car, church until house, flower is a perfect decoration to build up a happiness environment.
My suggestion here is to have a beautiful and memorable wedding ceremony, you may seek for the professional assistance. There are no only from the florist, the idea from you is most important to have a great celebration and decoration. If you have enough time to do the preparation, you may also able to show the creation to “DIY” a unique bridal bouquet for yourself!
The flower is not only using at the happy and joyful occasion, the sad and memorable functions are also suitable. The vast difference between this two is the colour of flower should be carefully when do the selection.
The colour could tell the emotion, like shinning colour, red, orange is most suitable on joyful party. The happiness able to spread the happiness among us, but the white and yellow colour is difference! This two colour suitable no matter is happy or memorable function, because there are carry the meaning of respect and memorable.
Did you have experience on sending flower bouquet or flower arrangement and would like to share with us? Or you would like to know more about flower of rose? You can get more information and experience sharing at http://www.flower-advisor.com
