Artistic Flower Arrangements

It’s finally that time of the year again. Christmas is just around the corner. The one thing that everyone is looking forward to is exchanging gifts with the people they love. One of the favorite gifts that people love to give during Christmas is flowers.

Flowers make up the perfect and memorable gift items on Christmas. It lifts the mood and look of the atmosphere by making it more festive. Just go to your local flower markets during this time and you’ll see just how festive it really is. It can also add a touch of elegance and beauty to our surroundings. Giving flowers is one of the best ways to express your love, affection and care that you have for your loved ones. Every flower has different meanings. As most of us know, red roses symbolize true love and purple hyacinths symbolize forgiveness. So what flowers are popular during Christmas?

Nothing beats the old favorites such as red roses and poinsettias. Red roses are the classic flowers that you give to that special someone in your life. If you plan on proposing to your sweetheart at Christmas, there are many unique ways of doing so. One way is to hide a ring in a red ribbon, attach it to the red rose and hang that rose on the Christmas tree. All that’s left is to create a gimmick that would eventually lure her into getting that rose and voila. With a marriage proposal like that, who could resist?

Arguably the most popular flower given during Christmas is poinsettia, also known as the Christmas Star/Flower. This flower comes from Mexico and was introduced to the U.S. back in 1825 by Joel Roberts Poinsett, the first United States ambassador to Mexico, and as such the flower was named after him. There are many other names associated with this flower such as Flores de Noche Buena (flowers of the holy night), Winter Rose, and Atakurk’s flower. The favourite flower of Atakurk, the founder of modern Turkey, was poinsettia.

This flower’s association with Christmas hails from a local legend. There was a girl named Maria and she had a little brother named Pablo. They both loved Christmas but were always sad because they had no money to buy presents. They especially wanted to give something to the church as an offering to Baby Jesus. On one Christmas eve, on their way to attend the service in the church, they picked up some weeds growing on the roadside and decided to offer that as a gift to the Baby Jesus in the manger scene. As the other children teased them about their offering, they placed the green plants around the manger knowing full well they did what they could. Soon after, everyone around the church was astonished by the scene before them. The weeds transformed into bright red petals which surrounded the manger. The star-shaped leaf pattern of the flower is also said to symbolize the Star of Bethlehem which guided the three magi to the Baby Jesus.

To the ancient Aztecs, poinsettia is a symbol of purity. Today, it is recognized as the birth flower for the month of December and symbolizes good cheer and success or mirth and celebration. Depicted as the traditional image of Christmas, these flowers are the perfect gift for all your loved ones enabling you to share the spirit of Christmas.

Let’s not forget that we are not limited to fresh flowers as gifts. Artificial flower arrangements have also become popular during Christmas. They are especially used as Christmas centrepieces and can also be used as decorations in and around the house. The flower petals are generally made out of silk offering a realistic look. These flowers last for a longer period of time as compared to fresh flowers and are widely available at almost every flower shop for very affordable prices.

With the advent of technology, sending flowers to your loved ones is as easy as clicking a few buttons over the Internet. But as always, the best way is to personally give it to the people you love and cherish. The best gifts are the simplest things in life. You could give a car, the latest gadgets, and the newest clothes to the people you love but the one thing that would make them genuinely smile in gratitude is receiving flowers. The true spirit of Christmas is not what you give…it is the happiness you share with your loved ones. Have a Merry Christmas everyone.

About Belle
Belle is a blog editor at Flowers and Chocos. She loves gardening, doing handicrafts and taking pictures of the beautiful environs.

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This year I decided to put come chicken wire around my peony plants to help keep them from toppling over when the flowers got too heavy.  Little did I know that my Peonies would mature to full bloom in what felt was a few days.  The day I first put the wire around the flowers, they were approximately 6 inches tall.  When I checked on them the next time (4 days later) they were almost to the top of the wire.  A few more days later each plant had over two dozen buds on it.  About a week later, lo and behold, my peonies were all in bloom in an astonishing period of time.  I have included photos below of what they looked like down the side of my driveway.  In all there are only twelve plants,  but as you can see, it looks like a whole lot more.  I really enjoy the beauty of this plant, I only wish they would stay in bloom longer!

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If your home gardening efforts have been modest thus far, and you’d rather not just plunge straight into rose

growing without easing in gently, you might get some experience in how to grow roses by starting with cuttings.

If you have a friend with some roses, perhaps they’d be willing to give you a few stems so you can try to start some in this way. It’s worth a try to discover whether or not you can succeed.

You’ll have to pick your roses carefully, though, because not all types of roses grow well from cuttings. It’s likely some expert gardeners have managed to do it even with the difficult varieties, like hybrid teas.

But if you still don’t know much about how to grow roses, or you’re not very experienced, then you will find varieties that simply will not grow by this method. Floribundas and many others that are actually garden roses do much better, and miniature roses are usually grown this way.

You should do the pruning rose bushes in early spring, taking three or four six-inch stems (or for miniatures, three-inch stems). With these flower gardening tips you can cut them on a slight diagonal, in the morning before the stresses of the day.

In the past, people knew how to grow roses with cuttings protected by Mason jars, and the practice still works well. So once you have your cuttings, take off the bottom leaves, with just a few at the top, and dip the stems into a rooting powder.

Then set them either into your garden soil or into containers of potting soil. At this point, place a Mason jar over each stem and water now and then over the next few weeks.

How to grow roses from cuttings might vary slightly in different regions, depending on the climate. For example, in a warmer location you might just skip the Mason jar altogether and root your stems in the soil of your garden outside.

In a cooler climate, you might want all the help you can get, with an indoor container and Mason jar, or with a heating pad under the container. You can probably find flower gardening tips from a local rose society or the internet to help you decide on your exact procedure.

If you can induce your cuttings to root and start growing, then it might be a good, gradual way to start your rose growing hobby.

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Have you ever thought that your passion for flowers can become an art? Of course, like any form of art, creating and designing your own flower garden is subjective. It might require certain skills, a bit of patience, but in the end, the result is all that matters, and if it pleases the eye and all of our senses, you might consider you have succeeded.

Fortunately, when it comes to garden design, you can’t fail. Flowers can easily be moved or replaced, but following few simple and effective steps will save you from extra efforts of correcting prospect errors. Creating your own flower garden is great because you have the flexibility of choosing and combining flowers as you like, based on simple elements of composition. Just take it step by step and the results might surprise you, even if you are a rookie gardener!

Step 1:  What is the purpose of the garden?

The first question you have to ask yourself is: ‘Why do I want to create my own flower garden?’ just to enjoy the beauty of the nature, or:

• Do you seek a private location where you can relax far away from the madding crowd?
• Do you want a green area for your kids?
• Do you love birds and butterflies and you want to draw them in?
• Do you want a permanent source of fresh flowers for your house?

Step 2: How much space do you have?

Now that you have an idea on what do you want to do with your garden, it’s time for a reality check! Take an objective look at the available space for your future flower garden. Think about the position of the area regarding the sun exposure or if there are any shadows that might affect the development of your flowers.

Step 3:  Analyze the cons

It’s true that few of us really have time for gardening or a high budget for investing in exotic flower species. Therefore, you must analyze all the cons before you decide to create your own flower garden.

Step 4:  Style

This is an important part of the project. How do you want your garden to look like? If you are not sure of what the options are, here are a couple:

• Well defined shapes or wild combinations of flowers;
• Do you want flowers that last all year round?
• Should the garden complement your house?

Step 5:  Flower selection

For many of you, this is the easy part, especially if you know what you like, selecting the flower and plant species should be the last step of your project, after careful thinking. Use our following tips and try to organize yourself:

If you have children, choose interesting flowers, with attractive colors and perfumes, but check for seeds and poisoned elements.

Make a list with your favorite flowers/plants, group them by color and shape and you will obtain a great garden design.

Draw a chart with the blooming season of each flower type and combine them so you can enjoy their beautiful color all year long.

Now that you have the basic plan of creating your own flower garden, filling the
space with flowers resemble with filling a painting. The only difference is that your flower garden is a painting that is never complete, as you will always add new elements each year. In addition think of the savings for your floral arranging. What could be better then growing your own flowers.

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I am so happy.  I just received news of being named to the top 50 floral blogs by Interflora in the UK.  You can see my new button on the right stating this.  It really makes me feel good to find out my blog is being read by so many people.

Thank you all…………you did it for me!

Judy

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The flower is a source of natural beauty and sustenance to bees, hummingbirds and butterflies. For this reason, many an avid gardener will create a butterfly and hummingbird habitat in their backyard flower garden.

Butterflies don’t ask for much, just large, open sunny areas, a few flowers for adults, a few food sources for caterpillars and shelter to hide from predators so they can lay their eggs. The flower varieties, of course, are only part of the planning; you’ll also need water, a mix of sun and shade, hiding spots and breeding grounds.

the flower
The flower varieties you choose will make a big difference. Planting larger groups of flowers will help butterflies notice them. Many gardeners start with a purple or bicolor butterfly bush and surround it with perennials. Consider the purple coneflower, black-eyed Susan, Brazilian verbena, daylily, catmint, lavender, phlox, goldenrod, ironweed plant, aster and sedum.

Annual favorites for a butterfly-magnet flower garden include zinnias, marigolds, cosmos, sweet alyssum, cleome and lantana. These are the beauties of your garden, but you’ll need to also be considerate of your larvae hosts. Foxgloves, sunflowers, birches, willows, wild plum, spicebush and passion vines also attract butterfly breeding.

floral bouquets
Once the flowers for your plant habitat are in place, take other environmental factors into consideration.

Your precious butterflies want a floral wonderland, but also a place that is safe from wind, rain and predators, so try adding hedges and small, dense shrubs like honeysuckle or butterfly bushes; trellises or fences covered in passion vines or hops.

Generous brush piles of bark, logs, rocks and leaves allow for hiding during winter months or stormy days. Even “organic” pesticides agitate the sensitive butterfly, so keep your guests protected from any chemical sprays or dust. Be sure your butterfly habitat has at least six hours of full sunshine, with flat rocks where they can bask in the sun to warm up before taking their early morning flights.

Just like humans, bachelor butterflies also want a place to drink after work: mud puddles, shallow pans of damp sand and gravel or wet dirt all make ideal gathering spots. Rotting fruit, watermelon rinds and seeds are delicious nutrients that create a true butterfly nirvana.

If you’d also like to take advantage of the hummingbird-attracting powers of flower garden and create your own rose bouquets, a hummingbird habitat is just as simple. Usually a bright red nectar feeder is the quickest way to invite these quick, tiny creatures to your backyard.

flowering
However, to keep them around at all times, they’ll need fresh water to drink and bathe in, a combination of sunny and shady perches, willow or eucalyptus tree nesting materials, as well as delicious plants, such as flower power dahlias, cosmos, foxglove, geraniums, petunias, irises, honeysuckles, trumpet vines, azaleas, butterfly bush, hibiscus, cardinal flowers and snow angels will increase the flower power of your garden.

A flower garden can be a place of respite for you, but also an epicenter of life for colorful insects.

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Flowers make the ideal gift for nearly every occasion. Whether someone has had a baby, celebrated a birthday or lost a loved one, flowers are the ideal gift. The vast range of colors and types that are available means you can literally find something for every occasion. People love to get flowers, too, so that makes them an even better gift. But how did we get started giving flowers? Go to flowers for more information.

In the Beginning
No one knows exactly who gave the first bunch of flowers, but it could easily go as far back as Adam and Eve! Toddlers automatically pick wildflowers to give to their mothers, drawn by the colors and prettiness.
We do know, however, that each culture has used flowers for different reasons. In Ancient Greece, flowers were considered to be property of the gods, making them very special. There are accounts of flowers being given as a gift for many thousands of years. The majority of these would have been flowers that where picked wild, plus a few from the garden.

The Language of Flowers
In Victorian times, flowers were used to express more than just admiration or love. Entire letters could be written with blossoms alone! Each flower has a specific meaning, though the exact meaning depends on a variety of factors, including color and size. For example, a red rose means “passion”, pink means
“romance” and coral colored roses mean “friendship”.

Back in the day, people knew the meanings of all the most common flowers and this made each and every bouquet full of much more meaning. A young man might send a girl a bunch of wildflowers, but it would really be a message in disguise! Even today, some people enjoy learning the meaning of flowers and adding these special flowers to their bouquets. It really adds a whole other dimension to a simple bunch of mixed flowers.

This time period was definitely the most meaningful of all for flower giving. With the extra messages contained in bunches of flowers, it was one of the big gifts of the day.

Modern Flower Giving
Traditionally, men gave flowers to women, but now it’s quite acceptable to give a man a bouquet of more masculine blooms, too. Even children get into the act!
Try giving a little girl a bunch of roses for her birthday or Valentine’s Day,  and you’ll make her day.

These days, it’s quite common and acceptable to do your own floral arranging and give flowers as gifts. We aren’t restricted to simply wild flowers or those available in the garden anymore, either. Now there are tropical blooms and more delicate varieties of flowers available year round. This makes giving flowers a more exciting experience.

With the ability to grow many flowers in hothouses right in country and also the ability to import those that don’t grow well in the greenhouses, your options at the florist are stunning. No longer are we restricted to daisies and roses. Now you can select a delicate orchid, bird of paradise or lily for that special someone. It really opens up the realm of possibilities, thanks to airplanes and special technology.

Another modern convenience is the internet, which lets anyone anywhere in the world buy flowers online and have them delivered to a specific destination. You could easily be in the US and have flowers delivered to your mother in Spain! This turns the art of giving flowers into something so easy to do that you don’t even have to leave your own home or office. Just find a good website and you can send flowers without ever having to set foot in a florist shop. Visit flowers for further information.

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I have appreciated all the wonderful comments many of my readers have left.   I was wondering what types of blogs you would like to see.  I would be more than happy to try to give you the information you are seeking.  Just drop me a line in the comment block.  I read every one that comes in. Thanks!…………..Judy

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