Archive for February, 2008
Friday, February 8th, 2008
SEA LAVENDER
When it comes to the properties of flowers suitable for cutting and drying, those of sea lavender are unsurpassed. Its sturdy, winged stems branch out widely. The actual flowers are minute and usually white. They are surrounded by sepals fused into tubes and providing color. They continue to color the stems, even after the petals have fallen. The species originally had blue sepals but there are currently cultivars in all kinds of shades, mostly blue, but also pink, yellow, red and white. They are not picked and dried until they are fully colored. They retain their color remarkably well and are therefore very popular among dried-flower enthusiasts. They are also sold in large quantities as cut flowers, although a summery bouquet of sea lavender could hardly be called subtle. Fortunately, more subdued colors such as pale yellow and lavender blue are also available.
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Thursday, February 7th, 2008
FLOWER-OF-THE-HOUR
Flower-of-an-Hour (Hibiscus trionum) is an annual plant that originally grew to the east of the Mediterranean, but it spread throughout southern Europe both as a weed and cultivated as a garden plant. The plant grows to a height of 20-50 cm, sometimes as much as 80 cm and has white or yellow flowers with a purple centre.
The flower-of-the-hour owes its name to its brief appearance. It flowers for a few hours in the morning and then closes for good early in the afternoon, but a fresh bud will soon appear in the axil of every newly formed leaf. There will be no need for you to be without hibiscus flowers for a single day. They are about 1V2 in wide, creamy on the outside, and with a center that at first sight looks white, but turns out to be deepest purple. When the flower is over, the calyx swells up to form a striking pouch holding the seeds. In warm regions, it sows itself freely, and the plant has become a weed in many (sub)tropical countries. The stems with inflated calyces look splendid in a bouquet of dried flowers. The plants themselves are not very decorative – they grow about 20 in tall with lanky stems and green foliage that may vary considerably in shape. Seed merchants frequently market cultivars. Sow flower-by-the-hour indoors in March, or outdoors from mid-April. It is best to put the plants in loose, well-drained but nutritive soil.
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Wednesday, February 6th, 2008
Outdoor coffee table is an excellent furniture of choice to your lawn, patio or garden. Outdoor patio and garden coffee tables are made of finest material such as wicker, wood, teak, resin, cedar, pine and wrought iron that are durable and will last for many years. Outdoor coffee table adds beauty to your patio and garden and is an excellent complementary piece for your patio and garden furniture arrangement. Outdoor patio and garden coffee table comes in different style and design.
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Tuesday, February 5th, 2008
COSMEA
Cosmos is simply one of the most useful annuals for large borders. Some perfectionists think the colors are rather bright and the flowers too big, but since cosmeas with smaller flowers and more subdued colors have now appeared on the scene, it should be possible, even for these gardeners, to find suitable cultivars. People who like an exuberant profusion of flowers discovered them long ago: bright and cheerful colors above a sturdy tuft of finely divided, and therefore graceful foliage. The taller cosmeas grow to between 32 in and over 5 ft tall depending on circumstances, but they will be tallest in nutritive, moist soil in partial shade. They are eminently suitable for planting at the back of borders. The plants create an informal impression, produce splendid feathery foliage with very narrow leaflets, and allow the flowers to bend over gracefully from the background.
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Monday, February 4th, 2008
MONKEY FLOWER
The sticky branches of this shrubby monkey flower eventually grow to about 39 in in length. The plant is indigenous in the southwestern regions of the United States and likes warm, sunny weather. Its dark green leaves are coated with a shiny, sticky layer. The orange to salmon-pink flowers, 1 1/2 in wide, are carried from late spring until early autumn. The stems grow in all directions and, unless supported, will eventually begin to trail beautifully. This makes the plant particularly suitable for hanging baskets and large pots, in which the plant goes well with all kinds of more compact summer-flowering species. Mimulus aurantiacus is propagated by cuttings. Flowering plants are available from specialist patio plant firms from May. It is possible to overwinter them if you can provide a light, cool, and frost-free place.
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