Flower of the Month: April Means Sweet Peas
What a cute flower (and affectionate nickname) perfect for the month of April! Read on to learn a little about this pretty Springtime plant and listen to a cute song dedicated to another Sweet Pea:
- From bigflowers1.com
Sweet pea (Lathyrus odoratus) is a flowering plant native to the Mediterranean. It is an annual climbing plant, growing to a height of 1–2 meters (nearly six feet and six inches), where suitable support is available. The flowers are purple, 2-3.5 centimeters broad, in the wild plant, larger and very variable in colour in the many domesticated species.
- From www-secure.mcfayden.com
Growing Sweet Peas in your garden:
- Zone: Annual
- Exposure Needed: Full sun
- Bloom Period: Blooms late spring into summer. Blooming is curtailed by heat. In cooler climates, they can bloom through fall. Southern regions can sow ‘short day’ varieties in the fall.
- Maintenance: Sweet peas are usually direct seeded. To assist germination, seeds should be nicked or soaked in water for several hours, to soften the seed coating. Seed can be started outdoors, as soon as the ground has warmed to about 50 degrees F. and is not too wet. At about 3-6″, pinch the seedlings to encourage strong side shoots. Seed can be started earlier indoors, in pots. Pinch off all flowers and buds when transplanting seedlings, to encourage root development. Sweet pea vines have tendrils and will attach themselves to most any type of support with meshing or lines. Regular deadheading or cutting for display, will keep them blooming longer. Sweet peas require regular watering, especially as the temperature increases. They prefer a somewhat rich soil and can be fed monthly with a fertilizer high in potassium, as used for tomatoes. Adding a bit of blood meal to the soil is thought to help keep the stems long and suitable for cutting.
- From ddeventdesign.wordpress.com
On a completely related topic, here’s an adorable song called “Sweet Pea” by Amos Lee that we simply love. Enjoy!
Have a great weekend!
Love,
Your friends at Flowerblog
Flower of the Month: March means Daffodils
Since March is the month for Daffodils, we think it’s appropriate to give a little background on the story of Narcissus . Content compliments of Wikipedia:
Mythology of Narcissus
- Michelangelo Caravaggio’s Narcissus
Narcissus or Narkissos (Greek: Νάρκισσος), possibly derived from ναρκη (narke) meaning “sleep, numbness,” in Greek mythology was a hunter who was renowned for his beauty. He was exceptionally proud, in that he disdained those who loved him. Nemesis saw this and attracted Narcissus to a pool where he saw his own reflection in the waters and fell in love with it, not realizing it was merely an image. Unable to leave the beauty of his reflection, Narcissus died.
Daffodil is a common English name, sometimes used now for all varieties, and is the chief common name of horticultural prevalence used by the American Daffodil Society. The range of forms in cultivation has been heavily modified and extended, with new variations available from specialists almost every year.
Love,
Your friends on Flowerblog
Want a custom arrangement with Daffodils in it? What A Bloom can make it! Contact us for your custom Daffodil arrangement today!
Flower of February: Violet
Contrary to popular belief, February’s flower is the violet, not the rose! Here’s a little information and images on the beautiful violet compliments of Wikipedia:
Viola is a genus of flowering plants in the violet family Violaceae, with around 400–500 species distributed around the world. Most species are found in the temperate Northern Hemisphere; however, viola species (commonly called violets, pansies or heartsease) are also found in widely divergent areas such as Hawaii, Australia, and the Andes.
- Image from americanvioletsociety.org
Most Viola species are perennials, some are annuals, and a few are small shrubs. Viola and violetta are terms used by gardeners and generally in horticulture for neat, small-flowered hybrid plants intermediate in size between pansies and violets.
- Image from commons.wikimedia.org
Flower colours vary in the genus, ranging from violet, as their common name suggests, through various shades of blue, yellow, white, and cream, whilst some types are bicolored, often blue and yellow. Many cultivars and hybrids have been bred in a greater spectrum of colours. Flowering may last for much of the spring and summer.
- Image from guardian.co.uk, Alamy
One quirk of some viola is the elusive scent of their flowers; along with terpenes, a major component of the scent is a ketone compound called ionone, which temporarily desensitizes the receptors of the nose, thus preventing any further scent being detected from the flower until the nerves recover.
Love,
Your friends at Flowerblog
Love these little flowers? What A Bloom has a great indoor planter full of Violets! The European Planter Basket is perfect for welcoming spring into your home:
- European Planter Basket
Bright and full of life, this European Planter Basket from What A Bloom is a wonderful way to welcome the spring season into your home.
Flower of the Month: January’s Carnation
Content Compliments of Wikipedia:
The formal name for carnation, dianthus, comes from Greek for “heavenly flower”, or the flower of Jove.
Symbolism
For the most part, carnations express love, fascination, and distinction, though there are many variations dependent on colour.
- Light red carnations represent admiration, while dark red denote deep love and affection.
- White carnations represent pure love and good luck, while striped (variegated) carnations symbolize regret that a love cannot be shared.
- Purple carnations indicate capriciousness. In France, it is a traditional funeral flower, given in condolence for the death of a loved one.
- Pink carnations have the most symbolic and historical significance. According to a Christian legend, carnations first appeared on Earth as Jesus carried the Cross. The Virgin Mary shed tears at Jesus’ plight, and carnations sprang up from where her tears fell. Thus the pink carnation became the symbol of a mother’s undying love.
- Carnation is the birth flower for those born in the month of January.
Holidays and events
Carnations are often worn on special occasions, especially Mother’s Day and weddings. In 1907 Anna Jarvis chose a white carnation as the emblem of Mother’s Day because it her mother’s favourite flower and to represent the purity of a mother’s love. This tradition is now observed in the United States and Canada on the second Sunday in May. This meaning has evolved over time, and now a red carnation may be worn if one’s mother is alive, and a white one if she has died.
In Korea, red and pink Carnations are used for showing their love and gratitude toward their parents on Parents Day (Korea celebrates Parents Day on May 8th). Sometimes, you can see parents wear a corsage of Carnation(s) on their left chest on Parents Day. Not only on Parents Day, but also on Teacher’s Day (15 May), people express their admiration and gratitude to their teachers with Carnations, as Carnation has the meaning of ‘admiration’, ‘love’, and ‘gratitude’.
Green carnations are for St. Patrick’s Day and were famously worn by the Irish writer Oscar Wilde.
At the University of Oxford, carnations are traditionally worn to all exams; white for the first exam, pink for middle exams and a red for the last exam. Lore suggests originations during the late 1990s; students carried a white carnation that was kept in a red inkpot between exams, so by the last exam it was fully red.
Love,
Your flower-crazy friends at Flowerblog
With Valentine’s Day around the corner, love is in the air! What a Bloom has a delightful combination of carnations and roses in this charming Precious Heart Bouquet!
- Precious Heart Bouquet
Sweet and romantic, the Precious Heart Bouquet from What a Bloom is the perfect Valentine’s Day gift for your special someone.
Flower Arrangement for December: The Red Poinsettia
The Red Poinsettia Basket is now available though What a Bloom:
Red Poinsettia Basket
No Christmas festivities should be without this gorgeous Mexican flower! The traditional holiday blooming plant, a Christmas Poinsettia with its dark leaves and deep red flowers in a basket is the perfect gift for family and friends. Snatch up your potted Poinsettia from What a Bloom today!
The Legend of the Poinsettia:
Maria and Pablo lived in a tiny village in Mexico. Because Christmastime at their house did not include many gifts, Maria and Pablo looked forward to the Christmas festivities at the village church with great joy and anticipation.
To honor the birth of Christ, the church displayed a beautiful manger that drew crowds of admirers. Villagers walked miles to admire the manger, bringing lovely, expensive gifts for the Baby Jesus. As Maria and Pablo watched the villagers place their gifts in the soft hay around the manger, they felt sad. They had no money to buy gifts for their family and no money to buy a gift for the Baby Jesus.
One Christmas Eve, Maria and Pablo walked to the church for that evening’s services, wishing desperately that they had a gift to bring. Just then, a soft glowing light shone through the darkness, and the shadowy outline of an angel appeared above them.
Maria and Pablo were afraid, but the angel comforted them, instructing them to pick some of the short green weeds that were growing by the road. They should bring the plants to the church, the angel explained, and place them near the manger as their gift to the Baby Jesus. Then just as quickly as she had appeared, the angel was gone, leaving Maria and Pablo on the road looking up into the dark sky. Confused but excited, the children filled their arms with large bunches of the green weeds and hurried to the church.
When the children entered the church, many of the villagers turned to stare. As Maria and Pablo began placing the weeds around the manger, some of the villagers laughed at them. “Why are those children putting weeds by the manger?” they asked each other. Maria and Pablo began to feel embarrassed and ashamed of their gift to the Baby Jesus, but they stood bravely near the manger, placing the plants on the soft hay, as the angel had instructed.
Suddenly, the dull green leaves on the tops of the plants began to turn a beautiful shade of red, surrounding the Baby with beautiful blooms. The laughing villagers became silent as they watched the green plants transform into the lovely star-shaped crimson flowers we call poinsettias. As they watched the weeds bloom before their eyes, Maria and Pablo knew they had no reason to be ashamed anymore. They had given the Baby Jesus the only gift they could–and it was the most beautiful gift of all.
(Story compliments of Stephanie Herberk)
Love,
Your friends at Flowerblog
Woah nelly, how about them apleps!
I simply want to say I am just all new to weblog and certainly enjoyed you’re web site. Likely I’m want to bookmark your blog . You surely have exceptional articles. Cheers for sharing with us your webpage.
Thanks for the comment Andrew, we love positive feedback here at Flowerblog!