Trust your local florist

Flower Colours and what they can do for your mood

There have been many scientific studies into the properties of flowers. Some believe that they have healing potential or can influence our mood. As far as flower colors are concerned here is what each color can make us feel:

• Black lends power, confidence, and self esteem.
• Blue is calming to the mind and soul. The color is known to lower blood pressure and relieve hypertension.
• Red sets the pulse racing and is known to induce passions.
• Green is nurturing and relaxes the mind and body.
• Violet induces calm and peace.
• Pink soothes and is like a salve, cool and calm.
• Yellow is energetic and spreads sunshine whenever you send flowers in Sutton Coldfield.

My dearest flower series - Muscari
Few spring-flowering bulbs grow as well with as little care as grape hyacinths, and few garner the reaction that people expect when you send flowers Croxteth to someone you love, for the grape hyacinths’ many bright flowers make a remarkable impression. Their tiny, sweetly scented blossoms appear on spikes that generally grow 6 to 9 inches tall; the grass like leaves appear in the fall and lie on the surface of the soil uninjured by winter cold, then wither away in early summer. The plants are attractive in rock gardens and borders, among shrubs and under trees or naturalized in short grass. When cut, they make appealing miniature indoor arrangements, and they can also be grown as house plants. Outstanding selections are the Armenian grape hyacinth, including its variety Heavenly Blue, and the common grape hyacinth, all with sky-blue flowers; a variety of the common grape hyacinth, M. botryoides album, with white flowers; the taller-growing (8 to 12 inches) tassel grape hyacinth, with purplish green flowers, and its variety M. comosum monstrosum; the plume grape hyacinth, with fuzzy mauve-blue flowers; the golden musk grape hyacinth, with bright yellow flowers on the lower parts of its spikes that blend to purple at the top; the musk grape hyacinth, with purple flowers; and the Tubergen grape hyacinth, with two-toned blue flowers which are pale at the bottom of its spikes and darker at the top.

Floral Foam
Floral foam is available in two types from Cudahy florists: fresh or "wet" foam and dry foam. Wet foam should be used only for fresh flowers. Because it is made to soak up water and hold it for the fresh stems, it's too soft for dried and silk arrangements. Dry foam, designed to be used with silk and dried flowers, is firmer and holds stems more securely.
To prepare dry foam prior to attaching it to a base, use a serrated knife to cut it to size. Trim away as much as possible, leaving a smaller area to be concealed. Cut the corners down to make it fit; if placed in a container, trim it to match the container with 1" extending above the rim. If the foam is to fit into a wreath, be sure to trim away enough foam so it fits snugly against the curved inner side.
Use the knife to round the top edges and corners of the foam. This will make it easier to cover with moss or excelsior and make the "ground" where the stems are inserted look more natural. Do not cut away so much of the foam that it no longer extends the correct amount above the rim of the container. It's much easier to achieve a natural, growing look in an arrangement if you're able to insert stems into the foam sides parallel with the table. Usually no more than 1" needs to extend above the rim to achieve this effect.

Cool flowers series - Alstroemeria
Peruvian lilies, most of which are native to Chile or Brazil rather than Peru, bear massive clusters of as many as 50 orange, yellow, lilac, pink or red 1½- to 2-inch-wide lily like blossoms atop 1- to 4-foot-tall stems from early summer until midsummer.
The petals of many flowers are streaked or marked with brown or green. Most types are not fragrant, but A. caryophyllea, a red-flowered species, is sweetly scented. The plants, crowded with narrow 3- to 4-inch leaves, grow from clumps of white rhizome like roots that are brittle and must be handled carefully when you send flowers Cannock to another area. The most widely available types are A. aurantiaca (orange with red stripes) and its varieties, Dover Orange (orange red) and Lutea (bright yellow), all of which grow 2½ to 3 feet tall. The excellent Ligtu Hybrids bear flowers in many pastel blends and grow 2½ to 4 feet tall. A. pelegrina (lilac pink with purple spots) and A. pelegrina alba (white) grow 1 to 2 feet tall. Peruvian lilies are usually grown in flower and shrub borders, and they provide excellent cut flowers.

The Romance of the Rose
Of all flowers, none has been so entwined in men's hearts and history as the rose. Roses lent their legendary romance to the Garden of Eden, to the Hanging Gardens of Babylon and to the gardens of ancient Persia, where nightingales sang and the clovelike scent of damask roses filled the air. The rose was the flower of Aphrodite, Greek goddess of love and beauty, and in Roman times it became the flower of Venus as well. Ever since, in the odes of poets and lays of balladeers, the rose has stood for womanly perfection and the mysteries of love.
Among the first women of history to capitalize on this symbolism was Cleopatra, who, the story has it, welcomed Marc Antony in a room filled with rose petals up to their knees. It was not long before Antony's countrymen outdid the Queen, importing shiploads of roses by Hampstead flower delivery for their pleasures. When Roman nobles dined, their guests were draped with rose garlands, washed with perfumed rose water, and plied with rose puddings and rose wine. In Rome the rose eventually became a symbol of debauchery and, somehow, of secrecy too: when Romans wanted to signify that a conversation was to be confidential, they hung a rose above the participants. Thus was born the term sub rosa: under the rose.

Three-Dimensional Arrangement
Keep your arrangement three-dimensional. The best flowers should be in the front line and the secondary flowers behind them. Flowers with slight imperfections can be added to the display at a low, protected level. For the sake of balance, you might want to use heavier flowers at the base of the arrangement, which will also help prevent damage if you have the flowers delivered Durban. Don't allow these heavier stems to extend out horizontally from the ar­rangement; keep them anchored for a stable appearance. Set some of the lighter and smaller flowers toward the ends of the arrangement. Vary the angle at which you place stems so they will not all be on one plane.

Feeding and repotting Orchids

Most orchids benefit from a specialist orchid fertilizer that is fed as a weak solution and applied once a week. To do this, use only half the amount mentioned on the packet. The type of fertilizer will depend on what your orchid is growing in, so it is wise to check that first.

Sooner or later, unfortunately, the orchid is going to need repotting. Remove the old mix from the pot, being careful not to damage the roots. Rinse the roots and trim off any hollow or mushy ones, as they are considered dead. Place the plant into a new pot, orchids apparently like being root-bound, so there should only be about 1' between the roots and the edge of the pot. Add the new mix/medium to the pot, tapping the sides to make sure it settles properly. Press gently to settle the plant but don't use too much force or the roots may break. Use a stick to support the plant in the pot so it is secure. If your plant is growing in sphagnum moss, make sure it is damp before wrapping it round the roots and repotting, that way you don't have to worry about pockets of air. After repotting, the plant should not be watered for 3 - 5 days to allow it to recover. A flower delivery Partickhill from your local florist should have some instructions on how to do this correctly.

Sometimes only flowers will do

Blue rose mystery

The very ‘existence' of blue roses is indeed a mystery in itself, because they are not supposed to exist! The fact that their appearance (albeit through unnatural methods) defies the course of nature makes them mysterious and ambiguous. This makes them a good choice if you wish to send flowers Penrith to signify some mysterious meaning.

Glues
Tacky craft glue effectively secures stems in floral foam. Dip the cut stem into glue, then insert it into the project. Gluing keeps stems from twisting in or dislodging from the foam, ruining established design lines.
Hot or low temperature glue guns are handy for floral designing, and they can be purchased in a Pelham Bay flower shop. The low temperature gun is safer, but not as secure as hot glue when used on items preserved with glycerin. Apply glue to the stem end, then insert it into the foam or onto the base. Hold the item for a moment until the glue sets. Glue sticks are available in different formulas; make sure you use the correct stick for the job and the gun.
Glue pans, which hold a pool of melted glue at a constant temperature, are useful when you have a lot of gluing to do. They let you keep one hand free by allowing you to dip the stems.

Flower Growing and Retailing
Within recent years flowers have been more and more in demand and this has given rise, not alone to the development of large centers of flower production, but also to artistic flower-stores and other means of Blackley flower delivery. The growing of flowers is essentially an agricultural industry. The work can be carried on successfully only by men adapted for this specialized field. On the other hand, the selling of flowers demands a man with an artistic temperament as well as a keen business mind. The two types of men are so radically different that whenever possible the growing of flowers should be kept separate from the retailing.
Recently the business of flower-growing has changed in a marked degree. Certain lines of production have gone into the hands of a comparatively few persons. As an illustration, most of the roses are grown under glass for cut-flower purposes by a few firms. The grower of miscellaneous florist crops has found that he cannot raise roses economically on a small scale and in competition with the rose specialist; therefore he devotes his activities to other lines of production, and buys from the specialist such roses as he needs to supply his retail trade.

Pleasure your woman

Armed with the following great advice you can't go wrong. Put those corn chips down now and pick up the phone to your local florist to get the ball rolling. If you want to put a great big smile on the face of a special female all you have to do is send her some flowers. Whilst this advice doesn't come with any money back guarantees, we're fairly confident that if you send flowers Walton to a woman, she'll love you forever! Have you ever met a woman who didn't just adore receiving flowers? If you have please let us know because that is a very rare creature indeed.

Glycerine
The most effective way to pre­serve foliage is to use a solu­tion of glycerine and water. This leaves foliage looking naturally moist and supple. Glyc­erine is also quite effective for preserving plants that become brittle when dry. Seedpods such as Chinese lanterns and flowers such as statice and baby's breath will benefit from this treatment. You can pur­chase glycerine from a chemi­cal supply company or a Riccarton flower shop that sells chemical products. Pick plants that are unblemished and have not begun to show signs of autumn color. Glycerine is not easily absorbed into new growth or by plants that are too mature; for this reason it is best to choose foliage in its midseason or peak. Glycerine tends to turn leaves a darker green and oc­casionally it turns them a won­derful burgundy color. For example, I placed leucothoe into a glycerine solution con­tainer and was delighted with the resulting rich bronze color.

Quick drying of flowers
Remember that it is by drying quickly that you will get the best results. If drying in a shed or garage, watch the seed heads carefully because if they dehydrate very rapidly they shrivel and tend to slip out of the strings holding them together. Place bundles well apart so they get as much air as possible circulating round them.
Light materials like grasses take about a week or so to dry, and heavier stems of, say, seed heads of hollyhocks, sedum, cardoons and lupins, take about three weeks. You can get these within a flower delivery Wauchope if you don't have the time to do it yourself. When dry these can be cut down and stored in boxes in a dry place. Always keep a lid on the box to exclude light, as they fade very quickly.
The more precious seed and flower heads, like statice and acrolinium, I tie in small bunches and dry them over the boiler in the kitchen. They dry very quickly like this and are not in the way too long!

Avoid Wedding woes

There is such a huge range of choices available when it comes to wedding flowers that it is easy to become overwhelmed by it all. Do you want the formal look of roses and orchids, or the more casual feel of wildflowers with a seasonal garden style bouquet? What colors do you want, what size and shape of bouquet for yourself and your attendants? The best place to start, and its free, is to visit your local library and look at books and magazines for ideas on flower styles and trends. Doing a little homework before meeting with an Pine Grove florist can be a great help for you and the florist.

One of my favourite flowers - Anaphalis cinnamomea (pearly everlasting)
Characteristics: The foliage of pearly everlasting is a de­lightful silvery gray color. The flowers, which bloom in late summer, resemble small white daisies. My favorite variety is 'Margaritacea', which has lovely gray foliage and a profusion of snow-white blooms in late summer.
Cultural Information: Live-­everlasting, as it is sometimes called, is not fussy about soil, provided it is very well drained. To propagate from seed, start in a cold frame in early spring. Germination will occur in four to eight weeks at 55° to 60°F temperatures. Plant seedlings in the garden after all danger of frost. Space seedlings 12 inches apart.
Because the seed is slow to germinate, it might be best to purchase plants from a Warranwood flower shop in­stead of starting from seed.
Harvesting/Drying: Harvest be­fore the flowers are fully ma­ture. Remove foliage from long stems and hang in a dry, well-­ventilated place. Anaphalis will also dry nicely in an upright position. The delicate flower heads will need the support of a wire that you can add before or after drying. Make sure to dry them quickly so flowers will not mature and go to seed.

Don't pay the penalty for unfresh flowers

Faking it

Some of the more traditional amongst you may scoff at the idea of using fake flowers, but it is a real and viable alternative in today’s world. Not everyone can afford to spend thousands of dollars on fresh flowers, or employ a florist to create unique arrangements. Fake flowers can look just as beautiful, and these days you can even spray them with a fragrance to complete the floral deception. I would wager that the majority of guests at the wedding would not even notice that the flowers were not fresh. Artificial flowers might even put your local flower delivery Stockwood expert out of business one day!

Men like flowers too!

Ask your florist online for more information and ideas for delivering and sending flowers to men. Remember to discreetly check that your man will not be too embarrassed before you send flowers Beechboro. You don't want to upset him by making him feel small in front of his workmates. Good luck, I hope he likes them!

Substituting Floral Materials
It’s an easy task to substitute flowers for the ones listed in a project. If colors need to be changed to match your décor, determine the dominant colors in the project design. Select the same number and type of flowers listed using your desired colors. Repeat through the list, substituting your chosen colors for the ones listed. When you’ve gathered all the flowers, hold them together in a bunch to see how the new colors blend or contrast with each other.
If one flower in a design is unavailable from a florist Manawatu-Wanganui, look around to find one similar to it. Check to make sure it’s approximately the same size and that there are as many blossoms as needed. If you’re substituting a different type of flower, make sure it’s the same shape: a 3” wide rose or carnation might be substituted for a 3” wide peony. The texture will be a little different, but the design shouldn’t suffer for it.

Acanthus (bear’s-breech)
Broad, deeply lobed, glossy evergreen leaves as much as 2 feet long make acanthus a stately foliage plant. Its dense, cylindrical spikes of tubular flowers unfold atop 3- to 4-foot stalks. Bear’s-breech is a very popular addition to gift arrangements when people send flowers Deaconsbank to others.
Selected species and varieties: A. mollis (soft-leaved acanthus)-white or purple flowers above lustrous, wavy, heart-shaped leaves; A. mollis 'Latifolius' is hardier and more robust than the species, with larger leaves and mauve to pink flowers. A. spinosus (spiny bear's-breech)-arching, deeply cut, spiky leaves and rose to mauve flowers.
Growing conditions and maintenance: Plant acanthus 3 feet apart. Propagate from seed or by division every 4 to 5 years. Acanthus is difficult to relocate, as fleshy root pieces inadvertently left behind quickly produce new plants at the original site.

Simple Mass and Traditional Dried Arrangements
Creating an arrangement of dried flowers can be as simple as choosing a container and filling it to the brim with one variety of dried flower. Such simple arrangements are often quite dramatic. Fill a basket with flowers such as baby's breath, sea lavender or German statice to create a full arrange­ment. For added interest, insert vials of seasonal fresh flowers Whitley Heights or other more colorful dried flowers. These arrangements will last for many months if you just freshen up the accent flowers every few weeks.
Traditional dried arrangements resemble fresh flower arrange­ments. The first step is to place the foliage material as a back­ground; this will also create the overall shape. Next add filler materials, which will provide texture to the arrangement. Fi­nally, incorporate the more prominent and colorful flowers such as dahlias, peonies or roses.

My dearest flower series - Muscari
Few spring-flowering bulbs grow as well with as little care as grape hyacinths, and few garner the reaction that people expect when you send flowers Morningside Circle to someone you love, for the grape hyacinths’ many bright flowers make a remarkable impression. Their tiny, sweetly scented blossoms appear on spikes that generally grow 6 to 9 inches tall; the grass like leaves appear in the fall and lie on the surface of the soil uninjured by winter cold, then wither away in early summer. The plants are attractive in rock gardens and borders, among shrubs and under trees or naturalized in short grass. When cut, they make appealing miniature indoor arrangements, and they can also be grown as house plants. Outstanding selections are the Armenian grape hyacinth, including its variety Heavenly Blue, and the common grape hyacinth, all with sky-blue flowers; a variety of the common grape hyacinth, M. botryoides album, with white flowers; the taller-growing (8 to 12 inches) tassel grape hyacinth, with purplish green flowers, and its variety M. comosum monstrosum; the plume grape hyacinth, with fuzzy mauve-blue flowers; the golden musk grape hyacinth, with bright yellow flowers on the lower parts of its spikes that blend to purple at the top; the musk grape hyacinth, with purple flowers; and the Tubergen grape hyacinth, with two-toned blue flowers which are pale at the bottom of its spikes and darker at the top.

More bang for your florists buck

Florist background

Ever wondered how your local Queenslie Florist is able to send out such wonderful blooms on your behalf? Well before they actually get to the florist, there is a whole wide range of steps taken in the cut flower market. By harvesting and handling a cut flower crop in the best way, the quality of the marketable product is greatly improved, and with better quality comes longer shelf life.

A pretty flower - Xeranthemum (everlasting flower, immortelle)

Characteristics: Everlasting flowers, which may be single or double, range in color from white to deep rose. Their stems are sturdy and have pale green leaves with a downy texture. Having everlasting flowers delivered Mammoth Lakes is always a great idea, as they are very useful in dried arrangements, wreaths and swags. They hold their color and shape for a long time.

Cultural Information: Xeranthemum likes full sun and will grow in most well-drained garden soils. Sow the seed where they are to bloom in late spring. Be sure to wait for the soil to warm to about 60° F. Germination should take approximately 20 days.

Harvesting/Drying: Flowers will retain their color in the garden for a long time. Harvest the flowers at various stages of development from half open to fully opened. Be sure to pick them before their colors begin to fade or become damaged by dampness. Xeranthemum is in the category of everlasting flowers, which means that it is naturally dry and free of moisture in its petals. After you harvest the flowers, hang them to dry.

Loop stitch method for corsage making

Remove most of the stem, leaving 6mm (bin). Insert a fine silver wire in the back of the leaf, about one third from the tip and across the central vein. Make a small stitch. Pull both wires down at the base of the leaf; wind one wire around the stem and the other wire. Now tape to form a stem.

Method

Wire and tape all materials. Make two units of two leaves. Tape two roses together. Now place the leaf unit behind the roses. Next, bind in the main rose, gently easing it into a vertical position. Add two single leaves to each side of the main rose. Bind in single pieces of wax flower. To make the returned end, add the unit of two leaves and a piece of wax flower below the main flower. Add a bow. Trim out the excess wires and cut to the required length. Tape to form a stem and finish with the pin. All good florists Richards Bay will be comfortable using this method to create a corsage.

Which Colour?

When choosing flowers to include in a flower delivery West Sharyland, customers often ask for the recipient’s favourite colour, but if they do not know this they may ask the florist for advice. If the flowers are to celebrate the birth of a boy or girl, this is easy, as it is normal to send pink for a girl and either blue or yellow for a boy. Blue flowers are sometimes difficult to acquire, and blue ribbon is used as a substitute. Yellow and orange flowers always look bright and cheerful, while red makes the room look warm. White, cream and blue flowers are restful, and a good choice for someone who is very ill. It is also helpful to find out for whom the flowers are being bought; men seem to prefer bright strong colours, such as reds, burgundy and rusts, whereas older ladies like mauves, lilacs and pastel colours. Children seem to prefer bright colours.

Making your flowers last longer than the pyramids

Loving tips to longer lasting flowers - These tips should keep your flowers looking fresh for as long as possible.

Make sure the flowers are put into a clean vase as soon as the delivery from a Brentford Florist reaches you. Clean the vase with some bleach to get rid of any bacteria beforehand though.

Cut a couple of centimetres or so diagonally off the end of the stems under water before putting the flowers in water. They should be recut every three to four days. A fresh cut removes the bacteria, opens a new part of the stem to take up water, and prevents air pockets from forming inside the stem.

Christmas Display

Christmas is a magical time, and as florists we must capture that magic in our displays. Garlands, swags and door wreaths are still top of the Christmas shopping list. Why not update garlands with tartan bows, and swags with paper ribbons? Add fruit, nuts and gourds to door wreaths. Use exciting golds, greens, silver and blues as well as the traditional red.

Shop displays are often disappointing, reflecting an unplanned presentation of goods. Time is given to more demanding areas of work, resulting in what should be an advertisement, working 24 hours a day for the business, doing exactly the opposite. Display is an art form in three dimensions, with ideas used to attract customers to enter and buy or place a flower delivery Brentwood order. Window displays have to be composed like a picture and, it is advisable to confine the objects displayed within a narrower space than the window frame itself. Novelty always stops people in their tracks, so why not use an accessory, such as a fireplace to attract attention?

The majority of goods need to be at eye level or below, as it is easier to look down than up. Good lighting is also important but it has to be discreet as the public should see the well-lit display not the lights.

A florists Tale

Getting to the Root of the Problem
Trees and shrubs adjacent to a flower garden can be a problem not only because of their shade but also because their large roots are likely to creep into the beds and rob your plants of nutrients and moisture. It is difficult to gauge what might be an adequate distance to separate a garden from a tree, since the roots of a large shade tree growing in shallow soil can extend 100 feet or more from the trunk. If the area gets plenty of sun, it is possible to garden near trees, tall hedges, and shrubs, as long as you are prepared to provide enough moisture and nutri­ents to nourish both your garden and the larger plants. Depending on the type of flowers Gowanus you are growing, you may be able to plant them in close proximity to the trees and shrubs. Some gardeners bury a metal or concrete barrier 2 or more feet deep between a newly planted hedge or shrub border and the garden to keep the roots from venturing where they are not wanted.

Best loved flowers - Centaurea cyanus (bachelor's button, cornflower)
Characteristics: Bachelor's button is an old-fashioned flower that has enjoyed popularity for good reason. They made fashionable boutonnieres for gentlemen years ago. They are still very popular today when people choose to send flowers Whitley Heights for an important formal occasion. Bachelor's buttons come in several heights. The low border plants 'Jubilee Gem' and 'Polka Dot Mixed' are just 12 to 15 inches in height. Dusty miller is usually grown as an annual in colder northern climates. This tender perennial survives winters in my garden and will return to produce tiny clusters of yellow flowers.
Cultural Information: Sow seed in early spring in cold winter areas, and in late summer or fall where winters are mild. Bachelor's buttons are very adaptable and grow in poor, sandy or average soil. Fertilizer is not necessary unless the soil is unusually poor. For a continuous supply of flowers, deadhead daily. Because of their weak stems, the taller varieties need staking to prevent sprawling.

Sweetbrier [Eglantine] Roses
Sweetbrier roses, also known as eglantine roses, de­rive their common name from their sweet fragrance and thick, thorny habit of growth. Their gracefully arched branches grow 8 to 12 feet tall. Their blos­soms, five petaled except in a few hybrids, are bright pink, red, copper or yellow, and appear singly or in clusters. The flowers Tottenville Beach are about 1 ½ inches in diameter and are surrounded by roundish leaves approximately 1 ½ inches long that are dark green on the upper surface and grayish on the underside; the leaves give off an apple fragrance that is especially strong on humid days. Most sweetbriers bloom once each year, in late spring or early summer, but the leaves retain their fragrance throughout the growing season. Many types of sweetbrier roses produce an enormous num­ber of hips, small and either round or oval in shape, depending on the variety; their orange-red hue lends color to gardens well into autumn and even winter. Sweetbrier stems are abundantly thorny, and if left untended the bushes become impenetrable thickets. But because of their compact growth habit, they can be trained into excellent hedges. Vigorous growers, sweetbriers are hardy enough to survive in most mild climates without winter protection.

Display guidelines
Forward planning is important; a good display should he planned with these questions in mind:
Why — Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day
Where — shop windows, island stands
What — fresh flowers, containers or sundries
Balance is an important factor. There should he a visual framework to attract the eye and make the display look pleasing. Presentation is equally important. Price tickets and display cards should be written neatly and clearly. Window display can become time- consuming, so keep it simple. The colour theme and accessories can be chosen well in advance, and fresh plants and flowers added at the last minute.
The essential ingredient is imagination — make your display vibrant, colourful and exciting, and it will sell your flowers Bunyip North. People automatically respond to colour, especially in the world of flowers, so use colour themes to give impact to your displays and to stimulate ideas and interest.

Design Styles
Vertical: The entire design is narrow and long or tall. The materials pull the eye up or down through the arrangement, with varying textures and colors, providing interest. The path the eye follows could curve back and forth, but the components should keep the focus within those vertical boundaries.
Circular: The components are kept within a circular outline; a round wreath is the perfect example of a circular design, though many other bases can be adapted to this style. The varying materials again provide the interest and mixing the types is essential to prevent boredom in a circular design.
Crescent: The components are arranged to follow a smooth curve. Generally they stay within the crescent, but they may be intersected by other materials, bringing the viewer’s eye back into the center of the design. Crescents can be tight with the flowers Willow Park following a strict curved line or they may be loose with the line established but other products inserted loosely around the shape.
Hogarth curve: A graceful line is established along a relaxed S-curve. Wire-stemmed materials are easily manipulated and shaped to this line. The curve can be as tight as an “S” or loose enough to allow the upper and lower ends to extend into straighter lines.

Summer annuals

These annuals as their name suggests, are not comfortable in the cold winter months so the ideal time to grow them is three weeks after the last spring frost. Since these annual flowers grow well in warm climates, you can expect to see them in all of their glory in the late spring and the warm months of summer. Just imagine strolling into your garden to pick some beautiful fresh blooms to place on your coffee table. If you can't be bothered to go to all of this trouble to grow your own flowers then you might want to just organise a flower delivery Whalley Range in Victoria to meet your needs.

Give your florist a break

Baskets
Baskets are an ideal accompaniment for flowers. They are available in a multitude of materials and an amazing assortment of shapes and sizes, so it is possible to purchase a suitable basket for any occasion. Small delicate baskets can be used for designs to be carried, large ones for planted displays, and all the sizes in between for fresh, fabric or dried arrangements.
With a coarsely-woven rustic basket, use a profusion of dried country-style flowers, such as larkspur, yarrow, alchemilla and tansy. Fabric flowers in a small pastel-coloured basket can create a wonderfully romantic display for a bride or her attendants. Complete the design with a bow of good- quality fabric ribbon just as any good florists Thornlie would do.
It is a good idea to link the colour of the basket to the arrangement, so choose pale pastel shades to fill a straw-coloured willow basket, or vibrant exotic flowers to complement baskets of woven palm or bamboo.

Flowers of the world - Lonas inodora (African daisy, golden ageratum)
Characteristics: The African daisy's clusters of bright yellow flowers bloom in late summer. The flowers appear on strong, branching stems that do not require wiring. The flowers resemble those of Achillea filipendulina, but are much smaller. This hardy annual is not affected by a light frost and will bloom well into autumn. Plant Lonas inodora in borders for long periods of interest and color. They combine well with annual blue salvia or in front of late-blooming purple asters.
Cultural Information: Lonas inodora will grow in almost any soil, provided it has good drainage. In warm climates, direct sow the seed in April. In climates with late spring, sow the seed indoors in March, 1/8 inch deep, at temperatures of 55° F. Plant outside after danger of frost. Space the seedlings 12 inches apart.
Harvesting/Drying: Harvest the flowers Sasolburg of the African daisy just before they are fully opened. Remove the foliage and secure with rubber bands in bunches of no more than five heads. Hang the bunches in a dark, dry, well-ventilated spot.

Begonias
There are many mixed packets of begonia seed on the market and these, given a bed to themselves, provide great pleasure and constant colour from the first flowering to the first frost, with little or no special care, apart from watering. If you like the more unusual then it might be worth trying ‘Coco Ducolour’. It does need careful planting and placing to show it off to the best advantage, but the white flowers edged with red and the well-shaped plants with their bronze foliage really appeal to me. These are not your typical flower that you would see in an average florists Khandallah shop and can be difficult to get hold of.

When would you send men flowers?

Pretty much the same occasions as for women. Think back to the times when you would love to receive flowers: on your birthday, on special anniversaries, during down times, after a job promotion, the list goes on. Any of these would also be a good time to send flowers to the man in your life. A word of warning though, most men would not like to receive flowers sent to their place of work. A sense of embarrassment in front of their work colleagues is the reason for this. Always send flowers Kenilworth to a place where he feels comfortable receiving them, and never to a place where he may be placed in an akward position.

Color Palette
Color is one of the most essen­tial elements in designing your garden. If you grow flowers of complementary colors, your dried flower arranging will be made easy. Many of the ever­lasting flowers (gomphrena, for example) have strong colors that need careful placement in the borders. Gomphrena 'Buddy', a lively royal purple flower that can be found in a Laurieston flower shop, looks terrific when grown next to shades of pink, white or even the sunny yellow of coreopsis. Vibrant colors such as yellow and orange will bring warmth and excitement to your arrangements. Strong colors are certainly important in the gar­den and in dried arrangements.
But remember that white is also indispensable; it helps to create harmony among the other colors. The white Ammobium (winged everlasting) and Anaphalis (pearly everlasting), for example, complement the strong rose and crimson colors of Aster novae-belgii. White also brightens up both the gar­den and arrangements. You'll find that pink roses are beauti­ful in combination with the blue of lavender. Experiment with color combinations to find your favorites!

How to Buy Bulbs
When you shop for bulbs, the best advice I can give you is to deal with reputable firms. If you choose to have the bulbs sent to you via Fallowfield flower delivery, always be certain to check the bulbs before signing your receipt. Wrapped in the tight brown packages of their own tissue, bulbs can hide, even from a practiced eye, internal damage they may have suffered since leaving the grower’s fields. They may have been improperly dried, or cured, or they may have been overheated in shipment or storage, either of which can doom the embryonic flower inside. The terminology under which bulbs are sold is not much help: some are classified by their circumference in inches or centimeters; others are labeled “top size” or “exhibition,” called “jumbo,” “first size,” “second size” or “flowering size.” If you buy from a top-grade nursery, garden center or mail-order house, however, you can depend on the fact that, despite the trade jargon, what you will get will be of a size and grade suitable for growing in your garden with satisfying results.