BEAUTY OF FLOWERS
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Our reputation has been built on our huge range of exciting designs and by giving our customers quality traditional customer service We are confident the quality and prices of our blooms are very competitive and can not be matched by other Internet or high street florists. We keep our overheads low by not accepting payment on-line, but much preferred to talk with our customers.
Whatever your requirements for flowers are, click on the links above where you will find ideas to inspire you.
The Flower Expert features various articles on The Flower Expert from time to time. Below is the list of such articles, being featured currently:Rose Flower Meanings - The article on Rose Flower Meanings depicts the symbolic meanings associated with roses when you gift them to your loved ones. When you
consciously choose a certain color, variety or number of roses for someone, you bring a whole new depth to the gesture of gifting roses. The Flower Expert compiles a concise list of rose flower meanings.
Organic Flowers - The article on Organic Flowers attempts to make an overview of what Organic Flowers are and goes further to suggest why should we use organic flowers in our routine.
"Heliotrope is an under appreciated Victorian flower that was once very popular in nosegays. It gives off a sweet vanilla scent and will grow into a medium-size shrub. It'll also live happily in a container, and the dark purple flowers hold up well in a vase.
Jasmine may not live long in the vase, but it will be entirely worth your while. My pink jasmine climbs up trellises, sprawls on the ground and generally gets out of hand. But I just snip off the unruly vines and put them in water. It only takes two or three blossoms to perfume the room.Finally, don't overlook scented leaves. I've added fat rose-scented geranium leaves to bouquets, as well as pineapple sage, lavender and verbena. In the winter, I like to bring in woody fragrances like rosemary and pine.
The trick to designing with garden flowers is to audition every blade, leaf and blossom in your garden. I once saw a gorgeous arrangement that included fresh- picked carrots in a clear glass vase. The vibrant orange roots, submerged in water, were as bright as jewels, and the lacy leaves acted as filler for a few sunny rancorous. It was wacky and inspired. That's what garden flowers are all about."
Calendar can be in full bloom on Valentine's Day. Do note on your calendar to plant them next September or October. Learn to plant the lovely annuals that will soon be in bloom, in early fall, to get the best and most carefree bloom, we have all year. All of the following bloom best in our early spring: Calendar, Iceland Poppies, Primula, Primroses, Cineria, Stock, Marguerites, Daffodils, Freesia, Static, Callas - boom in February and March if planted in the fall. Buy them by the dozen then, at very reasonable prices. They will all be available in 4" pots at a higher price now. Another advantage of early spring bloom is the dormancy of many insects.
Roses pruned last month can be fed a good 1 cup of balanced commercial fertilizer now, 10% nitrogen. As soon as all of the the sprouts are out.
Buy cottonseed meal to feed Azaleas next month - good for other shade plants too.
Prune Poinsettias, Lantern, and semi-hard hibiscus, bougainvillea - about the middle of February. Our last freeze date in this area is February 28. Finish dormant pruning early in February.
In spite of the advice of others, I don't fertilize my lawn much now or it gets too think in March and is very difficult to cut.
Epiphenomena get a Hi-bloom fertilizer as soon as blooms appear.
Fuchsias get a second and last feeding of blood meal now. 1T per basket and a heaping T per foot in the ground. Don't work into soil.
Pelagoniums gate a pinching now.
Dahlias and tuberose go in now.
Try another dozen delphiniums in enriched soil. Bait for snails. Or you can use plastic cherry tomato baskets inverted to protect delphiniums from birds and snails.
Make a mum tree. Put 3 plants close together and pinch out side shoots till correct height is reached, then train it like a tree rose. Pompoms are best.
Calendar, carnations, Cinerama, and dahlias always suffer insect damage. I protect from the time of planting with the granular form of systemic and therefore do no spraying, simply using the granules every six weeks.
Meyer lemons do very well here. They are dwarf and look great in a large container.
Try some Azaleas even if they are difficult here. They don't really like our alkaline water and soil. Work an azalea mix into your soil. I don't like pure peat, once dry it is next to impossible to get it wet again.
My friend, and gardening mentor Florence Sullivan, passed away recently at the age of 95 1/2. I had previously asked her daughter's permission to share her gardening tips. She wrote a booklet, with the above title, so any tips I share on this blog, with this title are from "Florence Sullivan," with the kind permission of her daughter Holly.
Since it's already February, I'll do this slightly out of order and start with February.
This booklet contains flower gardening information for a specific area. This area includes Santa Barbara to the Mexican border and from the Pacific, inland to the hotter areas.
To make the best use of this information, may I suggest that you get a thin felt pen with green ink, go to your calendar and turn to the current month. Jot down chores which apply to your garden. Then continue threw the year. Green ink will suggest gardens. Thereafter when you fertilize or spray, make a note on your calendar, in green, to remind you when to do it next. Then you will be organized, and your garden will flourish.
Happy Gardening
The first step in having color in your garden is planning well ahead. This month plan for the mums that will make your garden a joy next October. Divide clumps now and make some cuttings too. If you are limited on space, put a few divisions or cuttings in 4" plastic pots and bring them along for the next six weeks then tuck them in. Keep tops pinched back till first week in August. The rewards are so great that I like to put a very small handful of all purpose organic fertilizer in each hole and also use a small spade and work up the soil for each plant and add some R.S.A. Plants can be obtained at nurseries or asked friends for divisions.
If you have fading foxgloves, you could pull them out and put the mums in. Speaking of foxglove, they are so worthwhile for tall colorful spikes, and have bloomed for almost two months. First, the tall center spike, which when faded is cut back, then, six or more small spikes all grouped. Spikes are hard to come by in the garden where most of the forms are rounded, so next fall do buy some foxgloves. Put it on your calendar for October. They take full sun on the coast. Colors white, purple, cream and pinkish. After the early spring bloom of the last few months, actually the best time in our gardens, there are literally garbage cans full of throwaway material. Consider putting this on the compost heap. Even if you have no time to turn a heap, it will eventually become compost.Delphinium gets cut back when new growth appears at the base.
Early sweet peas are almost gone, you might have a few seeds before throwing them out. When you plant them next September pinch them once when six inches high.
You will be happy about what a nice full bush that makes.
Early in June you could buy pony packs of many late summer annuals, put them in a good mix, half garden soil, half potting mix, in 4" plastic pots, then when all these bare spaces occur from pulling calendar, sweet peas, etc. your late summer things will be ready to pop up and flower. This is a great money saver. The nursery does it for you at about ten times the costs. If you plan ahead this way, you save money and make the garden show more color.
Iris should be divided in July if they have become too crowded, but if you have too many you might dig some now and throw away or give away and tuck summer annuals into the empty spaces.
Dwarf Dahlias can be bought in 4" pots in bloom so you can see the color. Tucked in now, they will give months of bloom in summer, and then die down to rise in full glory for years to come. Use systemic granules when you plant them, and every six weeks thereafter, while in bloom. Let the leaves die completely before cutting back.
Zinnias provide some summer color, they want good air circulation or get mildew.
Roses can be cut with long stems now.
Marguerite should be kept groomed and thinned and they will bloom all year. Make some cuttings now. Many of the best summer bloomers are perennials. Static, lily of Nile, daylights, roses and others. Plan on getting some in next fall, and your garden will have summer color. Glorious daisy could still be planted from 4" pots and give a lot of summer color for years to come. Protect from snails. Select roses now, when you see the colors, but buy in January, bare root. Botanic gardens usually have them labeled.
In mid-June your fuchsias should be in full bloom. They are fairly expensive at this time but do go to a nursery and get the names of some you like and plan a basket for next year. Red ones are blooming now, in full sun, along the coast. Other colors give six months of color, tucked in semi shade in the garden, and trained as trees or bushes. Much easier than watering baskets all the time. Train them high, remember they look best from below, hence the popularity of fuchsia baskets. Learn to make fuchsia trees from basket types.
I suggest you get your social calendar and make an appointment with yourself on the above suggested dates and go out and do these things.
Keep fertilizing!
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