Make Your Cut Flowers Last
By admin | October 19, 2008
Who doesn’t love receiving flowers. They make great gifts but they have a very limited life. Would you like to learn how to make your flowers last for days or even a week longer? Of course you would so read along.
After you receive your flowers you need to immediately place them in water. Prepare the water carefully. Make sure that you use the flower food provided by the florist. It will treat the water and make it more suitable for flowers. If your florist has not provided you with flower food, try to use distilled water which contains less minerals and will be easier for the flowers to absorb. Before you place the flowers in the water, cut the stems to expose fresh flower stem.
Cut them at an angle under water. You want to cut them at an angle to give them more surface area to absorb nutrients through. Cutting them under water is important because it prevents air from getting into the veins in the stem of your flower. An air bubble in the stem would prevent the flower from getting water and nutrients. Also make sure that only the flowers stem is under water. Do not allow leaves to be under the water level since that could cause them to rot.
Now that you have cut your flowers and given them proper water, you need to keep them safe. Keep your roses, daisies or other flowers away from heat and strong sunlight which can dry out your flowers. If leaves die, remove them promptly to keep them from contaminating the water. Dead leaves will breed bacteria which will damage your flower. Change the water at least every other day, every day if possible. Every couple of days it is also a good idea to re-cut the flower stems. Remember to once again cut them at an angle and under water.
That’s all it takes to have long lasting flowers. A couple minutes a day spent caring for them can easily double or even triple the life of your flowers.
James C operates the Florist Directory.
Tags: cut flower, daisies, dead flowers, florist, flower delivery, flower shop, flowers, roses, vaseFlowers Speak Too
By admin | September 27, 2008
It is traditional and stylish to “say it with flowers.” You can send flowers to say welcome; I am sorry; I love you; and many more. Beautifully arranged and fragrant flowers can brighten up a person’s day. World over, flowers have been in use since ancient times to decorate palaces and homes, in rituals, during spring dances, as a part of weddings, and more.
Flowers are not selected randomly, over the years they have developed meanings. For example, the acacia means concealed love, chaste love or beauty; the aster symbolizes both love and daintiness; a pink carnation means says I will never forget you; while the yellow says rejection or disappointment; the tulip says you have sunshine in your smile.
Then of course there are “birthday” flowers. Those born in February have the primrose and violet as birth flowers; while the larkspur and water lily are birth flowers for those born in July; and the holly, narcissus, and poinsettia are flowers for birthdays in December.
Birth signs too have specific flowers: for Arians who are passionate and adventurous the flowers are red roses, tulips, and amaryllis while for Scorpios the flowers are hibiscus, peony, and amaranthus among others.
The colors of flowers have meaning and speak a language that is their own and there are scientific as well as traditional interpretations.
Traditionally:
Red flowers signify romance.
Yellow flowers friendship.
White flowers reverence.
Peach flowers thanks.
Pink flowers appreciation.
Orange flowers flames of desire.
Purple flowers mean love at first sight.
Scientifically speaking, colors are known to affect the mind and soul. So, a color can spread joy, relieve tensions, energize a person, or sooth. In fact, flowers are known to have healing properties too:
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.
All over the world, there are many traditions and beliefs and poems as well as stories that glorify the beauty and uniqueness of flowers. Some kinds of flowers have a special place in coronations, rituals, and celebrations. Flowers have always blessed life on earth and will always be there for you to gift and say “I care.”
The language of flowers is not set, rigid, or universal. They have different meanings and connotations in different parts of the world. Flowers can help you express thoughts, feelings, and emotions, they do the needful when words are difficult to say.
Andrew Bermam is a freelance writer for http://www.1888SendFlowers.com , the premier website to find all kind of services to Send Flowers online like flower arrangements, cheap flower send, roses, bouquets, plants, fresh flowers delivery and more. He also freelances for Submit Free Press Release site http://www.1888PressRelease.com
Tags: bouquets, cheap flower send, flower arrangements, Plants, roses, send flowers, Send Flowers onlineCaring for Roses
By admin | September 5, 2008
Roses are some of the most beautiful flowers in existence. They are one of the most commonly grown flowers around the world because there are so many different varieties and they will grow in most climates around the world, needing no special heat or cold requirements to flower.
They are however not without problems. In order to grow roses first consider the location in the garden. Remember the colour of the rose and judge if it fits into the layout your garden. Just because the rose itself might be pretty does not mean you can just place it anywhere, it should still match your colour schemes. Consideration should also be given to the height of the surrounding plants, Roses can grow in numerous sizes from huge standards to dwarf to large hedges and overhangs.
Roses are a strong enough flower to hold there own needing nothing else to set them off. In the case of climbing roses ensure you have plenty of frames for them to grow on. In planting the rose ensure its in a place where it gets approximately 6 hours of unfiltered sunlight a day if you want it to thrive. Further plant it out with a Rose mix which can be brought in bags and are made to ensure the right combination of minerals to get the best out of your rose. Make sure to water them until they are established.
One of the greatest problems with Roses are that they attract Aphids. In fact a healthy bush seems to mean just a greater feast for these pests. A shop brought insecticide used as per instructions soon deals with these pests. If you want a more organic approach try a generous garlic spray.
Other problems can include scale, blackspot and fungus. Once again go to your shop or garden center, there are sprays particularly dedicated to these problems.
Apart from these on the whole Roses are easy to grow which is why they are so popular. They look beautiful and the colours go from bright reds to yellows, orange, apricot, pink, blue, brown and with selective breeding the numbers just keep growing.
After flowering season don’t forget to pune heavily. I don’t think one can over pune a rose. They just grow back with even more vigor the next season. In the case of grafted roses make sure you cut off any suckers from the root stock.
Roses are beautiful in the garden, but its hard to resist the temptation and cut some to bring inside. If you are going to do so, cut them just on the point of opening. If they are already open they won’t last long at all. To increase how long they last try putting them in Sprite (I know it sounds strange but give it a go).
For more on Roses visit http://caring-for-roses.blogspot.com
This article is the property of Alastair HARRIS and his immediate family. It may be freely republished over the internet but must include original links.
Alastair HARRIS is the main promoter for article-gems.com article directory (visit http://www.article-gems.com) and the getfinancialfreedom4u family of websites, blogs and projects (visit http://getfinancialfreedom4u.ws) specializing in online business opportunities and education, income being generated by affiliate marketing, google, GDI, eBay, clip flipping and more. Alastair is rated as an expert author on numerous article directories and is very open to assisting others on the internet
Tags: caring for roses, flowers, gardening, growing roses, rose tip, roses