Bold Colors for Your Flower Garden

Plan your garden's bold color range for the intensity of light in its
peak season. For instance, if plantings look their best in high
summer, select the brightest colors possible so they won't fade in
harsh sunlight. Tone down the color later by editing out plants or
adding cooling white or silver plants as fillers among the brighter
flowers.

The flower combinations listed below offer a starting point for
creating your own bold color garden.

Bold and Beautiful
Use bold colors to enliven a scene, but remember to practice a
modicum of restraint. Consider these outstanding color matches:

• Pair 'Royal Purple' smokebush with copper tulips or
  red Oriental poppies.


• Combine pink 'Silver Cup' lavatera with orange California poppies


• Mingle red and gold daylilies, dahlias, and marigolds


• Pair Rudbeckia "Goldsturm' and Aster x frikartii "Monch".
  Include lamb's ears as a calming device for the glowing duo.


• Mix summer bulbs: purple alliums and orange foxtail lilies.

The Magic of Magenta

Daring gardeners savor magenta's good vibrations and discover
endless ways to contrast one of the boldest of the bold colors
for stunning combinations, such as:

• Magenta coneflower with silver artemisia


• Hot pink English primrose with chocolate-leaf bergenia


• Magenta cosmos with purplish bronze fennel


• Lime green euphorbia with magenta-flower zinnia


• Deep pink roses with cinnamon-hue plume poppy


• Magenta sweet William with burgundy astilbe


• Magenta 'Ann Folkard' geranium with golden orange daylily

Plan room in your garden for summer bulbs

Here are some summer-blooming bulbs to consider:

• Dahlias: With blooms that range from simply daisylike to cushiony pompons, in sizes from 1 inch to 6 or 10 inches, on plants from 1 to 7 feet tall and colors from white to fire-engine red, the wide-ranging dahlias are the secret weapons of the fall garden. They start blooming when the weather begins to cool off and continue blooming until frost. Dahlias need full sun.

• Elephant ears: Another plant that has enjoyed a revival in recent years, these huge-leaved taro plants, often 5 feet tall and just as wide, can make a garden look "like another country," says Holmberg. Black Magic, a moderate-size cultivar with dark, velvety leaves, is popular, but Kunst likes Colocasia esculenta Fontanesii, with green leaves held on bright violet stems. Elephant ears need light shade, shelter from the wind and lots of moisture, so Kunst often grows them in containers that sit in saucers full of water.

• Tuberous begonias: Not the bedding plants bought in flats, these lovelies, grown from tubers, have luxurious rosettes of bloom that brighten shade in beds or pots. The colors are incredibly lush and velvety.

• Gladioli: Some people still associate tall, stately gladiolus with stiff funeral arrangements, Holmberg says. But Kunst thinks the tide has turned, especially for smaller-flowering varieties such as Atom. They seem to be more disease-resistant, he says. Ferguson likes to spot gladioli in clumps of five to nine among perennials, such as Flower Carpet Pink shrub roses, Autumn Joy sedum and perennial mums, which she says will hold them so they don't need staking.

• Gladiolus callianthus: Recently reclassified as a member of the gladiolus family, it looks very unlike its cousins, with sharp, bright white petals around deep purple centers, held on slender stems that sway in the wind.

• Cannas: Once derided as old-fashioned, cannas, with their often striped leaves and spikes of tropical-style bloom that add height to beds or containers, are red-hot in gardening circles. Maybe too hot. Kunst thinks some gardeners are turned off by "that hard edge that comes with a blazing red or blazing yellow flower." He points out the many more subtle cannas, such as the delicate pink Madame Paul Caseneuve, that bloom in much softer shades. Cannas do best in full sun, though they can tolerate a bit of filtered light.

• Gloriosa vines: Ferguson loves these because "they look like alien intruders from another world," with far-reaching tendrils and "flowers like orange and yellow butterflies." Grow in sun on a support such as a trellis.

• Caladiums: Grown for their heart-shaped leaves that range from green to silver, often touched with pink, caladiums brighten shady spots.

• Lilies: Don't forget: The hardy lilies -- early summer Asiatics, midsummer LA hybrids, late-summer Orientals and later Orienpets -- can be planted in spring as well as fall. Don't lift their bulbs; they are hardy and will thrive for years.

Arbors & Trellises

From rustic to elegant, White Flower Farm has arbors and trellises that will suit every garden setting. My favorite is the "classic arched arbor"; I can imagine stepping through the rose adorned opening and stepping into my very own "secret garden". Arbors can frame a passageway or add height to your garden to make the overall appearance more visually appealing.

Roses

The world is a rose, smell it and pass it to your friends.
~Persian Proverb

Dreaming About Spring!

Oh, the cold weather has hit....after a very mild winter. I was dreaming about spring today when my White Flower Farm Catalog arrived in the mail. It was just the thing I needed to chase the "winter blues" away!

If roses are what you fancy, White Flower Farm offers a delicious array of colors and varieties that are sure to satisfy every gardener.

Tips from White Flower Farm:
To encourage Roses to rebloom:
~Remove spent blooms by cutting their stems back to a point just above a five-parted leaf. After the first bloom cycle of summer has passed, add a topdressing of fertilizer(10-15-10)
~Keep spider miles and blackspot fungus under control.
~Train some of the new canes to a horizontal position-this induces the formation of flower buds-by attaching their tips to short stakes, a technique called pegging.

Read our White Flower Farm Merchant Review

Pansies the garden flowers with a face!

The Pansy or Pansy Violet is a cultivated garden flower. It is derived from the wildflower called the Heartsease or Johnny Jump Up (Viola tricolor), and is sometimes given the subspecies name Viola tricolor hortensis.

However, many garden varieties are hybrids and are referred to as Viola X Wittrockiana. The name "pansy" also appears as part of the common name of a number of wild flowers belonging, like the cultivated Pansy, to the violet genus Viola. One or two unrelated flowers such as the Pansy Monkeyflower also have "pansy" in their name...more

Daisies - Garden Flower of the Day!

The Daisy Butterfly, 'Argyranthemum frutescens', is a fantastic release from
Proven Winners. The Daisy 'Butterfly' is a heat-tolerant marguerite Daisy with oomph. 'Butterfly' produces canary-yellow flowers throughout the summer ­ even without deadheading.

Daisy's require a sunny spot with fertile, well-drained soil and should be kept well watered in the summer. Daisy's may be used as a cut flower and they are excellent in window boxes, pots, and rock gardens. The Daisy is attractive to bees, butterflies and/or birds, plus they are resistant to deer.

These Daisys are winter hardy to USDA Zones 10-11 and they are grown as an annual in other cooler climatic zones. For zones 9-11, this plant can also be a perennial. Deadhead spent flowers to encourage additional bloom. The deeply cut, dark green leaves are aromatic when bruised.

Check availability

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day from www.flowers-and-garden.com
We hope you have a beautiful day!
Candee & Pierre

Research Indicates that Flowers Have A Positive Impact on Emotional Health

A Behavioral Study conducted at Rutgers State University of New Jersey indicated that flowers have an immediate impact on happiness and emotional health. All age groups smiled when being given flowers and reported feeling delighted and gratified. It was also discovered during the 10 month study that flowers have a long-term positive effect on our moods. Participants reported feeling less depressed, anxious, or agitated after receiving flowers as a gift. We have always sensed that flowers make us happy, now science has backed it up!

How to Attract Butterfly Activity...

If you want to include the use of butterflies in your landscape you will need to create a safety zone for your butterflies to feel safe. Butterflies frequent habitual zones, where they feel safe and where areas of the landscape meet with the tree lines. Creating your butterfly gardens near or around trees will help in attracting even more of these graceful creatures to your gardens.
read more...

Don't forget Mom on Valentine's Day!

She gave birth to you...
She changed your diaper...
She wiped away your tears...
She listened as you poured your heart out....
She cheered for you when you played your best....
She soothed your fears...
She cleaned up after you...
She tolerated your bad behavior...
She drove you where you needed to go...
She made your favorite meals...
She had cookies waiting for you...
She hugged you when you had a bad day....
She was proud of each of your accomplishments...
and she did all of this because she loves you! This Valentine's Day, send flowers to your mom to show her how much she means to you!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Fairytale Giveaway from 1-800 Flowers

Enter for a chance to win a 5-night romantic getaway from 1-800 Flowers! Your fairytale trip is up to you! Choose from the beaches of Key Largo, Florida or live it up in the city that never sleeps-New York City. They are also giving away prizes every day. If you don't win, 1-800 flowers will give you $5 off of your Valentine flower order! Play Today!

New Flower Winners for 2005

These new varieties are found in a variety of 2005 catalogs.
No single catalog will list more than a few of the new introductions:


Begonia, "Deep Red," Nonstop series. A new addition to the Nonstop series. It has large, 4-inch fully double, deep red flowers on 8-10 inch dark green foliage. Ideal for baskets, pots and gardens with shade.

Calendula, "Radio," a reintroduced heirloom calendula with quilled petals of pure shining orange. The 2-foot-tall upright plant is an ideal annual for sun to part-sun gardens and containers, or for used as a cut flower.

Cosmos, "Psyche White," showy, semi-double, 3-inch pure white blooms. The 4-foot plants spread to three feet and require staking. The long stems provide a great cut flower. Heat tolerant, prefers full sun.

Lavender, "Spanish Eyes," sun-loving annual with fragrant lavender spikes, blooms all summer. Heat tolerant plants 18 to 24 inches tall and equal spread. Can be planted in garden or container. Flowers 10 to 12 weeks after sowing seeds indoors.

Marigold, "Moonstruck Yellow," semi-double with blooms so large you will be "moonstruck!" The round flowers are in great abundance on sturdy, full-branched plants 12 to 15 inches tall. Also new is "Moonstruck Orange."

Petunia, "Easy Wave Red," an exciting new color addition. The first true red "Ride the Wave" petunia. Flowers open dark red and mature to a soft red. The plant reaches 8 to 10 inches tall and spreads as far as two and a half to three feet.

Salvia, "Hot Trumpets," bright red trumpet-shaped flowers on 12-inch spikes are great in a sunny garden, mass planting or container. The compact plant is 15 inches tall with a 12-inch spread.

Personalized Roses for Valentine's Day!

Send her something unique for Valentine's Day this year....flowers with a message of love. That doesn't sound too different does it? It is if you order the roses from a company called Speaking Roses®. They use a special technique to carefully personalize each rose your order. Photos, images, and personal messages of endearment can be embossed on the petals of live roses.

Surprise her today with words of love on a beautiful rose! You can even order 200 embossed rose petals that you might leave as a trail of love to your bedroom...let your imagination run wild...you will be glad you did! Happy Valentine's Day!

Valentine Love Quotes

"Spread love everywhere you go: first of all in your own home. Give love to your children, to a wife or husband, to a next-door neighbor."
Mother Teresa

"May no gift be too small to give, nor too simple to receive, which is wrapped in thoughtfulness and tied with love." Happy Valentine's Day!
L.O. Baird

A Valentine's Day Story

by Candee Stark

Valentine's Day...the day of love right? Many years ago, 22 to be exact, I was a senior in high school. Just prior to Valentine's Day our student council representative got on the intercom during morning announcements and told us about an upcoming fundraiser.

Student council was going to sell carnations for an entire week. It was further explained that there would be three colors available: red, pink, and white. Red was to signify love, pink said, "I really like you" and white was for friendship. The carnations could be ordered ahead of time but wouldn't be delivered until Valentine's Day during homeroom. The whole school buzzed with excitement over the prospect of it.

Everyone discussed it but the girls couldn't contain themselves as they wondered which lucky girl would get the most red ones. Little snippets of conversations could be heard floating through the hallways:

"I bet she will send some to him!"
"I am going to send her six red ones!"
"Do you think he will send one to me?"
"I am going to get a white one for each of my friends."
"Do you think he will send her a pink one or a red one?"
"I wonder who will get the most?"

The conversations continued in this manner until the first day of sales. On that particular day a certain group of girls started gossiping and acting cruel. I am sure you might be able to imagine the kind of girls I am talking about as they can be found in every high school across America. They view themselves as pretty, perfect and popular but in truth are very shallow and unhappy individuals. I had a feeling you would know what I meant! Anyway, these girls aimed their barbs towards another girl in our class.

This girl was neither homely, nor attractive but she had such non-distinctive looks that she kind of just blended into her surroundings. In fact when I really think about it, nothing about her looks nor the way she acted warranted much attention. She was quiet and to my knowledge never said anything unkind about anyone. I knew she was a good student because I sat close enough to her in a few of my classes to notice that her papers were always branded with A's when they were handed back to her.

In voices just loud enough to be heard, they mentioned this girl by name and joked that they knew for sure she wouldn't get a single flower. The girl just lowered her head and pretended not to hear but I knew she did. It broke my heart to witness their gross display of humor as they mocked her over and over that day and in fact, for the rest of the week.

I toyed with the idea of sending the girl a white carnation but I must admit that I wasn't brave enough. I knew what they were doing was wrong but I didn't know what to do, so like everyone else, I did nothing. The big day finally arrived and I was excited as everyone else but a little nervous too.
Click here to finish reading the story

Guys Like Flowers Too!

According to a nation wide survey conducted by Bruskin/Goldring Research, 61% of the men polled indicated that they would like to receive flowers from a woman on Valentine's Day. However, only about 40% said that they have ever gotten flowers as a Valentine's Gift in the past. Women take notice, the men in your life would like to be romanced! Pick bold colors and make sure to attach a note describing how you feel about the special man in your life. Not only will you be showing him how you feel, but he will be more likely to reciprocate with flowers for you in the future! It is a win-win situation! Happy Valentine's Day!