Queen's Diamond Jubilee: Top Royal Roses

The Queen Elizabeth’ is probably the best known of them all.
This popular orchid-pink floribunda was bred in America from red-flowered parents and launched in this country in 1954. That year it won the Rose Society’s gold medal and the president’s trophy for best rose of the year. An easy-going, tall variety ideal for the back of a border, it has few thorns and long-stemmed blooms good for cutting.  Picture: ALAMY








Jubilee Celebration was named in commemoration of Her Majesty’s Golden Jubilee and has deliciously fragrant flowers of rich pink with highlights of gold on underside of the petals.
Picture: ALAMY






Peter Beales is launching the Queen’s Jubilee Rose at Chelsea. It is a modern shrub 90cm (3ft) tall with fully double scented white blooms flushed with peach (classicroses.co.uk).
Picture: ALAMY







David Austin is launching Royal Jubilee at Chelsea (davidaustin.com)
Picture: ALAMY






Diamond Jubilee
is a floribunda with creamy white, full flowers, with initially spiral-shaped buds which open to approximately 8-10cm. It flowers in small clusters and has stiff stems. The flowers have good weather resistance for this colour range. Foliage is glossy dark green, plants are well branched and of medium height, to about 60-80cm, ideal for planting in borders, small groups and containers. From Marks & Spencer.
Picture: ALAMY






William And Catherine celebrated the royal wedding in April 2011. A very full-petalled musk hybrid English rose, it opens to a soft creamy apricot, quickly fading to cream then pure white.
Picture: ALAMY







Princess Anne, deep pink with tea rose scent, was named Best New Plant Variety at the Grower of the Year Awards 2011. A compact grower, it is a bushy upright shrub with highly polished disease-resistant foliage.
Picture: ALAMY

Princess Alexandra of Kent is a very healthy English rose with large scented flowers of warm glowing pink. It was winner of the fragrance award at the Glasgow Trials in 2009.
Picture: ALAMY






Queen Anne was named to celebrate the tercentenary of Ascot racecourse, founded by Queen Anne in 1711. Another pink scented English rose, it is quite upright, bushy and has few thorns.
Picture: ALAMY







Glamis Castle was named after the childhood home of the late Queen Mother. A compact, bushy rose, it bears pure white cup-shaped flowers freely.
Picture: ALAMY







And Queen Mother was named for her 90th birthday. It is a pretty, repeat-flowering patio rose with semi-double pink flowers and dark glossy foliage.
Picture: ALAMY







Mountbatten was the very first Rose of the Year in 1982, named after the late Earl Mountbatten, uncle to the Duke of Edinburgh.
A tall floribunda, it has huge clusters of golden yellow flowers and bright glossy foliage.
Picture: ALAMY





Information source from: Telegraph.co.uk

Sweet Pea Flowers

The sweet pea flower is an annual, which means it blooms for one season only. It is a member of the pea family and boasts fragrant, colorful, butterfly shaped flowers. The sweat pea is a climbing herb with the official name of Lathyrus odoratus. It is native to Italy. The name "sweet pea" comes from "lathyros," which is the Greek term for "pea," and from "odoratus," which is Latin for "fragrant." Sweet peas are flowering vines, not to be confused with fruit-bearing pods that produce peas
Edible peas, including split peas, belong to the genus and species Pisum sativum. They are a green vegetable with small, round seeds that are eaten fresh or dried. Peas are a source of vitamins A and C, thiamine, folate, iron and phosphorus. Sweet peas are flowering ornamental vines that produce seedpods similar to those of edible peas, but both the flowers and seeds are poisonous. The botanical name for sweet peas is Lathyrus odoratus.

Features

• The sweat pea can grow up to 8 feet; patio varieties only climb up to 3 feet. The fragrance of a sweet pea can vary greatly, notes The Flower Expert. How the flowers smell depends on time of day, the age of the flower, how much rain it has received and high temperature. The leaves on the sweet pea consist of a terminal tendril and pinnate with two leaflets. Although a member of the pea family, the sweet pea is not edible; sweet pea seeds and flowers are poisonous.

History

• The history of the sweet pea maintains that a Sicilian monk named Franciscus Cupani have sent the original sweet pea flower seeds to England in the 17th century. The flower is characterized by its small, colorful blossoms and its sweet fragrance. Notable varieties include the Dorothy Eckford, the King Edward VII, which is scarlet, and the Countess Spencer.
• The current day sweet pea does not look like the original. A Scottish man named Harry Eckford crossbred the original, which resulted in the ornamental, sweetly scented and colorful plant that exists today, according to Teleflora. Sweet peas are considered the mark of Edwardian England. These flowers were quite popular in the late 1800s.

Traditionally, sweet pea flowers symbolize bliss or delicate pleasure and may also be used to indicate someone leaving after a positive experience. The sweet pea that is common today is actually a hybrid flower and looks very little like the original sweat pea first noted in Italy in the 17th century.

Nickname

• Some gardeners refer to the sweet pea as the "queen of annuals." Sweet peas are treasured because they are long lasting, colorful and fragrant.

Symbolism

• The sweet pea stands for blissful pleasure, according to Pinkie D'Cruz of Pinkie's Parlour, including pleasurable departure after having a good time. The sweet pea is the flower for the month of April. Some flower historians believe that the poet Keats was the first to use the name "sweet pea."

Legend

• Legend has it that sowing sweet pea seeds before sunrise on St. Patrick's Day (March 17) will result in more fragrant and larger flowers. Another legend is that sweat pea seeds should be sown between March 1 and March 2, which are the Feasts of Saints David and Chad, and March 21, which is the feast of Saint Benedict.

Growing Sweet Peas

• Grow sweet peas in full sun in well-drained, rich soil. Ideally, soak the seeds overnight before planting. Do not plant them deeply; 1 inch is enough. The seeds should be planted 3 to 4 inches apart. After the sweet pea has grown, deadhead the flowers on occasion to grow better. Leave a few flowers on the plant at the end of the growing season so the plant will reseed for the next year.
• The sweet pea flower is a climbing plant which grows from 3 to 4 feet high. In order to reach this height, the flower must have a means of support.
• Colors
  

  • Sweet peas come in a variety of colors, but the most common are pink and pale lavender. They may also be red, yellow, purple or white.
  • Because of their long-lasting blooms, sweet peas are a great addition to any floral bouquet. Their sweet fragrance and delicate blooms add a delicate yet fragrant touch to any area of your home.
    
    

More Unusual Plants Continued...

Feijoas

These small green fruits are reminiscent of kiwis. They are egg-shaped, and the inner flesh can be scooped out and eaten along with the pulp and seeds. The texture is similar to a pear while the flavor is slightly citrusy and sweet. Feijoas are best enjoyed when soft and ripe.

Fiddleheads

Fiddleheads are the curled fronds of a young fern plant, which can be cut off and eaten. These oddly shaped veggies are commonly used in Northern France and Asia. They are known for having a grassy flavor and can only be found during the spring.

Gai Lan

Gai Lan is also known as Chinese broccoli. While it doesn’t have florets, the flavor is similar to broccoli, although Gai Lan is slightly more bitter. The green leaves and stalks are often stir-fried or boiled.

Guanabana

The guanabana, or soursop, is native to Central and South America but is currently grown in Asia. Large inedible seeds make its white pulp difficult to eat. It's worth eating if you like pineapples or strawberries, though, because the guanabana's flavor has been compared to those two fruits.

Jabuticaba

Jamuticaba are sort of like plum-sized grapes. They grow directly on tree trunks and branches. Jamuticaba are eaten fresh and also used to make liqueur and wines. The fruit is native to Latin America and is not commonly found far from there because of a short shelf life.

Kumquat

Kumquats are tiny, oval citrus fruits. They are more similar in size to berries than other members of the citron family. They also set themselves apart from other citrus fruits because the skin is eaten along with the center. The peel provides a sweet contrast to the tart, sour inner fruit.

Langsat

These Southeast Asian fruits are berry-sized but require peeling before they can be eaten. Peel away the thick, yellowish-brown exterior to find the sweet, clear fruit. Langsats are often said to taste like a combination between a grape and a grapefruit, while the texture is more like that of a grape.

Loquat

Loquats look similar to apricots, although they have seeds inside instead of pits. The yellow-orange skin is paired with white, yellow, or orange flesh. The texture is somewhat reminiscent of a melon but manages to be tangy, sweet, and juicy all at the same time. While these small tree-fruits are native to China, they can now be found around the world.

Lychee

These small tree fruits may look like raspberries with stems, but their hard outer shell isn't the part you want to eat. Peeling off the red and pink layer exposes a clear flesh that has a texture similar to grapes. Lychee are popular in Asia, their native growing place, but continue to become more common in other parts of the world.

Mangosteen

This mango relative was once illegal in the U.S. due to a specific breed of fruit fly that is associated with it. Once the ban was lifted, mangosteen prices skyrocketed at specialty stores. But now the fruit, while still a somewhat rare find in the U.S., can be purchased for a more reasonable rate. The dark purple fruit is extremely sweet once the outer layer is peeled away. To peel, simply score the outer part of the fruit and then break the rind into two pieces, revealing the sweet, edible interior.

Monstera Deliciosa

Monstera Deliciosa is a plant native to Central America. The green fruits are large and long. When the fruit is ripe it is known to have a particularly pleasant smell and a taste like a pineapple-banana hybrid. The edible flesh underneath the green scales is cut from the core and eaten raw.

Noni Fruit

This fruit is another strange looking specimen. A ripe noni fruit is a yellowish white color and the exterior is covered in brown circular spots. Although noni fruits are known for their health benefits, they smell bad and they don’t taste much better.

Paw Paw

Despite the fact that the paw paw isn't popular in the U.S., the fruit is actually native to North America. Paw paws have a yellow or bright orange flesh underneath their green skin. They also contain a number of large ovular brown seeds. The flesh is similar in both texture and flavor to a banana.

Dragon Fruit or Pitaya

The pitaya, or dragon fruit, has a bright pink or white center and is speckled with tiny black seeds. Interestingly, the dragon fruit doesn't have an intense flavor despite its bright coloring. It has been compared to a mild melon or kiwi.

Poha Berry

Orange poha berries are protected by green leaves, which grow down around the fruit, almost encapsulating the individual berries. They are described as sweet and tart and have a thin waxy skin. Poha berries originated in South America but have been cultivated for hundreds of years in England and South Africa. Although poha berries are not popular in most the states, the berries have become a staple fruit in Hawaii.

Purple Sweet Potato

Sweet potatoes can be found in a range of colors, but one of the rarer forms in the U.S. is the purple sweet potato. While sweet potatoes are not native to Japan, the light and darker purple varieties were first produced there. Now some farmers in the U.S. grow purple sweet potatoes, but the orange color is typically the only kind found at supermarkets.

Rollinia

Rollinia are mild, sweet, and slightly citrusy on the inside, but have a rather unappetizing appearance. The yellow fruit is covered in spikes, which turn dark brown when the fruit becomes ripe.

SOME OF UNUSUAL FLOWERS

I Love All  Kind of Flowers  .. big or small, ornate or simple. But when I see amazing flowers that are unusual and beautiful, they almost take my breath away.
 Here For me are some of the most unusual but Beautiful Flowers ;


The Black Cat Petunia

BLACK CAT PETUNIA

The Pink Puya (Puya dyckioides)

THE PINK PUYA ( Puya Dyckioides )

The Pink Puya (Puya dyckioides) is a beautiful, rare Pineapple relative from Argentina that's rarely seen in cultivation. Not only do the flowers have a gorgeous color combination, but the colors deepen as the cluster matures!

MAGIC DOGWOOD

'Magic Dogwood' - Cornus florida subspecies urbiniana - is a rare Mexican version of the common American Dogwood tree.

BEEHIVE GINGER

Frumusetea Flowers

11 Plants That Repel Mosquitoes

The days are finally getting longer, the snow is (slowly!) beginning to melt, and spring officially arrives . While the prospect of warmer weather has us all a bit giddy, we can’t forget the unwelcome intruders that tag along with the sunny summer weather.
Yes, we are talking about mosquitoes, and everybody knows that they can be a huge nuisance. However, using chemical products to keep them away is not on the top of everyone’s wish list.
Read on for some ideas of plants that repel mosquitoes – naturally

CITRONELLA

Chances are, you’ve heard of this one before- it’s one of the most common ingredients in most
mosquito repellents. Strange enough though, many people don’t even know that citronella is actually a plant! Citronella is a beautiful perennial clumping grass that emits a strong aroma. That aroma masks other scents, and keeps mosquitoes from being attracted to things located around it. The citronella plant has a much stronger aroma than other mosquito repellents that contain citronella, so it is a great choice. Citronella is very easy to grow, and can get to be a very tall 5 or 6 feet high! You can grow citronella in pots and place it around a porch or patio, or you can plant it directly in a yard or garden bed. It’s a great choice for repelling mosquitoes naturally.

LEMON BALM





Another great choice for a mosquito repelling plant is lemon balm. A member of the mint family, the plant also known as horsemint and bee balm is a very easy plant for beginning gardeners to grow- even if you don’t have a green thumb! Lemon Balm is a very hardy plant, it resists drought, and it grows well even in shade. It is a very fast growing and sometimes aggressive plant, so you might want to contain it to a pot, where you can move it to wherever you like to ensure that it doesn’t take over your garden! An added bonus? You can dry the leaves and use them to make a delicious herbal tea!

CATNIP

Your feline friends will be happy to know that catnip is a great mosquito deterrent! In fact, in a 2010 study, researchers found that catnip is 10 times more effective than DEET, the ingredient commonly found in bug repellents. It is a very easy plant to grow, and if you have cats in the house, they will surely be happy to have it around. However, be careful not to plant catnip in with other flowers, veggies, or herbs if you have cats around your garden. They will surely roll around in the catnip and smash everything nearby!

MARIGOLD

A bright, hardy annual plant, marigolds are a great choice for repelling mosquitoes. Marigolds contain Pyrethrum, an ingredient found in many insect repellents, and they have a unique aroma which bugs find repulsive. The flowers themselves are beautiful and can make a great border or addition to any flower bed! Try placing them around borders of your home, and mosquitoes might not want to cross over!


BASIL

Calling all cooks! Want a double whammy when it comes to mosquito protection? Plant some basil! Not only will you have a quick and easy mosquito repellent, you will also have a delicious fresh herb on hand to add to all of your favorite recipes! There are many different varieties of basil around, so feel free to experiment and find the ones that you like best. Many expert gardeners recommend trying lemon basil or cinnamon basil to deter insects.


LAVENDER

You probably know that lavender is a gorgeous purple flowering plant with a soothing, calming scent. But, did you know that it is also a natural mosquito repellent? Grow it indoors near a sunny window, or outside in your garden or flower bed to keep the bugs away. While you’re at it, make a delicious herbal tea, or use lavender to fill your home with a wonderful calming aroma.


PEPPERMINT

Most bugs despise the smell and taste of peppermint, so planting it around your home is a great way to keep them from dropping by uninvited! Plus, if you do happen to get bitten, peppermint leaves rubbed directly onto the skin make a great itch relief treatment! Added bonus for the wonderful minty smell that makes a delicious addition to food and beverages!


GARLIC

Unfortunately for all of us who love Italian food, studies have shown that EATING garlic does not repel mosquitoes. (Unless, however, you were to eat a HUGE amount!) However, having garlic around DOES! Make sure to add some garlic to your flower bed or vegetable garden for added protection!


PENNYROYAL Or COYOTE MINT

The adorable pennyroyal flower is a natural deterrent for mosquitoes! Make sure to plant some around your flowerbeds! Pennyroyal plants also make great groundcovers, and they attract a plethora of beautiful butterflies. Some people even use pennyroyal to flavor certain fish dishes. As you can see, this plant has plenty of benefits!


ROSEMARY

Rosemary is a beautiful flowering plant that is often used to flavor lamb or fish dishes,
but did you know that it is also a natural mosquito repellent? It’s perfect to add to your herb garden or flowerbed to keep bugs away, and it even attracts butterflies!
Plus you can simply snip a few springs off every time you need to add extra flavor to your lamb or steak!


GERANIUM

This beautiful flowering plant is a great choice for mosquito repellent. When planted in a hanging container, the colorful blooms will cascade over the side of the pot, providing a beautiful visual piece as well as a very useful bug repellent!
As you can see, there are many different plants out there that can help to keep bugs away! Next time you reach for the chemical bug spray, take a minute and think again, and choose something more natural!