DAHLIAS

Dahlias have an interesting history... 

 The first tubers arrived in Europe at the end of the 18th century, sent over to Madrid by the Spanish settlers in Mexico.
Andreas Dahl (after who the plant is named) regarded it as a vegetable rather than a garden flower, but interest switched from the edible tubers to the blooms when the first varieties with large, double flowers were bred in Belgium in 1815 .... The dahlia is named after Swedish 18th-century botanist Anders Dahl. In German the dahlia was known during most of the 19th century as Georgia, being named after the naturalist Johann Gottlieb Georgi of St. Petersburg,Russia

 Within a few years nearly every colour we now admire had been introduced and Victorian catalogues listed hundreds of varieties.
The favourites in those days were the Ball and Small Decorative Dahlias.
Today it is the Large Decorative and Cactus varieties which capture the public fancy. Fashions change but the popularity of this late summer flower continues to increase.

The reasons for this devotion to the Dahlia are fairly obvious. First of all the skill of the breeders in America, Australia, Germany, Holland, and England has produced a range of sizes and colours unmatched in the world of garden flowers.

Plants ranging from dwarf bedding (twelve inches high) to giants taller than a man. Flowers range in size from an inch to the largest dinner plate.
Equally important is the time of flowering.
From the end of July to the first frosts, Dahlias provide large amounts of colour when so many flowers are past their best.
Above all the Dahlia is an accommodating plant.
It likes a good loam, but will grow almost anywhere.

 It relishes sunshine, but can still do well in partial shade.

A bed just for Dahlias is really the ideal way of growing them, but they are quite at home in the herbaceous border or even the rockery for dwarf bedding varieties.

While moderately heat-resistant, dahlias grown from seeds for first-year bloom will burn out in midsummer except in northern and cool western gardens. Sow seeds indoors 6-8 weeks before last frost. Set out in moist, fertile soil when danger of frost is over. Tall plants may need staking. Tubers will mature at base of main stem at end of first season. Save plants you like by digging up tuber cluster, shaking off soil, and storing during winter in a cool, moist place. Separate tubers carefully before planting. These flowers prefer warm weather. Dahlias are commonly grown as an annual but they can be grown as a perennial if their tubers are dug up shortly after the first frost. To dig up a dahlia properly, simply dig the frost blackened plant out of the ground. Brush (not wash) as much soil off as possible and then cut the stems back to about 6 inches. Set them out in a cool dry place to dry for a day or two. Basements or garages are ideal for this. After they have dried out a bit, dust them with a bit of fungicide and pack them away. Packing them in vermiculite or sand will help to ensure that the tuber will not be affected by fungal infestations.

Dahlia is a genus of bushy, tuberous, perennial plants native to Mexico, Central America, and Colombia. There are at least 36 species of dahlia. Dahlia hybrids are commonly grown as garden plants. The Aztecs gathered and cultivated the dahlia for food, ceremonies, as well as decorative purposes, and the long woody stem of one variety was used for small pipes.

 Any of the 30 species of tuberous-rooted herbaceous plants that make up the genus Dahlia, in the aster family, native to higher elevations of Mexico and Central America. The leaves of most are segmented and toothed or cut. About six species have been bred for cultivation as ornamental flowers. Wild species have both disk and ray flowers in the flowering heads, but many varieties of ornamentals, such as the common garden dahlia (D. bipinnata), have shortened ray flowers. Dahlia flowers may be white, yellow, red, or purple

Dahlias are easily propagated by division. Simply replant the tubers and wait until the growth reaches between a half inch to a full inch. Dig the plant back up and divide the clump into a few pieces. Each new clump needs to have a shoot on it.

Dahlia Plants ranging from dwarf bedders (twelve inches high) to giants taller than a man. Flowers range in size from an inch to the largest dinner plate. The Dahlia seeds will germinate a little faster when we use a heating mat, or place them on top of a refrigerator for heat. Dahlia bulbs are a subterranean root system, comprising many distinct tubers, each a separate lump. These allow the dahlia plant to mature year after year without benefit of seed or spores. To sprout the next season, each tuber must have one eye. 

Dahlias Plant Care

• Dahlia plants become massive and need support.
• The large flowering types, particularly, become very tall and, because of the succulent nature of their stems, require support to prevent plant breakage and loss of large blooms.
• Tie plants to the stake that was driven next to them at planting time.
• When using a string or soft twine for tying dahlias, tie loosely to the stem to avoid constricting the developing plant.
• Start tying dahlias when they are about 1 foot tall, and continue to tie them at intervals of approximately 1 foot throughout the growing season. Individual stalks should be tied when buds begin to form and enlarge.

BLANKET FLOWER

Blanket Flower

Blanket flower (gaillardia) is a drought- and heat-tolerant perennial wildflower that provides long-lasting color in a sunny border with poor soil. In red, gold, or brown, its daisy-like, 3-inch wide, single or double perennial flowers bloom through the summer and into the fall. Although often short-lived, it is easy to grow and will flower the first year from seed. They need full sun and grow  1 to 3 feet high, 6 inches to 2 feet wide. usually red or orange colors. Foliage colors are chartreuse/ gold. They bloom flowers all summer and  up to Fall seasons. They are deer-resistant, low maintenance  drought tolerant . They are good  groundcovers, and can be planted containers  , cut  flowers can add to your arrangements.

                                                                                                         

Gaillardia

Blanket flowers are wonderfully cheerful, long-blooming plants for hot, sunny gardens. They produce single or double daisy flowers through most of the summer and well into fall. The light brick red ray flowers are tipped with yellow -- the colors of Mexican blankets.

Blanket flowers tolerate light frost and are seldom eaten by deer. Deadhead the flowers to keep them blooming consistently through the summer and into fall. Some species tend to be short-lived, especially if the soil is not well drained.

More to know about ORCHIDS

Paphiopedilum Glanduliferum



Paphiopedilum species naturally occur among humus layers as terrestrials on the forest floor, while a few are true epiphytes and some are lithophytes. These sympodial orchids lack pseudobulbs. Instead, they grow robust shoots, each with several leaves; some are hemicryptophytes. The leaves can be short and rounded or long and narrow, and typically have a mottled patte...rn. When older shoots die, newer ones take over. Each new shoot only blooms once when it is fully grown, producing a raceme between the fleshy, succulent leaves. The roots are thick and fleshy. Potted plants form a tight lump of roots that, when untangled, can be up to 1 m long.
Members of this genus are considered highly collectible by orchid fanciers due to the curious and unusual form of their flowers. Along with Cypripedium, Mexipedium, Phragmipedium and Selenipedium, the genus is a member of the subfamily Cypripedioideae, commonly referred to as the "lady's-slippers" or "slipper orchids" due to the unusual shape of the pouch-like labellum of the flower. The pouch traps insects seeking nectar, and to leave again they have to climb up past the staminode, behind which they collect or deposit pollinia.










Paphiopedilum  Glanduliferum

Paphiopedilum Acmodontum
 

The paphiopedilums (genus Paphiopedilum) – often abbreviated Paph and colloquially known as paphs in horticulture – are flowering plants in the orchid family (Orchidaceae). It contains about 80 accepted species nowadays, some of which are natural hybrids. These slipper orchids are native to South China, India, Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands, and form their own subtribe, the Paphiopedilinae.

Paphiopedilum Acmodontum

Spiranthes

Spiranthes, commonly called Ladies'-tresses, is a genus of orchids

(family (Orchidaceae) belonging to the subfamily Orchidoideae.
It has a very wide, almost continuous distribution, mostly in temperate zones of the northern hemisphere: Europe, North Africa, Asia, Australia, New Guinea, the Americas and the Caribbean. It is a provincially endangered orchid, in North America it can be found in Manit...oba, Ontario and more than 20 American states. They grow in meadows, fields and savannas but are also found in forests, both on acid and calcareous soil. Most species tend to become weeds in disturbed areas, while they may be scarce in undisturbed areas.
Plants can grow to a height of 12 to 38 cm (4.5 to 15 inches). Spiranthes consists of perennial, terrestrial orchids with clustered, tuberous or rarely fibrous, fleshy roots. The leaves are basal or occasionally cauline (i.e. emerging from the stem). They are variable in shape. They range from broadly ovate to elliptic, or absent at flowering.
The flowering stem has foliaceous sheaths. The stem is erect and spiraling (as the name Spiranthes indicates). It carries persistent, sheathing bracts. The resupinate, tubular flowers are arranged in a more or less spirally twisted, showy or inconspicuous terminal spike. Their color is typically a shade of white or yellowish-white or even pink (as in Spiranthes sinensis).
This genus has undergone many taxonomic changes: originally Spiranthes contained all the species from the subtribe Spiranthinae. In 1920 Schlechter divided this genus in 24 genera. A revision by Williams in 1951 and by Schweinfurth in 1958, inflated the number of species of this genus again. Finally D. Szlachetko, with several studies in the 1990s, divided this genus in several genera, contained in 3 subtribes. During all these changes, there is only one species that has remained taxonomically unchanged: Spiranthes parksii.

Spiranthes

Warty Hammer Orchid,

Warty Hammer Orchid, a plant with an amazingly unflower-like flower that attracts a particular wasp, which is deceived into attempting to mate with the flower. Darwin's method of studying the pollination of other orchids is described, and used to illustrate how evolutionary biologists can test hypotheses on the adaptive value of the attributes of living things. Some may say it's ugly looking, but it's depends on you.

Warty Hammer Orchid

Oncophyllum globuliforme (Nicholls)

Oncophyllum globuliforme (Nicholls) (previously named Bulbophyllum globuliforme), the Green Bead Orchid, or Miniature Moss-orchid is an epiphytic orchid that occurs in subtropical rainforest in Queensland and New South Wales, Australia, in a variety of habitats including warm temperate rainforest, dry rainforest and wet sclerophyll forests at an altitude of 100-900 metres.

One of the smallest orchid species known, the tiny pseudobulbs are about the size of a pinhead and each has a tiny reduced thread-like leaf at the apex. It can form quite extensive mats on tree trunks. Flowering occurs mainly from October to November and May to August. Flowers are cream with yellow labellum, rarely flushed with red and cream labellum, and are carried on a solitary stem in the axils of stem bracts.
It grows on bark and forms a thick mat, on the trunk and larger branches of the Hoop Pine (Araucaria cunninghamii), and is often mistaken for moss or lichen.

Oncophyllum Globuliforme (Nicholls)

The Giant Orchid

The Giant Orchid, Grammatophyllum speciosum, also called Tiger Orchid, Sugar Cane Orchid or Queen of the Orchids, is the world's largest orchid. It is native to New Guinea, Indonesia, Malaysia and Philippines, growing in crotches of large trees on exposed areas of the lowland tropical rainforest.

It is an epiphytic and occasionally a lithophytic plant, forming spectacular root bundles. Its cylindric pseudobulbs can grow to a length of 2.5 m. It can grow to gigantic clusters weighing from several hundred kilograms to more than one ton. A Giant Orchid weighing two tons was one of the highlights in the 1851 exhibition at the Crystal Palace in London.
Each raceme can grow to a height of 3m, bearing up to eighty flowers, each 10 cm wide. The flowers are yellow colored with maroon or dark red spots. These flowers are remarkable, since the lowest flowers have no lip. It blooms only once every two to four years. This orchid can, however, remain in bloom for up to two months.
Because of its enormous size, it is rarely cultivated.

The Giant Orchid

Paphiopedilum Callosum The genus name Paphiopedilum was established by Ernst Hugo Heinrich Pfitzer in 1886; it is derived from Paphos (a city on Cyprus) and Ancient Greek pedilon "slipper". Ironically, no paphiopedilum occurs on Cyprus – at least not as the genus is understood today. But it was long mixed up with its Holarctic relative Cypripedium, which indeed grows in the Mediterranean region. Paphiopedilum was finally decided to be a valid taxon in 1959, but its use has become restricted to eastern Asian species in our time.

Paphiopedilum Callosum



Common Donkey Orchid


 

Common Spider Orchid
 taken by Tina Australia

Black Orchids - Cymbidium Kiwi Midnight 'Geyserland'





How to Care for Mums

With close to 160 different species, chrysanthemums, or mums, give you plenty of choices for color, sizes and growth habits. You can choose from 6-foot tall varieties to those that grow only 1 foot tall and from single, 2-inch flowers to double-form flowers. Mums are usually an easy-care plant, but with attention to care, you can maximize their growth and their hardiness.

The Right Location Mum hybrids (Chrysanthemum x grandiflorum) appear in nurseries and grocery stores year-round, but they typically bloom in your yard in late spring or early fall and are generally hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 5 through 9, depending on variety. Mums prefer full sun, but will also do well with partial shade. They do best with regular watering, about once a week or more in hot weather, and thrive in slightly acidic, rich and well-draining soil.

Feeding Your MumsFor the best blooms and healthiest plants, fertilize your mums with a 15-15-15 multipurpose fertilizer blend, using about 1 pound for each 100 square feet of garden space. Feed your plant about every 10 days from spring until the buds begin to show some color. Sprinkle the fertilizer lightly around each plant and work it into the soil slightly, and then water the plant well to help the fertilizer reach the mum's roots.

Taking Special Care ... Mums produce bigger flowers and more sturdy  stalks if you pinch the tips of each stem back throughout the growing season during the spring and summer. Stop pinching once you see buds begin to color. Pinching prevents the plant from becoming leggy, with skinny stalks that tend to fall over. Plant potted mums in your garden at any time, where they will revert over time to a fall blooming schedule. Divide existing garden plants in early spring as new growth begins or after the plant finishes blooming in the fall.

Trouble Spots Aphids appear in all USDA zones, and you can remove them with a strong spray of water. In hot climates, mums may be attacked by boring insects that are the larvae of beetles or moths. Preventive measures work best for borers -- clear weeds from underneath your mum and remove leaves and stems infested with larvae. If prevention doesn't work, apply the pesticide Bt or Bacillus thuringiensis with a garden sprayer to cover the leaves and stems of the mum. Mix 1/2 to 4 teaspoons of a concentrate for each 1 gallon of water and apply weekly until the infestation is gone. Wear gloves and eye protection, and follow all label safety precautions when applying.







Read more : http://www.ehow.com/how_2364365_care-mums.html
Source: (Photo: Santy Gibson/Demand Media)

Crown flower ("Calotropis Gigantea'')

"Calotropis Gigantea (Crown flower) is a species of Calotropis native to Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Sri Lanka, India, China and Pakistan."
In Thailand they're called "Love Flowers" because they are used in various floral arrangements, especially making garlands for wedding couples. They were also supposed to be popular with the Hawaiian Queen Liliuokalani, who considered them as symbol of royalty and wore them strung into leis.






Crown flower  ("Calotropis Gigantea'')

Crown flower  ("Calotropis Gigantea'')

Arrange Flowers Like a Pro: 10 Secrets That Might Put Your Florist Out of Business ...


Everyone loves to receive flowers. But ordering from the florist can be expensive, and most people are too intimidated to assemble their own arrangements. Great news – creating a swoon worthy floral arrangement is easier than you might think. Just follow these tried and true steps that take the mystery out of making beautiful, professional-looking floral creations.
Read more : http://www.ehow.com/how_12339720_10-secrets-arrange-flowers-like-pro.html

Things You'll Need

• Glass vase
• Flowers
• Large leaves
• Tape
• Water

• Lemon-lime soda
• Bleach
• Sharp floral shears
• Stapler

Step 1:
The magic of perfect floral arranging happens before flowers even go into the vase. Start by selecting the right amount of flowers. The trick is to look at the opening of your vase, and then purchase enough blooms to make up four times the surface area of that opening. Many people also are uncertain about how to mix and match colors. The simplest solution is to go monochromatic. Just select three to five flower types in the same color family.

Selecting flowers (Jonathan Fong)

Step 2:
The ideal water environment for cut flowers has some acid to help move water up the stems, sugar to feed the flowers, and an antibacterial agent. Lemon-lime soda contains both the acid and sugar, while household bleach is a good bacteria killer. Fill a clean vase about three quarters of the way with one part lemon-lime soda and three parts water, and add one teaspoon of bleach per quart of water.

Preparing the water (Jonathan Fong)

Step 3:
You will notice that most florist-created arrangements do not show the flower stems. Opaque ceramic vases hide the stems, but glass vases do not. Therefore, lining a glass vase with leaves gives the arrangement a professional touch. Use large flat leaves like aspidistra, the common house plant seen in the example. The water in the vase amplifies the leaves like a magnifying glass for a beautiful effect.

Line the vase with leaves (Jonathan Fong)

A tape grid to keep flowers in place (Jonathan Fong)

Step 5:Now, let's prepare the flowers. Remove any foliage from the stems that will be in the water. Any leaves left on the stems will get soggy and form bacteria.

Remove foliage (Jonathan Fong)

Step 6:Using sharp floral shears, cut the stems at a diagonal so there is more surface area for water to travel up the stems. Do not use household scissors, which will crush the stems. (Floral shears are available in most crafts stores.) It's best to cut the stems under running water or a basin of water to prevent air from going into the stems, as the air will block water absorption.

Cut the stems at an angle (Jonathan Fong)

Step 7:The actual positioning of the flowers in the vase is what intimidates most beginners, but there is a simple trick that removes a lot of the guesswork. The secret to a professional-looking arrangement is to group the same type of flower together, rather than mixing them up. Assign certain sections on the tape grid for each flower type, and place the flowers within those sections.

Group the same types of flowers together (Jonathan Fong)

Step 8:Work from one side of the vase to the other, filling in sections of the tape grid as you go. The flowers that are around the perimeter of the vase should be cut shorter to cover the rim, while the middle flowers should be taller. This creates a dome shape in which the stems are not visible.

Create a dome shape (Jonathan Fong)

Step 9:If you have more aspidistra leaves, fold them in half and staple them to create loops. Then place these curled leaves in the last section of the vase. These leaves grouped together resemble a bow.

Add leaves (Jonathan Fong)

Step 10:The final touch to a professional arrangement is a unifying element that ties it all together – while filling in any empty spaces. In this example, hypericum berries in the same color family punctuate the arrangement in various spots. Even though the flowers have been separated by type, the berries blur the boundaries for a gorgeous, cohesive arrangement. Now you've got a beautiful arrangement that looks like it came straight from the florist!

The final touch (Jonathan Fong)

Read more : http://www.ehow.com/how_12339720_10-secrets-arrange-flowers-like-pro.html

Basic Care for Anthuriums: How to Grow Exotic Flowers and Tropical Plants

One of the most popular tropical flowers that mesmerized me is the Anthurium. In the Philippines, these exotic flowering plants have become a part of daily life. Whether they’re in homes as center pieces or in grand arrangements in special occasions they are the top choice when it comes to indoor tropical flowers.

Best for indoor decoration
Until now, I often touch them before actually believing they are real. Anthuriums have the uncanny ability to fool anyone. At first, you’d think they are plastic flowers. Even when you touch them, they seem to be inanimate. But it comes as a surprise they are actually living things!
The Anthurium andreaenum or the Flamingo Flower is a great choice as an indoor plant. The main reason is that they can last long with minimal care and attention. I guess resilience is a common characteristic of many exotic plants. In the wild, they have to fend for themselves and brave the elements. Another reason why they are favored is the fact that they come in different hues. Although red is the common color, you can find an assortment of other colors to suit your preference. With around 700 species, you won’t have time to sort through all of them in a day.
These two characteristics alone make them the top choice for indoor accessories and decorations.







Caring for these exotic plants
Anthuriums can grow almost anywhere but they thrive in warm places with high humidity. Any plant lover knows that simulating their natural habitat will ensure they grow strong. So do keep these plant care tips in mind:

Light and temperature
Warm environment is different from leaving them out in the sun. They may love sunlight but putting them in direct sunlight is detrimental. Instead, keep them away from direct light as much as possible. Moreover, keep the temperature between 65 to 90 degrees. When the temperature goes down to 40 expect a slow death for your precious plant.

Water necessities
Since Anthuriums love humidity, make sure you provide enough moisture. However, do not over water this plant as they do not like it. When the leaves turn yellow or when roots begin to rot, it’s an indication that you’re overzealous with watering the plant. To avoid these, ensure you have proper drainage in your pot. Also, you might want to let the soil to dry up a bit before sprinkling more water.
Diet for the Exotic plant
This exotic plant does not require fertilizers. But since you are trying to recreate their natural environment, you may want to consider adding some to their diet. Of course organic fertilizers are best so check your local gardening supplies store for this. Depending on the type of fertilizers
that you will use, you may have to add fertilizers every other month.
Anthuriums are easy to care for. In fact, this is a good exotic plant to have if you’re just starting to explore exotic flowers and plants. Even if they are easy to rear make sure you give them ample attention. Also, exotic plants require specific environmental conditions so try to mimic their natural environment to get the most out of them. Lastly, remember that plants are living organisms and that they require your respect. They’re gifts from Mother Nature so let’s treat them right.