Flowers for Vegetable Gardens

I have always been more of a practical gardener than an idealist. Although it is nice to have an array of pretty bedding flowers I am not inclined to invest the time or space for such luxuries: for me each plant has to earn its place in the garden and be productive in some way. This doesn’t mean that my vegetable plot is devoid of flowers however. Flowers play an important role in any organic garden but the criteria for selecting them are different to ornamental gardens – it’s not the size or color of the flowers that count but their attractiveness to the right kind of insects.

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Caroline Plouff - Fresh Flowers Online

I created this video simply because I love nature. I always found the flower's time lapses fabulous, but most of the time they are made with a black background. Then I told myself to make a beautiful flower's time lapse with colored and vintage backgrounds. To me, the 60's / 70's is the most representative period for the flowers. This is a way to pay tribute to them. By Caroline Plouff

Easy annuals for the cut-flower garden

While enjoying the early display of color from our early spring bulbs, many of us are dreaming of the bursts of color that our flowering plants will bring us this summer. While perennials provide color and flowers year after year, annuals can also provide flowers for our indoor bouquets all summer long.

 Some annuals such as petunias are better for landscape purposes. Good cut flower types are those that will hold well in a vase for several days. Here are several that you should be able to grow with relative ease.

Zinnia

The workhorse of any annual cut flower garden is zinnia. The industry standard cultivar is “Benary Giant” which can be many vibrant colors. There are several other cultivars such as “Oklahoma,” “Queen” and “Envy,” as well as landscape types that are low growing with somewhat smaller flowers.

Zinnia seeds can be started inside and transplanted, or direct-seeded. The seedlings are sensitive to cold temperatures so if planted early, ensure protection if cold weather occurs. Zinnia will flower all summer long if the plant is regularly harvested, but the plants eventually do fall prey to powdery mildew toward the end of the season, so two or three plantings throughout the summer can ensure bright, healthy blooms into the fall.

Sunflowers

Sunflowers are a summer staple that those of us who grow flowers cannot do without. It is important to know a few things about sunflowers when choosing which cultivar to grow. Some cultivars like “Joker” are branching, which will produce many flowers, while others are single-stems such as any of the “Procut” series.

“Mammoth Grey Stripe” is a very tall cultivar that will form large heads, and “Teddy Bear” is a miniature that is great for growing with kids.

While sunflowers can be transplanted, they will grow better if they are direct seeded (½-inch deep). They can be planted after the danger of frost has passed and will not germinate in cold soil.

Statice

Statice is one of the most popular flowers in dried arrangements, but it is also used in fresh arrangements (particularly dark purple types). Statice can come in many colors.

“QIS Series” is a popular cultivar mix. The plant will grow in a low rosette and the stems will arise from the rosette. It will flower from spring to summer and will produce more than one cutting, although the first cutting will have the most vigorous stems. Statice is easily started from seed and transplanted in the garden.

Gomphrena

Gomphrena, also known as globe amaranth, is a small flower that adds a little pop of color to the garden. It is low growing and will produce flower heads that resemble clover and are 1 to 2 inches in size. “QIS Series,” “Strawberry Fields” and “Bicolor Rose” are a few of the cultivars that are on the market.

Like statice, gomphrena is better grown from seed and then transplanted after the danger of frost has passed. Harvesting the stems regularly will trigger the plant to form more. The flowers are easily dried by harvesting the stems and hanging them upside down in a dark, dry place with air movement (such as from garage rafters).

Celosia

While not a traditional flower with petals, celosia plants form a head at the end of the stem that can take many forms and/or colors. For example, Celosia argentea var. agentea cultivars, (also known as crested cockscomb) will form feathery plumed seed heads, whereas Celosia agentea var. cristata cultivars form a seed head that resembles a brain.

It is important to know what species you are growing because some species will benefit from being pinched, while pinching other cultivars will result in the loss of the seed head.

Celosia grows very easily from seed and can be grown from transplants or direct-seeded in the garden. Many varieties are hybrids, meaning that if you save seeds it is possible that you will not get the same plant back.

Dahlia

Of all garden cut flowers, dahlias are my favorite. Ranging in size, color and form from petite miniatures to showy dinner-plate size, dahlias are sure to add pizazz to any garden.

There are actually 10 different types of dahlias. Tropical in origin, dahlias are treated as annuals in our region. The plant grows from tubers (similar to potatoes) which should be planted 4 to 6 inches deep toward the end of May. Some gardeners are comfortable planting earlier but be aware that the tubers will rot if the soil is cold and wet.

When the plant is about 6 inches tall, pinch back to the first or second set of leaves to encourage the plant to “bush out.” Dahlias are usually large plants and the weight of the plant and flowers can cause them to topple so it is important that they are staked. Cut back the flowers to encourage continual blooming.

Dahlias will flower from July to frost. Once a hard frost has occurred, wait about a week to cut the plant back. Carefully dig the tuber clump and clean it.

The clump can be separated at this time, but you need to ensure that when separating that you leave a part of the stem on the tuber that has an eye (it resembles a small, raised bump on the stem). The plant will not grow next year without one. Store the tubers in a cool, dark area in a bag with some vermiculite or sawdust over the winter.

For More Information:- Jacqueline Kowalski

Here's how to save on flowers this Mother's Day

 

No one deserves a beautiful bouquet more than mom. Known as the Uber of flowers, Bloom That delivers flowers under 90 minutes in New York, LA and San Francisco and delivers the next day nationwide. Whether you always find yourself sending last-minute gifts or are looking for most convenient way to send flowers on a budget, Bloom That is worth checking out.

AOL.com has the scoop on an exclusive offer so you can save 20% on your first order! Enter the code MDAY20 at checkout through May 13th and make sure to select the delivery dates between May 8th to May 15th. With an endless assortment of handcrafted arrangements, mix things up this Mother's Day and do NOT miss this limited-time deal.

For More Information: - Laura Galvan

Pruning and Trimming of Beautiful Flowers in Orchid

Shelton's Stone Gardens Cut Flowers Expects A Blooming Spring

The 3-year-old Shelton flower farm, which works alongside the family-run Stone Gardens Farm , offers Connecticut home grown vegetables, meat, and poultry along with a flower CSA which runs from mid-July to mid-September.

You can purchase a weekly or biweekly bouquets or a DIY bucket share for either pickup at the farm or local delivery to a few select locations in Fairfield County. The farm also offers design services for events, flower crowns, and DIY buckets.

Mostly, however, they are known for their huge variety of locally grown flowers and their custom farmers market bouquets. Expect to find everything from sweet scented English Sweet Peas in the spring, dinner plate Cafe au Lait dahlias that are the size of your head in the summer, and heirloom Chrysanthemums in the fall.

These are flowers you don't typically find in your local supermarket, explained Katelyn Kazukynas. That's because conventional flowers have been bred and processed to survive traveling thousands of miles, bathed in preservatives and fungicides, before they reach your hands.

The durability comes at a major expense, she said, with flowers losing scent, variety, color, and freshness.

"The American Grown flower movement strives to provide responsibly grown, seasonal flowers. Buying local can also stimulate the rural economy, preserving both farmland and the natural integrity of flowers," she explained.

This spring Stone Gardens will have many new varieties of Sweet Peas, Anemones, Ranunculus, and specialty daffodils.

You can find their custom bouquets at the Shelton Farmers Market at 10 Canal St. from May to November 9 a.m.to 1 p.m. and Wednesdays from June to Oct. from 3 to 6:30 p.m. 

for More Information:- Jeanne Muchnick

Growing a cut flower garden

My late aunt was known for her love of gardening. I have written about her backyard before in this column because it was overflowing with flowers of every shape and size.  Flower arrangements were her specialty.

Every Saturday until the age of 102 she would put vases together for Sunday morning church from her own yard full of daisies and roses.

After her journey here had ended, I brought home her favorite vase, broken and mended again and again over many years. It now holds a special place in my china cabinet to remind me of the joy she received when she was able to share her bounty of cut flowers with her friends and family every week.

Even if you have the smallest yard, it is easy to cultivate your own cut flower garden to share with others, or to bring a little bit of the outdoors into your own home.

A cut flower garden can be thought of as that part of your yard or even a container dedicated to growing the specific types of flowers that can be cut and displayed indoors. There are just a few simple guidelines to follow.

Make sure when choosing plants that they can stand up to living in a vase. They should bloom on long, sturdy stems and not wilt easily when cut.

If you have enough room, try and include blooms for each season as well as different evergreens and grasses too for added texture and interest in your arrangements.

When harvesting your flowers, make sure you cut further down the stem than the length you think you need. You can always trim, but it’s harder (but not impossible) to add back on!

Collect your flowers and foliage in the morning so they are plump with moisture and will last the longest after cutting. Get them into water as soon as possible to prevent wilting and keep in a cool place until ready to arrange.

Watch your pets if you have a curious one like mine. My kitty loves to taste fresh flowers so I have to keep them far out of his reach for the protection of both the cat and my arrangements.

As long as the blooms will last cut in water, your imagination is the only limit to what you can use in cut flower arrangements.  Here are a few of my own ideas.

I love daisies, and they make beautiful cut flower presentations. Purple cone flower was one of my aunt’s favorites because of their vibrant color and sturdiness in a vase. Shasta and ox-eyes, black-eyed Susans, and Gerber are some other good choices.

Yarrow, bluebonnets, yuccas (both yucca and hesperaloe species), inland sea oats and mealy blue sage are easy to grow natives that make nice cut flowers and foliage options.

You can also trim some trees to use in arrangements, such as mountain laurel (flowers and foliage), red bud (blooms in early spring), possum haw and other hollies, junipers, and wax and Greek myrtles.

Roses are the traditional cut flower used for many years in arrangements for almost any occasion. While the floral high center roses struggle here in our heat and soil, we still have some good options to include in our arrangements.

Some of my favorites are Belinda’s Dream, Souvenir de la Malmaison and other Bourbon roses, Lafter and other Teas, and using the smaller bendable canes of Red Cascade. 

For More Information:- It's About Thyme

Amundson expands to fresh cut flowers

Barefoot Gardens greenhouse owner Melanie Amundson is pleased to announce the expansion of her business to include fresh flower arrangements and cut flower gardening. With spring and Easter approaching, Melanie reminds folks she is taking orders for Easter blooming potted plants and lilies.

Melanie will have a variety of fresh flowers for special occasions, holidays and funerals. “We will have corsages for school proms, homecoming and winter formals,” she said, “I would get flowers for weddings but I’m not ready to do the arranging because of time constraints.”

Melanie admits that confidence has been her biggest hurdle going into business, which, by the way, she is now in her seventh year. At her flower arrangement training, she received a nice compliment. “What are you worried about?” asked the trainer. “You are in an advanced class and doing just as well as any experienced florist.”

“That was quite encouraging,” Melanie said with a smile.

Corsage creations were just one of Melanie’s new experiences. “Prom corsages are going more toward the body jewelry,” explained Melanie. “My last class was on bending wire.”

The cut flower portion of the business is something that Melanie also enjoys and she shared that there is a need within the community. “I’m actually going to start growing the flowers,” she noted, “not necessarily wild flowers but flowers for bouquets.”

“I want to be out in the greenhouse and in the garden year round,” expressed Melanie.

Some of those cut flowers will include zinnia, plumed celosia, bupleurum, yarrow, statice, gomphrena, larkspur, snapdragon, Sweet William, sunflower, cosmos, coneflower, bachelor button, marigold, asters, phlox, delphiniums, lilies, peony, liatris, glads and various ornamental grasses.

Local purchasing is important to Melanie and cut flowers make good sense. It is important to note that 70-80 percent of fresh flowers sold in the U.S. are grown in Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, the Netherlands and Israel and shipped in, creating a large carbon footprint with high transportation, refrigeration and storage costs. “Flowers purchased at a farmer’s market or a roadside stand are fresher, so they will last longer and have more scent,” said Melanie.

In the future, Melanie hopes to have her cut flowers on display at a local business and hopefully at Horseshoe Lake Inn Farmer’s Market.

For More Information:- Voyageur Press

Caroline Plouff - Cut Flower Selling Tips - Video Dailymotion

Caroline Plouff - Cut Flower Selling Tips - Video Dailymotion: Wherever you sell your cut flower bouquets, display them as a family! Show a good, better best choice to reach consumers of all means. Learn this and more selling and display tips with Caroline Plouff.

How to cultivate beautiful cut flowers in the smallest city gardens

They serve her well, because she is a bespoke florist as well as a planting designer. Her sage-green potting shed is where she creates bespoke bouquets and hand-tied bunches picked from her garden, supplementing them out of season with dawn raids on the New Covent Garden Flower Market.

“I’m on a mission to get everyone growing their own cut flowers,” says Duster, who presses the point in her book, Urban Flowers: Creating Abundance In A Small City Garden.

“It’s so easy. Just buy a few seed packets and get sowing. Through trial and error, you’ll find what works best. You don’t need a big garden. Most flowers I grow are fine in pots, crates and window boxes

RANDOM GARDENING
Duster belongs to the random school of gardening, because she covered most of her back garden with gravel, so that everything would self-seed and pop up everywhere, which it does, especially the foxgloves.

Aside from half-hardy annuals, which she starts about now in sheltered trays, she sows hardy annuals by pushing aside a bit of gravel, scattering the seed and pushing back the gravel.

“Germination is quick because the gravel keeps the ground warmer. I fit a lot in because I space the seeds more closely than recommended.”

Her stalwarts include Black Beauty opium poppies, which she grows for their showy seedheads, clary sage, cornflowers and ice-green nicotiana. Cosmos is renowned for pumping out flowers all summer, and Punsters choice is bright pink Antiquity.

For impact, she grows the huge allium Globe master and displays them solo. Roses she grows in deep pots. “My favourite is Blush Noisette, which has small, fragrant, pale pink pompom heads. It’s important to use compact varieties in small spaces, so follow the breeders’ advice.”

FRAGRANT FOLIAGE

Foliage is more important than flowers. “You always need much more foliage than you think you’ll need. A lot of green in a bouquet makes the composition look natural.”

Her leaf list is acid-green Euphorbia oblongata, which needs stems seared in boiling water to stop the sap irritating skin, evergreen ferns, Alchemilla mollis and florists’ favourite, Bupleurum rotundifolium, which even has a little green flower.

For More Information:- Pattie Barron

8 tricks to make your cut flowers last longer

Fed up of binning your bouquet after only a couple of days? Here’s how to keep your flowers blooming beautifully for longer. 

Besides emptying the little sachet of food that comes with the bunch into your vase, there is a surprising array of tips that can help your roses, daffodils or lilies look their best for longer.

We sniffed out some of the strongest – and strangest – tricks to keep the wilting at bay…

Give it a drink

Head florist at Apple yard London Lauren Probe rt, said: ""There is an old trick to keep your flowers looking gorgeous and fresh and you won't quite believe it.

"As an alternative to flower food put a drop of vodka into your vase of flowers and add water,  it's a surefire way to make your flowers last longer as it keeps the bacteria at bay."
 

1. Cut the stems

Tesco Head Florist Michelle Buck explains: "Cut your flower stems at a 45degree angle. This creates a larger surface area for the flowers to drink"

2. Hairspray
It sounds bonkers, but hairspray works on flowers the same way it does on your hairstyle to keep them looking fresh for longer. According to Serena ta Flowers, you need to take the flowers out of the vase first, then spray the undersides of the petals and hang them upside to dry, before returning them to the vase.

 3. TV ban

While you might be keen to catch up with Alan Titch marsh on the box, keep your blooms away – putting your flowers too close to the TV will harm them, as the heat given off from these and other electrical appliances will dehydrate them. Ideally, pop them in a cool place where they get plenty of light, but not direct sunlight, which will wilt them.
 

4. Feed them Sprite

It’s a bit of an urban myth, but clear fizzy drinks like Sprite and 7-Up can prolong the life of your flowers, according to US scientists. Susan Han, from the University of Massachusetts Amherst’s plant, soil and insect science department, recommends a three-to-one ratio of water to soda, but with a couple of drops of bleach to stop bacteria from growing.

 5. Clean the vase

Bacteria is the biggest baddie when it comes to bouquets, so make sure you thoroughly clean out your vase before placing a new bunch in it.
 

6. Keep fruit away
Michelle says: "Keep fresh flowers away from ripening fruit, it gives off a gas called ethylene and will cause your flowers to lose their longevity."
 

7. Pop a penny in

You’re bound to find one down the back of the sofa – so next time you get given a bunch of flowers, drop a penny in the vase – the copper is thought to stop bacteria from growing.
 

8. Bleach them

Sounds crazy, but Michelle explains: "Did you know that Gerber's are quite susceptible to bacteria. If you do not have suitable flower food you can use a tiny amount of household bleach in the water."

For more Information:- Kate Whiting

UK cut flower produce behind 10% of UK sales, research finds

Market research published by Royal Flora Holland has found that UK home production of cut flowers is at 10% of overall sales.

Some 62% of flowers sold in the UK are from Holland, 7% from Africa, 11% from South America and 10% from other countries.

By comparison Germany is 48% self-sufficient in cut flowers, France is 29% self-sufficient and the Netherlands 58% self sufficient.

Researcher Tine Niezink said: "As Germany produces a lot of flowers and plants within its borders, it's fairly easy for the Germans to respond to trends like 'local products for local people' and sustainability."

For More Information :- Matthew Appleby

Flowers In A Garden

The Best Sweet Peas For Cutting

Lured in by their perfume as a child, Roger Parsons has been growing sweet peas for more than 30 years. He now holds a National Collection of 1,300 varieties of Lathery odorous and every year he grows 200 or 300 different varieties. He is always on the lookout for standout characteristics – an ­unusual color, a very long stem, a higher than average number of flowers, or a noticeably longer flowering season.

Drawing on the National Collection’s gene pool, Parsons has bred for these ­attributes, hybridizing again and again, and has produced many sweet pea varieties ­including some that are now famous. One of his favorites, which he has sold for years, is ‘Aphrodite’, a ­beautiful pure white, perfect for wedding bouquets. He also bred ‘Frances Kate’, named after his daughter, a blue striped form which we’ve grown and loved in my garden at Perch Hill for the past three years. This is Parsons’s favorite striped variety.

Last summer, in the walled garden at Parham House in West Sussex, Parsons trialed 50 sweet peas. He had sat down with Tom Brown, the head gardener, and together they made a selection with the aim of finding out which would make the best cut flowers to be picked and ­arranged to decorate Parham House. 

Parsons and Brown selected from the Spencer varieties first. These were traditionally bred for cutting, with long, straight stems and lots of large ­flowers. Parsons also wanted to show off the ever-­increasing range of ­different characteristics you now get with sweetmeats, so he also chose a few of the more recently bred multi flora types, some of which are patterned with stripes, some flakes, some bi-coursers and some hot-off-the-­breeding-bench acacia-leaved types.

The multifloras were quite something. Most sweetpeas in my garden have three or four flower heads to a stem, but these had five or more, and Parsons says he’s counted a few with up to 12. This not only means big ­impact, but also that each stem gives you a longer show – both in the garden and as a cut flower. The lowest bloom might be fading after a few days, but the upper ones will just be starting to open, so these multifloras have almost double the average vase life.

Anything with Bouquet in its name (I loved ­‘Bouquet Crimson’) hails from this group, so they’re worth looking out for, but Parsons’s top recommendation is ‘Malory’, with flowers in a ­coral, orange-pink, usually six blooms to a stem. For the new and exciting, acacia-leaved form, Parsons chose ‘Jacko’. This sub-group has no tendrils. Flower arrangers love to hate the sweet pea tendril because they latch on to the stems above and bend them down, creating those irritating “knees” we all know too well because they make the flowers ­impossible to arrange. 

If you’re growing for cut flowers or the show bench, tendrils must be removed to prevent stems being discarded, which is a huge job. Without tendrils you have to tie sweet peas to their supports, but the stems won’t become distorted.  

The Parham trial was planted in a 150ft south-facing bed on the edge of the walled garden. Every individual ­variety was grown on its own silver birch 7ft dome, with wood harvested in February and March from the estate. En mass, they looked magnificent for months and went down very well with the visitors.

Sweetpeas have never fallen out of favor with gardeners, but with breeding programmers such as ­Parsons’s they are taking on a whole new lease of life and are once again one of our most popular flowers. The multi flora sweet peas may not give you quite the room-filling scent of the older forms, but you can pick a jug of cut ­flowers that will last a week and take pride of place on your kitchen table. 

For More Information:- Sarah Raven

Flower Care Instructions - Video Dailymotion

Caroline Plouff | Flower Care Instructions - Video Dailymotion: Here you will find some useful tips and tricks to make sure you provide the best ... your bouquet, floral arrangement, mixed tropical planter, cut flowers and orchids!

Flower Care Instructions

How to Taking Care of Fresh Cut Flowers

Cut flowers are best to decorate your home. Flowers gives you immense pleasure and lift your mood. You can’t resist yourself from the beauty and elegance they have. People love to have cut flowers to decorate their home but they need to know, how you can take care of them so that they can last as long as possible. Cut Flowers comes in dozens of varieties to range from fun to delicate and elegant. When you are selecting cut flowers such as calla lilies, tulips, spray roses, orchids or tropical varieties, it becomes important to know how to take care of the flowers once they arrived. Following are the tips to take care of your flower section.
 

Know Where to Cut
 

Cutting about ½ inch from the bottom of the flower stem after it is bought will help to keep your cut flowers fresh and allow the water to easily absorb. As long as stem will be hydrated, it will keep the cut flower fresh for days. Cutting is the technique which varies from flower to flower like in, carnation cutting just above the leaf nodule to get the most benefit. The stem should be cut to the maximum surface area is formed. More is the surface area the more will be the supply of water and nutrients to the flower. You can cut the stem underwater to prevent bubbles from entering into the veins of the stem.
 

Use the Right Water Temperature
 

Place the flowers in a vase. Use the warm water as it contains less oxygen than cold water. Using distilled water is the best for cut flowers. Water should be replaced after 2-3 days.  You should spray the flowers with a mild mist of water daily. Use cold water for bulb flowers such as hyacinths, tulips, and daffodils.
 

Feed the Flowers
 

You can get small plant food packets from the florist and nurseries. This food provides nutrients to the flowers. Pour some of it into the vase when you place the flowers. If you do not have plant food alternative you can use is sugar, a few tablespoons of lemonade or even a tablet of aspirin.
 

Use the Right Vase
 

Never place the cut flowers in metallic containers as they reduce the effect of flower food. Daffodils should be placed in their own vase as the stems of these flowers give off a substance that is toxic to other flowers.
 

Check the Temperature
 

Flowers stay fresh in the light and at the temperature of 65-72F. High temperature can deteriorate the flowers faster so keep them in a cooler room. Lower the temperature, longer the flower will remain fresh.
 

Caroline Plouff has her own market farm which is specialized in various cut flowers. She is also an agriculture manager at Bettendorf's.