Flowers Florists Guide

If you’re planning a wedding, you may be tempted to just buy a cute white dress for your flower girl, and have her carry a bouquet that matches yours. After all, she’s just a kid, right? And if she looks adorable, the guests will be pleasantly pleased.

Well there’s a bit more to it than that. Let’s first take a quick look at the flower girl tradition.

Starting with the middle ages, flower girls were assigned a special job; to walk down the wedding aisle ahead of the bride and groom and spread grain (not flowers) in order to pave the way for a new beginnings, fertility and happiness in the marriage.

Today’s flowers girls usually carry rose petals, and while they aren’t believed to have special powers that will grant the new couple a harmonious relationship, they do tend to set the tone for a wedding.

Think about the last wedding you attended. If the flower girls came out in formal dark colored dresses, you quickly understood that the wedding would have a formal tone. On the other hand, if they came out in wispy flower girl dresses with roses laced into their hair, you knew that you would experience a more whimsical wedding.

In other words, the flower girls are generally the first part of the wedding party to walk down the isle, and because of that, they will make a strong first impression on your guests.

How will you dress your flower girls?

Here are some flower girl dress ideas for the most popular wedding themes around:

Cinderella Wedding Theme

If you are planning a Cinderella wedding theme, then extravagance and beauty should be a part of everything. And since your flower girls will be the first to appear, they need to set the tone boldly. For this theme, you should have more than one flower girl-three or four would be ideal-and then dress them spectacularly. Choose frilly white dresses with huge skirts and satin bows. You can tie in some of your wedding colors by adding fresh pale pink, yellow or blue flowers to their hair. In addition, they should wear satin ballerina slippers. Have them carry baskets decorated to match their dresses and throw tons of soft rose petals along the isle.

Beach Wedding Theme

Depending on the type of beach wedding that you want, you will have various choices with your flower girl dresses. If you want a romantic beach wedding, then put your flower girls in soft pastel tones or white, and use lots of fresh flowers-both in their hair and for them to throw. The flower girl wedding dresses can be shorter than in a formal wedding, and appropriate sandals would set the tone nicely. Instead of a basket, they could carry a pastel painted beach bucket filled to the rim with wildflowers to scatter along the isle.

If you have a stronger, more colorful beach wedding planned, why not have some fun with the flower girl dresses? Putting them in typical beach dresses to match your wedding d?cor would immediately let the wedding guests know that your wedding will be fun and adventurous.

Roaring 20’s Wedding

Imagine a black and white wedding, wing tips shoes and ostrich feathers. That’s the idea behind a roaring 20 wedding theme, and as you can imagine, a precious frilly flower girl dress simply won’t fit the bill. With this type of gutsy wedding, you will have to get imaginative with them. Why not dress your flower girls in white satin flapper girl dresses, with bands around their hair and beads around the hemline? With this type of dress, you will certainly hear ooh and ahs from the crowd!

Garden Party Wedding

If you dream of an outdoor wedding surrounded by blooming flowers and ivy-laced arches, then your flower girl dresses should take on an entirely different style. White, off-white or pale pastel linen would be an ideal choice. In addition, a beautiful soft cotton dress with a muted flower pattern would be lovely, tied with a large solid satin bow in the back. Add lace up satin sandals and an armful of colorful tulips, and your guests won’t be likely to forget your flower girls for some time to come.

As you can see, your flower girl dresses will set the mood of your entire event. Don’t just automatically dress your flower girls in the typical dress, but instead get creative. What is the first thing you want your guest to see?

Use http://www.flowergirldressesjoy.com to quickly find flower girl dresses online including some great online bargains.

This year on Mother’s Day why not give your mother a “year long gift;” one that arrives every month? Not only will you be her shining star on Mother’s Day, but other gift-giving occasions will be covered, as well.

A Year of Reading Pleasure

Present your mother with a magazine subscription, one that fits her special interests. She will think about you each time a new issue arrives! Top publications for women include:

> O, the Oprah Magazine (women’s issues)
> Everyday with Rachael Ray (cooking)
> In Style (for fashion-loving moms)
> People (celebrity news)
> Us Weekly (celebrity gossip)
> Real Simple (everyday living)
> Parents
> The Bark (for dog lovers)
> Kiplinger’s Personal Finance Magazine (for the financially- savvy mother)
> Yoga Journal

A Year of Blooms

Available through many online florists, floral arrangements will arrive throughout the year. At 1-800-Flowers.com, for instance, seasonal blooms are used to ensure your mother has fresh flowers all year long. Each new bouquet delightfully different from the month before! Another option is to send a live plant or bonsai tree every month. Most plans include twelve, six and three month options.

Year of Gourmet Delights

Make sure mom has her favorite foods all year round! Most gourmet food companies offer a food-of-the-month plan that features some of their best products. Visit your mother’s favorite food web site and search for “of the month club”, “year of”, or “monthly club plan.” Many companies offer twelve, six and three month subscriptions.

Need specific ideas? How about a year of gourmet dinners? Omaha Steak’s Gourmet Entr?e of the Month plan ensures that at least once a month mom (and perhaps you, too!) will dine in gourmet style.

If your mother is someone who can’t resist chocolate, Godiva Chocolates can send a delectable chocolate lover’s gift every month. Other “Of the Month” type clubs feature monthly offerings of food items such as cheese, salsa, tea, or coffee.

If this sounds like too much of one good thing, iGourmet offers a Connoisseur’s Club plan. With this plan, your mother will receive a varied assortment of seasonal gourmet treats each month. iGourmet also offers several other “Of the Month” club membership options, one sure to appease the adventurous gourmand or budding gourmet enthusiast in your mom.

Stonewall Kitchen offers a monthly plan of varied gourmet food items. Sign up for their Specialty Food Club and your mother will be sent distinct collections featuring Stonewall Kitchen’s finest: award-winning jams, spreads, sauces and butters.

A Year of Fruit

Harry & David’s legendary Fruit-of-the-Month Club will send your mother monthly shipments of select fruit. Each luscious piece pampered while still on the tree, picked during its peak, and sent to her door brimming with freshness and flavor!

If your mother is crazy for vitamin C, Grandma Berrie’s offers a seven month citrus plan, which includes navel oranges, honey tangerines, and ruby red grapefruit.

GotFruit Monthly Fruit Club offers several juicy, mouth-watering plans. This company has been rated the “Best overall; Best value” in fruit clubs by the Wall Street Journal.

A Year of Toasts

Finally, why not give your mother a wine club subscription? Each month she will have the exciting opportunity to explore new and emerging wines from around the world. Wine.com offers several sumptuous, monthly tasting adventures from which to select.

When you choose your Mother’s Day gift this year, thoughtfully consider giving one that will arrive throughout the year. Your mother will have something to look forward to each montha loving reminder that you think of her all year long!

You can find more unique Mother’s Day gift ideas and great gifts for mom here: savvy-mothers-day-gifts.com.

Pamela Swingley is the Gift Editor for savvy-mothers-day-gifts.com. She also writes for savvy-baby-gear.com and savvy-spa.com.

© 2006, Pamela Swingley

One of my favorite moments on any project is the moment when, after spending hours investigating a process, an exhausted interviewee gives an exasperated gasp and says “Well, that’s the way we’ve always done it!”

Most companies with a long and storied corporate history have a similarly colorful story behind their internal processes. System limitations, management fads and product introductions have shaped everything from invoice generation to marketing campaign design. In many instances, over a matter of time these processes become a source of pride, and are even seen by some as a source of competitive advantage. People in the company that know the nuances of these processes, and are able to “finesse” a new product or management dictum into the confines of the current practice are highly regarded, and many an intelligent person is relegated to hammering square pegs into round holes, albeit to much acclaim.

When a new system is implemented, there is a golden opportunity to simplify and redesign processes. Unfortunately this chance to start anew is overlooked, and much effort is expended to once again find creative ways to maintain self-inflicted problems. While competitors apply innovative talent to their product and service offerings, companies implementing new systems spend their creative efforts maintaining rather than redesigning. Whether it is due to self-inflicted time constraints, political problems or the sense of pride around the homegrown practice, “that’s how we’ve always done it” becomes a mantra and excuse to hammer the old ways of business into new systems.

The marketplace is increasingly demanding highly specialized products, unique in the problems they solve, and equally specialized in their marketing and customer value statement. The Apple’s and Google’s of the world have shown what can be accomplished through product innovation, and by extension, offer a lesson in how dramatically a company will be left behind if it is not innovating. While there is an increasingly compelling case to apply corporate creativity to product design, foolish companies expend this “creative capital” to arbitrarily prolong the life of legacy processes even while implementing new systems.

With a sense of unwarranted pride, these companies regard themselves as “beautiful flowers,” assuming they have a better design for rudimentary aspects of operations like calculating product prices or shipping product than those provided in purchased software. While “industry standard best practices” is touted as a key contributor to buying packaged software, too many companies immediately throw out these practices to maintain their own. Make your products speak for themselves, and seek unique positioning and customer value. No customer will care that your billing process can support over 372 exception processes, and would likely seek a different supplier if they knew the actual cost of supporting these exception processes. Not only are there hard costs associated with convoluted processes, but there is an immense opportunity cost lost by keeping the “smart folks” on cleanup duty rather than developing competitive advantage.

The analogy of the beautiful and unique flower should be the analogy your company strives for when customers regard your product and service offerings. Internal processes however, should elicit a resounding yawn for their simplicity, standardization and ability to “just work” without the care and feeding of your most capable resources.

Patrick Gray is the President of Prevoyance Group, the leading consulting company dedicated to helping companies ensure their large IT projects deliver organizational value on time and on budget. To find out how to increase the value produced by YOUR IT organization and become a hero in the C-suite, please visit http://www.prevoyancegroup.com/whitepaper for a complimentary whitepaper.

Landscaping with wildflowers is becoming increasingly popular. These wonderful displays of beauty are incredibly self-sufficient. Wildflowers dazzle your gardens with sprays of color with a powerful endurance not often noted in domesticated garden flowers. No need to worry about soils of low fertility; wildflowers adapt wonderfully in these types of soil.
Meadow gardening is becoming quite popular with its native wildflowers and non-competitive grass. Combine these two to create a panoramic garden of beautiful colors and shapes. Natural habitat will love it too! Can you think of a better way to relax than to stroll amongst paths of endless color and natural beauty?

Wildflowers are low in cost as they reseed themselves and bloom again the following year. They are also easy to maintain as they basically need no fertilizing or trimming, and require little water.

How To Plant Wildflowers

Site Selection

For best results, choose a location where there is full sunlight.

Soil Preparation

To prepare small areas for your wildflowers, start first by removing the weeds already in your garden. This should be followed with raking or roto-tilling the soil.

For large areas, mow the plants or foliage as short as you can and then follow this step by using a flail mower or harrow. This will allow you to break up the top two inches of the soil.

Make sure to water these areas several times during the first two or three weeks. This will encourage the weed seeds to germinate. After a few more weeks, spray the weeds with Clear-It and remove all of the dead plants. Wait at least one to two weeks before you plant the wildflower seeds.

It’s actually better not to fertilize the soil for your wildflowers, as they do best in low-fertility soil. High nitrogen soils increase the number of weeds in your wildflower garden and diminish the view of your flowers.

Planting Time

The time to sow is in the Spring. You can plant your wildflowers in the summer if there is a lot of water available, but your planting will not continue the following year, unless it is planted about 8-10 weeks before the predicted frost.

It is alright to plant later in the fall; wildflower seeds will begin to grow in the spring. The disadvantage of planting at this time is that the warmer weather conditions and rain could cause the seed to germinate and then may die during the winter from the freezing. There is also the possibility of the seeds being eaten by birds when they are sitting on the ground for longer periods of time.

Planting Methods

Because of the huge difference in sizes of the seeds, blending fine sand and vermiculite (2:1 sand to seed) is recommended for wildflowers. This will allow more even distribution.

Hand-scattering the seeds in small areas, works very well. Cover up the seed by raking it in to about a depth of 1/8-1/4 of an inch. Do not cover the seeds too deeply, or it will fail and your work will be all for nothing.

Post Planting Care

You must keep the soil, where the seeds are planted, moist for at least 4-6 weeks and water if necessary to encourage germination. As the plants gradually begin to grow, you can water less. Many wildflowers need little water to coexist, but they still need a fairly adequate amount in order to germinate.

Seedling should start to appear in 2-3 weeks and you should see your first flowers in about 6-10 weeks.

Around the middle of October, when most of the flowers have finished blooming, you can mow the area to a height of about 4-6 inches. This will help to disperse the matured seeds for the following year.

Add new seed the following spring, to discourage weed growth and to establish the planting.

Louanne Baelde freelances as a writer/editor. She is passionate about gardening and welcomes you to find great easy gardening tips at www.ez-gardening-tips.com

February 14th, the holiday of Love! Every February, across the country, candy, flowers, and gifts are exchanged between loved ones, all in the name of St. Valentine. Who is this mysterious saint and why do we celebrate this holiday? The history of Valentine’s Day — and its patron saint — is shrouded in mystery. St. Valentine’s Day, as we know it today, contains vestiges of both Christian and ancient Roman tradition. The Catholic Church recognizes at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred. Here are a few possiblites of the source of this wonderful day…

Most scholars believe that the St. Valentine of the holiday was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. During this time around 270 A.D., emperor Claudius ll prohibited marriages for young men, claiming that bachelors made better soldiers. Valentine continued to secretly perform marriage ceremonies but was eventually apprehended by the Romans and ordered by Claudius to be put to death. This St. Valentine could be postumously recognized for his commitment to the formal bonds of love.

Another legend has it that Valentine, imprisoned by Claudius; fell in love with the daughter of his jailer who visited him during confinement. Before he was executed, he allegedly sent her a letter signed “from your Valentine” an expression that is still used today. This may have been the first Valentine’s Day.

And another plausible story surrounding St. Valentine is one not focused on Eros(passionate love) but on agape (Christian love): he was martyred for refusing to renounce his religion. Thus the love of Valentine’s day may have originally been a devotion to one’s god, rather than one’s human partner.

It could be that we celebrate Valentines Day on the 14th because this is the day that a St. Valentine died. However, some believe that the celebration of Valentines Day was an attempt by the Church to civilize the celebration of the pagan Lupercalia festival. The Festival was held on the 15th of February. Lupercalia was a fertility festival dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture, as well as to the Roman founders Romulus and Remus. Pope Gelasius declared February 14 St. Valentine’s Day around 498 A.D., and the Lupercalia festival was outlawed.

The oldest known written valentine note still in existence is a poem written by Charles, Duke of Orleans to his wife while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London. The greeting, written in 1415, is part of the manuscript collection of the British Library in London. And this tradition continues strongly today: According to the Greeting Card Association, an estimated one billion valentine cards are sent each year, making Valentine’s Day the second largest card-sending holiday of the year. (An estimated 2.6 billion cards are sent for Christmas.) The first commercial Valentine’s Day greeting cards produced in the U.S. were created in the 1840s by Esther A. Howland. Howland, known as the Mother of the Valentine, made elaborate creations with real lace, ribbons and colorful pictures known as “scrap”, similar to the one’s schoolchildren accross the country make every year.

And Who is this Cupid?

Another valentine icon you may be wondering about is Cupid (Latin cupido, “desire”). In Roman mythology Cupid is the son of Venus, goddess of love. His counterpart in Greek mythology is Eros, god of love. Cupid is often said to be a mischievous boy who goes around wounding both gods and humans with his arrows, causing them to fall in love. The Romans believed white roses grew where the tears of Venus fell, as she mourned the loss of her beloved Adonis. Her son Cupid, while being stung by a bee, shot arrows in the rose garden; the sting of the arrows became thorns. Venus pricked her foot on a thorn, and the droplets of blood dyed the roses red.

Sending Roses on Valentine’s Day

Why should you send roses to your loved one this Valentine’s Holiday? The rose is the symbol of love, of magic, of hope, and of passion, perfect to let your loved one know how you feel about him or her! The rose represents ultimate beauty and perfection. It is the messenger of Romance!

A dozen red roses remains the classic Valentine’s Day favorite (though chocolate may secretly be the more cherished gift). However, many women report that they adore roses in other colors just as much. There are hundreds of colors to choose from. The choices are endless and it’s easier than ever to select a rose that is as unique as your sweetheart.

However you celebrate this Valentine’s day, we hope we’ve been able to shed a little light on it’s possible origins!

Eric is a friend to the rose growers at http://www.rosefarm.com, where one can send roses and flowers fresh cut from the farm, along with fancy gift baskets and other fun goodies.

Ahh Valentine’s Day! Do you remember giving out your own Valentine’s Day cards in grammar school decorated with you favorite cartoon characters or super heros? You carefully selected the card that each person would get while holding out the best of the best for that special little someone hoping they would recognize your efforts and love your card most of all? Well, if you are looking to romance your sweetheart, it is going to take a little bit more planning than that.

First of all, some major advice for those who want to play stupid. Don’t do it. “Oh, is today Valentine’s Day?” “You know I love you - why do I have to buy you flowers too?” “This restaurant wouldn’t be so crowded if it wasn’t stupid Valentine’s Day!” Not very romantic comments, huh? Comments like this will certainly land you in the dog house. You don’t want make it seem that it is a burden or annoying to show your love to someone.

Valentine’s Day is by far the most romantic holiday of the year and a great time to show that special someone just how much you care. If you’re looking to make some headway in a relationship, new or old, you may want to plan ahead. Women love to be romanced and made to feel as though they are someone very special. So, if you plan on stopping by the local supermarket on your way home for some left over, near frozen roses or cheap chocolates, you won’t be making a very favorable impression. Planning ahead will bring more rewards than any last minute, “I just remembered” gift.

Plan a special treat for your valentine, like a quiet, candlelit dinner at home for just the two of you. Women love this because it creates a romantic ambience and shows you exercised some careful thought and planning even if dinner is catered. You can also plan a romantic evening a long hot bath for the two of you followed by backrubs and massages. Another great idea is to plan a small getaway for just the two of you. A less expensive and very heartfelt gift is an old-fashioned love letter telling your valentine just what they mean to you.

Now, if you are thinking roses, you are absolutely on the right track. Red roses are the ultimate hallmark for love, not just on Valentine’s Day but any day of the year. However, they also deliver a strong message of romance and passion. Women love to receive red roses - especially at work. It makes them feel adored and special, leaving their co-workers in awe. Giving roses to your valentine is a token of your affection. As a matter of fact, 75% of men say they would love to get flowers too. Giving flowers to the man in your life is also a symbol of your love, but the arrangement should be kept simple and masculine.

But, did you know that the color of the roses you send mean something? They do, so be careful what color you choose. Red roses as mentioned above represent love, romance and passion. If you have just started seeing someone and not too sure where it is going, you may want to stay away from sending red roses as you may be sending the wrong message. But send yellow or pink roses and that could mean something entirely different. Below is a list of rose colors and their meanings.

Red - Love, passion, respect, courage

Pale Pink - New and fresh love, grace, gentleness and gratitude

Light Pink - A joy to behold, admiration

Dark Pink - Gratitude

Lilac - Love at first sight

Blue - Extraordinary, mystery

Coral - Desire

Peach - Desire, anticipation, sincere appreciation and optimism for the future

Orange - Enthusiasm, desire, fascination

Yellow - Plutonic love, friendship, freedom (don’t send if your intentions are
romantic and long-lasting)

White - Innocence, purity, secrecy, I’m worthy of you, you’re heavenly

Valentine’s Day is a perfect time to celebrate your love which all too often gets taken for granted in long term relationships. It is also a great opportunity to jump start a new relationship or add some romance to an existing one. Your valentine is anxiously awaiting any surprises you may have in store. Take advantage of this great opportunity and play cupid!

Best of luck!

Dora Hilken

http://www.DirectFromtheGrower.com/

We are fortunate that there are so many different varieties of flowers available today that we can use in our floral designs.

There are tips and specialized treatment you can use for certain flowers so they will last longer and to show them to their best advantage in your flower arrangements.

Gerberas

Gerberas are large flat daisy like flowers that include shades of orange, pink, red, yellow and white.

There is also a mini gerbera which is not so common that is a much smaller variety.

Gerberas are very versatile and they can be used in many different styles of arrangements. Because of their large flower heads and bright colours they are perfect for modern floral designs.

Give gerberas a long drink before arranging them.

If the stems are soft, snip off the ends of the stems and place them in a bucket half filled with water.

A piece of chicken wire can be placed across the top of the container and the flower stems inserted in the holes with the heads resting flat against the top of the chicken wire. This will help support the flower heads.

You can also use a piece of cardboard with holes made in it instead of the chicken wire. As the stems take up water, they will stiffen.

Leave the gerberas standing in the water for at least 4 hours before arranging them.

Wiring Gerbera Stems:

After a few days, the heads of gerberas can sometimes go limp.

Wiring the stems before you arrange them will help the flower heads stand upright in an arrangement.

To do this, insert the end of a long 22 gauge wire x 45cm (18″)vertically up into the base of the flower head for about 2.5cm (1″) and wind the wire three or four times spirally down and around the stem.

Cut off the excess wire level with the end of the stem.

Liliums

Liliums grow on long graceful stems and have open trumpet shaped flowers and long pointed buds and come in many different varieties.

They look wonderful used on their own in flower arrangements. A tall classical container filled with liliums always looks elegant.

Liliums also look great combined with other flowers in traditional and modern style arrangements.

White liliums also look spectacular used in flowing cascade bridal designs.

Tiger lilies in orange with brown spots are ideal for exotic type arrangements.

Liliums have long stamens with anthers at the tips which are covered with pollen. If the pollen comes into contact with anything, including clothing or a tablecloth, it will stain it with a brownish yellow stain. It is recommended you snip the tips of the end of the stamens before arranging them.

For this reason, many florists remove the tips as soon as liliums come into their shop.

If pollen does accidentally come in contact with fabric, brush the pollen away with a soft brush or tissue and then place in the sun for a few hours. Another method is to remove the pollen with clear sticky tape.

Violets

These delightful small purple flowers are sold in a bunch surrounded with their attractive heart shaped leaves. Violets mainly drink through their faces. Snip off the ends of the stems and then immerse the heads under water for a few seconds and then place them in a small container of water.

Spray the violets each day with water. A few violets look pretty used in dainty posies and circlets for bridal designs.

These are just a few specialized tips on flowers and their care. In our Floristry Diploma Course you will learn hundreds of professional tips and techniques on flower arranging and all about the floristry industry.

Copyright Fay Chamoun © 2004

I grant permission to publish this article in its entirety as long as the resource box is included with a live link.

About the Author: Written by Fay Chamoun the principal of Floral art School of Australia and International Floral Design School. Floral Design Home Study Courses. Learn floral design and floristry for a career or hobby. http://www.floral-art-school.com.au

Choosing a florist begins before you ever enter the florist’s shop. Take a moment and consider your first impression. Remember, you are hiring a florist professional for their attention to detail and their ability to create an atmosphere that invites you in. If their shop doesn’t invite you in or seems extreme in relation to your personal style, most probably the wedding flowers they provide you won’t be satisfactory to you either. There are always exceptions, but the chances are that this rule will prove true in your case. Do you really want to gamble on your wedding flowers just because your cousin Freda insisted that you had to use this particular florist?

Show the florist the wedding flower pictures and the swatches of your wedding dress material (and any other prominent materials from your wedding i.e. bridesmaids dresses). Talk. Make sure the florist grasps the concept that you have in mind for your wedding flowers and understand your budget and any other constraints that you are operating under (i.e. facility rules, etc.), and then let them go to work. Resist the urge to micromanage. In most cases at least one of the florists you visit can make your ideas for wedding flower combinations come to life in a manner that you never dreamed of. At the same time, however, go over every detail of the proposal (including set up time and schedule - which will vary greatly depending on how much there is to set up for your wedding flowers and how many other weddings the florist has that same day) carefully before you sign the agreement to provide your wedding flowers. Get several proposals for your wedding flower needs before you decide. It’s your wedding so be sure that you are getting the best wedding flowers for your budget.

Though it can be difficult to do, try not to get your heart too set on a particular type of wedding flowers (the possible exception to this might be your basic red rose). Flowers are beautiful but being living things they can be temperamental. Some flowers, such as gardenias and lilies are famous for triggering allergic reactions. If you have someone in your wedding party with bad allergies it might be wise to steer clear of flowers like these. Likewise, hollow stemmed flowers, such as the daffodils can drip sap on your wedding dress. Yes, this is a problem that can be overcome, but you need to be aware and prepared so your wedding flowers don’t ruin your wedding dress. Other flowers, most notably the lilies will drop a yellow pollen stain on your gown if you don’t have the wedding flower professional remove the stamens before you carry them down the aisle.

Two last notes about your wedding flowers. First, remember that not all flowers fare equally well in all types of weather. Some flowers wilt quickly in warm weather while other flowers actually turn black in colder temperatures. Either way you won’t be happy with the flower’s performance if you take it into a situation for which it is not suited.

Finally, remember that despite the advances in horticulture around the world, flowers (even wedding flowers) are still seasonal. Sure, if your pockets are deep enough, you might be able to have the florist import them from the other side of the globe but that will be expensive and even at that, there are some flowers that just won’t be available to join your wedding flowers in celebrating your marriage unless it’s just the right season somewhere.

Jeanette Shinn is the founder, operator, and edible design artist behind Layer By Layer, http://www.frostingonthecake.com, a special order bakery serving weddings and other special occasion needs of the Portland, Oregon metropolitan area. Jeanette is also the co-owner of Your Wedding Cake and Favors http://www.wedding-cakes-portal.com a website dedicated to helping brides realize their wedding day dreams with advice and resources for the entire wedding experience.

According to Vincent Van Gogh, “Color in a picture is like enthusiasm in life.” The vibrant colors found in my images demonstrate the beauty of the natural world and aim to provide an uplifting visual experience.

Color can elicit powerful emotions. I believe that a fusion of colors promotes well-being. Mixing festive warm colors such as red with appropriate quiet cool tones, offers up a harmony that is felt in the soul. Color harmonies encourage a “joie de vivre,” making us feel alive and happy when we view them.

“In visual experiences, harmony is something that is pleasing to the eye. It engages the viewer and it creates an inner sense of order, a balance in the visual experience. When something is not harmonious, it’s either boring or chaotic. At one extreme is a visual experience that is so bland that the viewer is not engaged. The human brain will reject under-stimulating information. At the other extreme is a visual experience that is so overdone, so chaotic that the viewer can’t stand to look at it.” (See Color Matters http://www.colormatters.com/colortheory.html.) It is the job of an artist to create color harmonies to engage and delight the viewer.

As a garden photographer, I seek pleasing color compositions that speak to one’s heart. I want my viewer to identify with nature, to feel a passion for the earth and what it has to offer. I want the viewer to either see things and feel calming emotions that he has never experienced or I want to bring him back to a familiar place of peace. Nature is a source of healing and viewing its harmonies should help us commune with all it has to offer.

Recently, my good friend Dr. Sara Thyr wrote about the color green. [Dr. Thyr is a naturopathic doctor and midwife. Visit her web site at www.drthyr.com] According to Dr. Thyr, “Green is restful and energizing at the same time. When we spend time in nature, not only are we getting away from the harried craziness of our daily lives, we are soaking up the essence of healing.”

In the garden, green combines with vibrant yellow, orange, red, purple, pink, and blue for a showy display celebrating life itself. Follow the changing colors throughout the year and experience the vitality of life alongside the passing of time. Profuse harmonizing colors make me feel grounded and alive.

Autumn is my favorite season and my favorite time to photograph in the garden, for nature never puts on a more spectacular show than now. All the colors in our palette show themselves in their most vibrant forms. Brilliant yellows, reds, and oranges serve as a backdrop for pinks, purples, and blues. In addition, brown becomes part of the vocabulary to show the true meaning of life from beginning to end. I hope the viewer feels more alive when viewing my images. And, I hope my images help one feel more enthusiastic about all nature has to offer.

Color harmonizing tips:

1. When choosing colors whether decorating your home, planning your garden, or putting your kids in complementary outfits for their next photo session choose contrasting colors. Yellow and purple, red and green, and blue and orange offset each other to create color harmony.

2. Mix different tones of color to create fresh textures .

3. Don’t be afraid of vivid color. Use accents of hot pink, bright orange, or sunny yellow to brighten your face or walls. A brilliant blue scarf can make the color come out in your cheeks and a painting with passionate red can make your living space more welcoming.

4. When trying to create color harmonies, start with a color that really appeals to you one that speaks to your soul. Add on complementary colors in many different shades.

5. Don’t be afraid to experiment with color and you may stumble upon a combination that speaks to you on a base level.

Award winning photographer Melissa Mannon specializes in garden images and portraits of children. The images in her flower portfolio try to convey a feeling of serenity and oneness with nature, while emphasizing outstanding beauty, color, and radiance that we may not notice at first glance. Ms. Mannon seeks vibrant colors that are enhanced by natural light. Visit her web site at http://www.melissamannonphotography.com.

Choosing the right bulbs involves more than just selecting colors and cultivars. Timing, bulb size, and most importantly, bulb health are equally significant factors in designing your spring garden.

Before purchasing any bulbs, know the differences in bulb types. Along with true bulbs, several types of flowers, sold as bulbs, grow from the underground stem growth of rhizomes, tubers, and corms.

• True bulbs are rounded, self-sufficient, underground storage organs. True bulbs are an incubator for a flower bud embryo already inside.
• Many perennial flowers grow from tubers, which are flat underground stems that store food and plant energy.
• Corms are thick underground stems that produce the new roots, leaves and flowers of their cultivars.
• Rhizomes are modified plant stems that grow horizontally under the surface of the soil. New growth emerges from several different points along each rhizome.

Bulb Health

The first part in selecting healthy bulbs is knowing the bulb parts.

1. The tunic of a bulb is the paper-like outside of the bulb that protects it from damage and keeps it from drying out.
2. The scale leaves are under the tunic and hold all the nutrients needed to grow the cultivar.
3. The first parts of the plant to push through the soil are the immature leaves, closely followed (or so we hope) by the flower bud and the stem.
5. The roots of bulb cultivars grow from the basal plate, which lies at the bottom of each bulb.

Healthy bulbs are firm, well rounded, and heavy for their size. Although bulbs come in a range of colors, some even with distinctive patterns, color should be uniform with no dark patches or light splotches. Discard any bulbs with weak spots or spongy area, which are signs of rot caused by disease or other damage.

Bulb Size

A double-edged tip for selecting bulbs is “the bigger the bulb, the bigger the bloom”.

First, it helps you select cultivars and decide where to place them in your spring flower garden. For instance, crocus and anemone bulbs are tiny imps that beg a front row or outside border seat, while giant tulip or daffodil bulbs stand tall in back rows or keep watch over the center of your garden.
Second, larger bulbs, within a particular cultivar, are generally more robust than smaller bulbs and produce stronger, healthier plants and blooms.

Timing

When choosing bulbs for a spring flower garden, consider both when they need to be planted as well as when you want them to appear.
Most spring bulbs need to be planted in late summer or autumn. However, the reasons for the timing in planting spring bulbs usually aren’t relative to when the bulbs sprout in the spring. Rather, bulbs usually need to be planted when it is cool enough to keep them from sprouting, but warm enough to allow roots to become established before winter.

All spring bulbs need a cool weather rest period below 50?F in order to sprout successfully. If your climate is warm, you’ll need to provide them with a simulated winter before planting them.

Tulips 14 weeks
Hyacinths 12 weeks
Snowdrops and scilla 6 weeks
Crocus 4 weeks

Although crocuses and windflowers are tiny, they are brave little imps and often the first heralds of spring. Generally, they’ll be followed by smaller tulip cultivars and narcissus. Still, even some of the larger daffodils and giant tulip hybrids may surprise you with an early appearance.

The best way to try to synchronize bulb growth with your garden plan is to check the growth patterns of each individual cultivar before purchasing and planting the bulbs.

Linda is an enthusiastic gardener, researcher and author of?
http://www.gardening-guides.com?
at this site you find heaps of information and the solution to most gardening
issues. She did a lot of work on our extensive “How To” section.