Lily Pack

Improving Your Health & Quality of Life with Flowers

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:17:18 -0500

Most people can appreciate flowers for their extreme beauty andwonderful scents. We have such a strong connection with them,responding very positively to their ability to bring joy, aswell as their use at gatherings such as weddings, funerals andlike celebrations. Flowers also posses an even deeper ability to help heal ourbodies when we are not at our best, and prevent illnesses fromreturning. Many flowers posses an essence, or life's energy,within their petals that can greatly enhance different aspectsof our lives. While the list is great, I'd like to talk aboutsome commonly available ones that are simple to introduce intodaily life, returning extreme benefits with minimal effort.Lavender flowers are recognized by many for their relaxingproperties. What many people aren't aware of is that they'realso very handy for cooking! While the essential oil is unsafeto digest, the fresh flowers can provide significant flavor tosugar by placing a spring into a jar and allowing it...

Flower Meanings & History of Flowers

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:16:29 -0500

Flower Meanings & History The charming and delicate beauty offlowers has fascinated people of all nations and backgrounds forcenturies. Flowers have been bred and cultivated for theirdecorative beauty as well as their ability to heal diseases.Flowers are the subject of poems and myths, and religioussymbols are associated with flowers as well. Many girls arenamed after flowers. The main reason for the popularity offlowers though is their ability to bring good cheer. For all fellow lovers and admirers of flowers here is somebackground information about flowers. This will help give yourflower gift giving and buying a greater context. Asters There are over species of asters, the most popularbeing the Monte Casino. Ancient societies believed that the odorof its leaves, when burnt, drove away serpents. While this mightnot be as applicable today, perhaps its connotation is stillrelevant: Giving asters means, "I am not sure whether you havebeen faithful to me". Be careful w...

Blue Wild Flowers for Your Garden

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 00:18:27 -0500

Planting wild flowers in your garden, or simply scattering wildflower seeds around an area of your yard are both ways to takeadvantage of Mother Nature's treasured gifts. Wild flowers arecarefree, colorful, and tend to attract bees, butterflys andbirds. So planting wild flowers not only gives you an easymaintenance flower garden... it also promises to be a constantsource of interesting activity throughout the year.The following wild flowers are blue to purple in color, and somesay this is a favorite color of bees.VIRGINIA or COMMON DAY-FLOWER Commelina Virginica - Spiderwortfamily The Day Flower has blue, one inch wide or smaller flowerswhich tend to be irregular. The flowers are grouped at the endof the stem, and are upheld by long leaf-like bracts. The leavesare lance-shaped and - inches long. The upper leaves form likea hood of sorts about the flower. These wild flowers prefermoist, shady ground and flower from June through September.The day flower tends to open...

Flowers of Red Violet in Dramatic Display

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 00:19:00 -0500

p>Flowers of Red Violet in Dramatic DisplayAlthough many flowers are red-violet, several types of JapaneseIris exhibit the color in a most spectacular fashion. Japanese Iris I.ensata are the last of the Iris to bloom andusually bloom about a month after Bearded and Siberian Iris havefinished. Japanese Iris are a beardless iris that bear thelargest flowers of all. Spikes that reach up to three feet tallcarry blooms in unique shapes, colors including the mostbrilliant red-violets, and striking patterns that measure asmuch as one foot in diameter. Broad foliage with a raisedmid-rib makes a vertically interesting backdrop for other plantswhen the Japanese Iris has finished blooming.The Japanese Iris is native to much of eastern Asia and has beencultivated in Japan for over years. Single bloomingvarieties have three standards and three falls, doubles have sixfalls and peony-type blossoms are downward sloping with nine ormore falls. Cultivars with red-violet flowers...

Extend the Life Of Your Flowers By Steaming Them

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 00:13:51 -0500

This method of extending cut flower life may sound a bitdrastic but it is quite effective. . Have two clean buckets ready. Rinse them out with some bleachsolution first. . Boil some water in a kettle and fill bucket No. with inches of the boiled water. . Fill bucket No. with inches of cool water. . Cut a half inch or so from the stems of your flowers orfoliage and put them in the hot water for seconds, no longer. . Take them out and put them in the cool water. . You should add teaspoons of household bleach and a pinch ofcitric acid to each bucket to inhibit any further bacterialgrowth. The steaming induces a rush of natural sugars to the flowerheads and gets the stems "drinking". Steaming is beneficial toflowers that may have been out of water for a length of time.Enjoy your flowers!About the author:Gerry Belvedere is a former artist who now runs her own onlineflorist service at http:www.rosaflora-flowers.com. Rosafloradelivers flowers Australia ...

How To Check If Cut Flowers Are Fresh

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 00:21:22 -0500

Fresh flowers should feel crisp or firm. Before you buy, runyour hand under the flower heads from stem to petal tip. Proceedgently under the petals so as not to bruise them.If the flower vendor objects, give them a withering look andenquire in a loud voice, "Are these flowers fresh?" If the flowers feel soft, cool or damp, don't buy them. Keep testing the other bunches until you find a good one. Oftenthere are only one or two bunches older than the others. Lookand listen. Really fresh flowers will make a soft rustling soundas you stroke them. As flowers age:- the foliage will start to yellow from the bottom upwards- the stems will discolor from the bottom up as bacteria spreadsfrom the cut - seeds or pollen on the flower head will open and shed spores- the petals will fade in colour, lose moisture, dehydrate andeventually collapseRemember: Change the water daily, recut the stems often and enjoy yourflowers longer.About the author:Gerry Belvedere is a former artist...

Tips On Caring For Your Valentine's Day Flowers

Tue, 27 Dec 2011 00:16:03 -0500

With Valentine's Day just around the corner, we thought thiswould be a great time to share a few tips on caring for cutflowers.Imagine it's Valentine's Day and you've just received a gloriousbunch of roses. You put them in your best vase and you standback to admire them. You'd love to make them last as long as youpossibly can, but other than keeping them out of directsunlight, you're not sure what to do.Here are some tips on how to extend the shelf life of yourroses: . Remove the roses from the vase and put them in a temporarycontainer.. Clean the vase by washing it thoroughly in water withhousehold bleach.. Fill the vase with fresh water and add a half teaspoon ofhousehold bleach for each litre fluid ounces of water.. Remove your roses from their temporary container and lay themflat on a counter top. . Remove any leaves which will show below the waterline in thevase.. Cut about mm inch from the base of each stemimmediately before placing it in ...

Flowers Say "I Love You"

Tue, 20 Dec 2011 00:18:15 -0500

Some people dismiss flowers as old-fashioned, but the truth isthat, in general, women adore them, and men are secretly pleasedand flattered when someone presents them with a stylisharrangement or a flower gift basket. If you see yourself as aromantic person, find excuses to give flowers as often aspossible. Flowers are such a vibrant expression of Nature's beauty thatit's rare to find a single human being who doesn't respond tothem. Not only do they come in every color of the rainbow, fromthe most vibrant purples to the subtlest of pastels, but theirshapes vary dramatically, from the sculptured beauty of a roseto the cartoon-like forms of the bird of paradise and thesunflower. And as well as stimulating our visual senses, theirscents are the source of every perfume in existence.You can give flowers for any occasion. A dozen long-stemmed redroses will always say 'I love you' no matter how much we mightconsider them a clich. Daisies and gerberas, especially thosein ele...

The Magic of Flowers

Tue, 13 Dec 2011 00:16:42 -0500

b>Flowers are natural gifts that beautify ourenvironment. Whether used in an arrangement to grace the kitchentable or placed in a vase by the bedside, flowers provide asense of invitation and welcome to guests and offer the sweetfragrances of springtime in the process. The gift of flowers canbrighten anyone's day and bring an abundance of happiness tothose who receive them.Flowers are MagicThe gift of a single flower is often a reflection of a romanticintention or some other form of feelings that are beingexpressed to another. Such an offering can bring magic to themoment, if received by a special someone. More than simplyoffering a pleasant experience to the senses, flowers can bringan acute sense of pleasure to the heart of the recipient.According to previous studies, a floral aroma can have an impacton human emotions, in contrast to unpleasant odors, which cancause irritability and a sense of discontent. The very color ofa flower may have a profound effect on an ind...