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When you think of any kind of gardening, the first thing

that pops

into your mind is flower gardening. Flowers and gardens being

naturally synonymous with each other. And dedicated gardener that

you are, you’ll naturally be doing your own flower gardening this

year.

Flower gardening need not be limited only to summertime. If you

plan carefully and plant ahead of time, your garden can be filled

with an abundance of flowers for most of the year.

If we start by seasons, then for spring flowers, the best thing

you could do would be to plant bulbs. Any nursery will have them,

and if you’re more inclined towards the exotic, and rarer flowering

bulbs, there’s a good chance you can have them ordered specially.

Favorites amongst bulb lovers are early springtime Crocuses, and

cheerful Snowdrops. Tulips though, are by and away the most famous

of bulbs in demand by flower gardeners, and are available in a

variety of shades, including a black-colored one, which is really

more of a deep maroon and one of those rare flowers I was talking

about earlier.

Remember that all spring flowering bulbs should be planted in mid

autumn, as this is the best time for them. Come any closer to winter

and you’re in danger of losing your bulbs altogether.

Moving through to summer, we find that perennials are a firm favorite

for flower gardening as they yield blooms almost continuously

throughout the season, and sometimes beyond. With a little luck and

care, you’ll also find that most of your perennials will last through

to next year, and the year after that, and, well you get the picture

right? You’ll also find that as the years and the seasons wear on,

your perennials will become fuller, and generally will become more

abundant than the first year you planted them.

As autumn gently closes in most flower gardens are left bereft of

anything but a few small hardy plants. If you’re into more dedicated

flower gardening however, that need not be the case for you. Hardy,

drought resistant plants like Asters number among the many types of

fall flowers available, and will look stunning in late summer/early

fall, Generally, autumn plants will grow to a good 3-4 feet in height,

and have vivid colors, as well as the more genteel pastel colors to

choose from. Ornamental grasses are another favorite and will nicely

complement your fall flowers.

To round off the year and your efforts at flower gardening, don’t

despair as there are many winter blooms available. Amaryllis, Hyacinth,

and Narcissus are a few of the more common known flowers and are

available in bulb form. If you want something a little more out of

the ordinary, you could always try Winter Jasmine, or Winter

Honeysuckle.

So, take heart, take plenty of notes, plan, and buy to your heart’s

content. By the end of it all you truly will have a flower for every

season, and your flower gardening efforts will be rewarded most

bountifully

Tomorrow’s article will be on Gardening Books - see you then!

All the Best - Ian Fleming



http://gardeners-handbook.info

What do these words have in common: flower, florist, flower shop? Apart from all containing the root of the word ‘flower’, there is much more that they should share. Naturally, tied by the human force of the florist, the flowers and the flower shop are intricately connected. Beyond knowing that they’re connected, it’s important to ascertain that the connection is a good one that you, as a client, will want to involve yourself in. What to look for will be a combination of the three. Make sure that on top of providing the flowers you love, the flowers are also of top quality. The florist should be a willing accomplice in ensuring that you get exactly what you ask for, exceeding your own expectations. The flower shop is vital to exceed the expectations. If the flower shop is good and reliable, you will not only get a beautiful bouquet, but it will arrive extremely fresh and on time. Be sure the florist you choose works mutually well with both the flowers and the flower shop. This will ensure a happy customer with a product that is better than imagined.

Flowers, which have been and continue to be the symbol of natural beauty throughout the ages, are one realm of fashion that has not dramatically evolved. This speaks strongly in favor of flowers, indicating their timelessness and perfection that needs no improvement. Thus, when ordering flowers, what you need to consider is not the fashion of flowers, but the preference of the receiver. Once you have decided upon the type of flower, you must find a flower shop that provides your desired selection at optimal quality. A flower’s quality depends very much on the care the florist gives, but beyond the florist’s care, it is optimal that the flowers come straight from the growers or from a flower auction. This ensures their freshness, as the time spent in travel is diminished when flowers make fewer trips to reach their flower shop destination. Flowers are known to positively influence the human psyche, so be sure to go all the way with this positive influence by buying the freshest flowers you can find on the market.

Knowing of this positive effect of flowers on people, you should expect your florist to be an optimistic and friendly person - in short, the positive effect of the flowers should not be lost in the worries of their job. A talented florist is not only capable of creating a beautiful arrangement, but also willing and interested in making arrangements with you to ensure the arrival of the bouquet you envision. While the florist is an artist, who must use creativity as a tool of the job, the florist has many more roles to fulfill. One of the most important of these additional roles is the sensitivity of the florist: the florist is not merely putting flowers together, but understanding what event you need the flowers for, what type of person the flowers are directed to - the florist must have the capacity to understand and sympathize with the difficulties and joys in life of every occasion, demonstrating this capacity in the end result: the flower arrangement. If the florist deals directly with the grower, either at the grower’s location or through a flower auction, this is a good indicator of the florist, showing someone who cuts the chase directly to the source, lowering prices for himself and his client, by being more direct. The florist, as aforementioned, is a person who creates the connection between flowers and flower shop, between grower and consumer. A person of vital importance, the florist is a person who is impressive and establishes a good rapport with you, his client.

The flower shop is the last, but not the least important, of our floral trinity. The flower shop completes the picture. The flower shop is the entity which makes the talent and efficiency of the florist possible; it is the florist’s workshop and tool bench, if you will, while also serving to keep the flowers in fresh and good condition. It is the flower shop that ensures delivery of flowers to their final destination not merely as a beautiful bouquet, but as fresh, lush, and blooming living creations - as alive as a rainforest. In addition, the flower shop plays a role in influencing the consumer and shaping his judgment as regards the whole package of the shop. Online photographs of available bouquets do more than indicate the variety of flowers and caliber of the florist. The photographs, as well as the whole website, are indicators of the organization and professionalism of the company. The self-expression of a company speaks loudly. Reading testimonials on websites is also an indicator of the combination of the flowers, the florist, and the flower shop. It takes a strong performance from each of the participants to make a client happy.

Flowers are, without doubt, a classic, and yet exquisite gift. Unique and living, they are different from all other gifts, and manage to convey emotions at the same time as they are serving a role as a present. Thus, to optimize and reach this potential of emotion that flowers can induce, it is important that you buy your flowers from a flower shop that is professional and serious, with a staff of florists who love their work and consider their flowers as alive as we are, and lastly, with flowers that are as fresh and expressive as you are, to share exactly your thoughts through their understated and clear beauty.