Flower Belle

Throughout his life, Charles Darwin surrounded himself with flowers. When he was 10, he wrote down each time a peony bloomed in his father’s garden. When he bought a house to raise his own family, he turned the grounds into a botanical field station where he experimented on flowers until his death. But despite his intimate familiarity with flowers, Darwin once wrote that their evolution was “an abominable mystery.”

Darwin could see for himself how successful flowering plants had become. They make up the majority of living plant species, and they dominate many of the world’s ecosystems, from rain forests to grasslands. They also dominate our farms. Out of flowers come most of the calories humans consume, in the form of foods like corn, rice and wheat. Flowers are also impressive in their sheer diversity of forms and colors, from lush, full-bodied roses to spiderlike orchids to calla lilies shaped like urns.

The fossil record, however, offered Darwin little enlightenment about the early evolution of flowers. At the time, the oldest fossils of flowering plants came from rocks that had formed from 100 million to 66 million years ago during the Cretaceous period. Paleontologists found a diversity of forms, not a few primitive forerunners.

Long after Darwin’s death in 1882, the history of flowers continued to vex scientists. But talk to experts today, and there is a note of guarded optimism. “There’s an energy that I haven’t seen in my lifetime,” said William Friedman, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Colorado, Boulder.

The discovery of new fossils is one source of that new excitement. But scientists are also finding a wealth of clues in living flowers and their genes. They are teasing apart the recipes encoded in plant DNA for building different kinds of flowers. Their research indicates that flowers evolved into their marvelous diversity in much the same way as eyes and limbs have: through the recycling of old genes for new jobs.

Until recently, scientists were divided over how flowers were related to other plants. Thanks to studies on plant DNA, their kinship is clearer. “There was every kind of idea out there, and a lot of them have been refuted,” said James A. Doyle, a paleobotanist at the University of California, Davis.

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/08/science/08flower.html?_r=1

There are occasions when you want to send a huge bouquet of the most exotic blooms but do not have a budget. Never despair for the World Wide Web has solutions to everything. All you need is the conviction that you can still send a beautiful bunch of flowers.

Log on to the internet and look for discounted flowers or wholesale flower websites. Surf the net for a bargain. But check what shipping costs you. Otherwise you will be pennywise and pound foolish.

Here are seven tips to send flowers on a shoestring budget:

1. Look for seasonal discount offers online. Many florists have a bargain section where great buys can be had. Choose a flower bouquet that has more greens or a mix of real and silk flowers.
2. Surf the internet to find out how you can send great flowers and yet not overspend. The World Wide Web is a knowledge highway and experts give tips through informative articles and links.
3. Use discount coupons offered by online websites to get beautiful flowers at a lower price. Many websites offer great discount coupons as also airport parking lots and credit card companies. Become a bargain hunter and know how and when you can save money.
4. Choose seasonal blooms rather than exotic ones. The pricing will be vastly different. Be sure to check what shipping will be. Find out if any online florist is offering a free shipping deal.
5. Use comparison tools offered by online websites to find the best deal from online florists.
6. Use a friend or family member’s membership to get a better price or discount from online florists.
7. Think beyond a traditional bouquet. Many online florists offer options like a nice ornament with just a single rose. Or a combination of silk and real flowers. Or a potted bloom. Often arrangements are more economical and beautifully decorated.

Learn to think out of the box and save money. Send flowers but don’t go broke. The internet has something for everyone; all you need to do is master where to look.

Often times, buying from a flower grower or wholesaler is cheaper than from a florist. The downside is that your recipient will have to arrange the flowers. Look for wholesaler and grower websites and determine what the difference in rates between these flowers and that offered by florists is.

Ordering flowers online benefits growers as well as buyers and you could even consider buying a bouquet from an auction website. You may even get the best flowers for as little as a dollar.

Source: http://www.streetdirectory.com/travel_guide/singapore/flower/1221/7_tips_to_send_flowers_on_a_budget_.php

Crinum Lilies have the look of a true lily, but they are not, they are actually members of the amaryllis family. They first gained popularity in the southern United States, during the Civil War, and have been wooing growers worldwide ever since.

Southerners nicknamed the flower cemetery lily, because they found that crinum lilies could be planted on the graves of fallen soldiers and would continue to flourish without much care.

History of the Crinum Lily

When traveling in the Deep South the mere sight of an antebellum home leaves one with forlorn thoughts and embellished imaginations. The mind’s eye conjures mental pictures of just what it may have been like during the post Civil War days.

Even today, some of these homes may go abandoned and the lawns and gardens of these deserted domiciles sometimes lay unattended. Front and center, in this otherwise grim visual, it is not unusual to see sparse sprigs of crinum lilies that are simply flourishing. Proof positive, once again, that these thriving flowers can out last even the harshest conditions.

The history of the crinum lily twists and turns like an epic romance novel, but experts agree that crinum bulbs originally entered ports of the Southern United States on trade ships from Africa, India, and Asia. The Civil War did cause a disruption in this flower’s popularity, only for them to experience a substantial flux in the ’20s, and an all out gardening boom during the 1950s.

Dedicated horticulturists began a serious breeding plan for this garden beauty where they encouraged larger flowers, unusual colors and a more dramatic type foliage. These same growers began keeping guarded and extremely accurate catalogs and records, whereby ensuring the crinum lilies generational propagation.

Gardening with the Crinum

* Common name – Crinum Lily or Spider Lily.
* Botanical family – Amaryllidaceae.
* Plant type – Sustainable bulb, strap like leaves, trumpet shaped flower.
* Light requirements – Full sun (for at least 5 hrs. daily) some varieties prefer light shade.
* Soil preference – Average soil and water, drought tolerant once established, some varieties adapted to swampy conditions.
* Plant hardiness zones – Lower, coastal or tropical south. Plant in containers where winter freezes so you can bring them in doors during the winter months.

Crinum Lily Gardens and Flowers

Horticulturist Jenks Farmer, from Beech Island, South Carolina and owner of Lush Life Crinum Nurseries says, you can’t go wrong with crinum lilies. “Treat them like shrubs, not as perennials.” To fill a large area, plant in a sweeping mass. To add texture to a border, add a single plant. For patios, or to accent an entrance door, plant crinums in a nearby pot or container.

Jenks also advises that for the best experience with crinum lilies give them time to become established and they’ll flower after three years. Once they have taken a strong hold, at around five years, they flourish like no other lily. Another popular use for crinum lilies is for the art of floral arranging and as cut flowers. Jenks elaborates, they are “long living, showy and dramatic.”

Today many lily enthusiasts are growing crinum lilies for mail order, they are available on many flower web sites and can frequently be found at your local nursery or garden center. No matter how you acquire your collection of crinum lilies, you are sure to become a big fan.

Source: http://www.suite101.com/content/crinum-lilies—gardening-with-this-consummate-southern-belle-a255066