Plant bulbs in fall for spring blooms

　　Planting bulbs is an act of faith. Who'd think such beautiful blooms could spring from such lumpy, homely things?


But each fall, I bury more of these treasures because bulbs give me great bang for my buck. Heirlooms such as leucojum, grape hyacinth (Musacari neglectum) and bletilla reward a gardener with a lifetime of spring blooms. And 'Golden Dawn' and 'Grand Primo' are just two of the many narcissus that naturalize in a Texas garden.
Some must-haves require a bit more care. But given a 6- to 8-week "winter" in your refrigerator before planting, Dutch tulips and hyacinths will make your spring garden sing. Store the bulbs in mesh bags on the shelf; avoid storing them in the refrigerator bin as the ethylene gas emitted by certain fruits and vegetables can destroy the bulbs. Store other bulbs in a cool, dry area until it's time to plant.

Cluster spring-flowering bulbs among evergreen shrubs and with cool-season annuals such as petunias, pansies and snapdragons. Group potted bulbs on the front porch.

Three more options for spring 2012:
1 Color greens with tulips
Plant bright or pastel tulips among lettuce, mustard and turnips in a winter/early spring vegetable patch. Remove chilled bulbs from the fridge and plant from late December through mid-January. Partial shade and watering during warm spells helps ensure success.
Work the soil well, adding bone meal or superphosphate if dogs or squirrels tend to dig in your garden. Create a large hole about 6 inches deep with a fairly level bottom to plant a cluster of bulbs that will produce blooms at about the same height. Cover the bottom of the hole with a 1-inch layer of sharp sand, then space the bulbs about 4 inches apart on the sand. If you're digging smaller holes for single bulbs, place sand in the bottom of each hole.
Plant the bulbs with the pointed end up and the flat side of the bulb facing the front of the bed. Cover the bulbs with 3 to 4 inches of soil, then water. Also water as the tulips grow.

2 A mellow meadow
Yellow and blue provide a perfect spring balance of cool and warm. Grape hyacinths (Muscari spp.), are intense blue, slightly fragrant urn-shaped blooms packed in elongated clusters on 6- to 8-inch stems. What better partners in a front-lawn spring dance than cheerful yellow daffodils (Narcissus spp.)?
Select firm bulbs and store them until planting time in paper or mesh bags or open flats in a well-ventilated place.
Water the lawn, if necessary, to soften the ground before planting time - around Thanksgiving or in December. Gather your bulbs, a bulb digger and a bucket of clean, sharp sand. Stand in the vicinity of where you'd like to see yellow and blue blooms next spring. Toss the bulbs, and let them fall where they may. Using the bulb digger, take a plug out of the lawn where each bulb has landed. Place a tablespoon of sand in each hole, then set the daffodils bulbs so their bottoms sit about 3 inches deep, the grape hyacinths about 1 inch deep.
Drop the plugs back in the holes, on top of the bulbs. Water to encourage the bulbs to begin root growth.

Grape hyacinths will often naturalize. A number of daffodils return each spring. 'Carlton,' a vanilla-scented, heirloom with soft yellow petals and deep yellow cups, is great for lawn planting, beds and containers. So are 'Fortune,' 'Dutch Master,' 'Ice Follies,' 'Italicus' and 'Texas Star.'
Avoid mowing after the foliage tips emerge in the lawn. St. Augustine is dormant in November, so there's no need to mow. But if you overseed your lawn with winter-growing rye, plant daffodils in beds and containers.
There's no need to fertilize bulbs when you plant them, but you can do so the following year. After the daffodil bulbs have bloomed, leave the foliage until it yellows and withers, then cut it back. Grape hyacinth's grasslike foliage precedes the flowers and disappears during dormancy.
3Heavenly scent
With its heady fragrance and formal looks, the pre-chilled Dutch hyacinth is excellent for forcing over water into winter bloom - or, if you can wait for spring blooms, planting outside in masses in November or December. We also like them in clustered pots near the front door.
Each bulb produces one flower spike, 6-10 inches long and loaded with waxy blooms in blue, violet, red, pink, salmon, yellow or white. Heavy spikes may need staking.
Hyacinth bulbs can cause skin rashes, so wear gloves while handling. Use a well-draining potting soil; some gardeners add 1 teaspooon of bone meal per 6 inches of pot. Plant the bulbs bottoms down and so there's about 3 inches of potting soil above the tips.
Plant three plump bulbs in a 6-inch pot, or for more drama, double the number of bulbs in a 12-inch pot. Bulb expert Margaret Cherry prefers using large containers so bulbs stay cooler during warm spells.

Water well. Place the potted bulbs outside and keep the medium moist but not too wet. If necessary, turn the container every few days to encourage straight stalks.

Wake up and smell the flowers: Train carriage transformed into a lush garden to relax city commmmuters.

This is one way for commuters to relax on their hectic early morning trip to work - by sitting back and relaxing in a garden built in an underground train carriage.
The bizarre mobile garden was created by Joseph Baldwin and a team of 10 volunteers, who painstakingly laid over 400 sods of grass throughout the train in Chicago.
Every inch of floor and seat space is covered in lush green plants and grass - making the normally stressful commuter carrier into a tranquil idyll.


　　From the city to the jungle: Chicago commuters relax in the garden-themed train carriage, created by Joseph Baldwin and 10 volunteers
And after spending a backbreaking eight hours solid decking out the normally bland train carriage in an explosion of greenery, the group then sent the train around the cities downtown loop.
For one day only thousands of stressed out city workers in Chicago were able to relax in the relatively peaceful mobile garden.
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The group - who spent just $250 on the project - squeezed in everything from houseplants to spider plants during the scheme carried out on September 17.
Artist Joseph, 35, from Illinois, USA, carried out the remarkable transformation through his not for profit art organisation, Noisivelvet.


　　Time to relax? A commuter takes a break by lying down on the green grass in the train carriage
The project dubbed Art on Track was aimed at raising awareness amongst commuters of using responsible materials in urban areas.
Joseph said: "We rented an L train carriage for one night only and kitted it out with all sorts.
"We managed to plant annual perrenials, natives, houseplants, tropicals, ivy, spider plants, and other vegetables inside the carriage.
"It cost us less than $250 to get everything as we had a lot of substantial donations of plants, volunteer labour and printing.


　　Inspired by nature: Every inch of floor and seat space was covered in lush green plants and grass
"Then from five to 10pm on September 17 we circled the downtown loop as a special charter allowing people to come on board and enjoy a peaceful commute.
"Most people loved the visual impact and made friends they were with take their picture in the installation.
"Others commented on the fresh smell, while some laid down in the grass.
"There was plenty of smiles and chatter with strangers - which is not something you normally get on a downtown subway train.
"It really broke the normal gaze of being on a train in the city."


　　Happy travellers: Passengers seemed to enjoy the commute in the peaceful surroundings

Fuchsias are a graceful

Fuchsias are a graceful shrub requiring shade but some have been known to do just as well in full sun.

They are long flowering and can last from late spring and into winter in some cases. These flowers are a beautiful addition to any backyard design and can be used in a variety of different ways.

Different species have different growth habits so you can have standards, bushed, espaliers and hanging baskets either over the edge of a container or rising above one in a pyramid. These garden plants will add that something special to any backyard landscape or patio.

If growing in the garden the soil should be light, medium not acid loam. Enrich it with bone meal and compost and if too sandy, add moistened peatmoss. In a pot any good potting mix will keep them happy.

In a hanging basket more peatmoss needs to be added because baskets dry out quicker than pots. Line the basket with plastic which has a few holes in to let the water drain out before a layer of sphagnum moss.

This will help keep the moisture in. Charcoal in the bottom of the basket helps keep the soil sweet. Don’t allow a fuchsia to dry out.

The elegant, pendulous flowers come as double, single and frilled. The color ranges from white, pink, red, purple and any combination of the above.
With careful pruning you can train a fuchsia into any shape you desire depending on the habit of your particular choice.

If their needs are met they hold well and give a lengthy display. Find a place in your garden for these wonderful plants and enjoy their dance in the sun.
When landscaping my yard I ignored advice from plant specialists and decided to try my hand at growing azaleas and camelias that I love in Perth.

I love azaleas and camelias and really wanted to have a backyard design full of each. I live in Perth, Australia which has very dry, hot weather and we can have weeks of 40 deg c with it not getting below 20 deg c at night.

We can also get quite cold weather also sometimes getting to 0 deg c but no snow.
Because of this I didn’t know how an azalea garden would go but when we moved into our new house I decided to give it a go.

My front garden faces west which is the fiercest heat in the day so I decided to choose a claret ash, a deciduous tree, to plant to give shade to these bushes as well as let the sun through in winter.

I chose to make a garden on the north west side of my house and included a couple of camelias too.

I prepared the bed and planted a row of deep pink azaleas along the fence and a row of white azaleas in the front and place a deep pink camelia in the middle and a light pink camelia at the top. I mulched and kept the water up to them and they did very well.

I had planted the tree in the actual garden to give as much shade to the plants as possible and this stunted the growth of the camelia in the middle of the garden but both azaleas and camelias continue to give good flower and colour through the seasons.

I have lost a couple of the azaleas this year because of water restrictions but the rest seem to be very well established and have weathered about 15 years of our dry hot weather as well as a few frosts.

I realise this is not the most ideal situation for these plants but as I really loved them I thought it was worth it to try my hand at keeping them alive. I have tried in other parts of my garden also but have always lost the camelias by the end of the season.

Popular Flower Garden Plants

Flower gardening has become widely famous in recent years. Flower gardening is simple and reasonably low-priced. It can be done for different purposes as a hobby, for decorative purposes, or even as a profession.

For better flower garden, you should follow the flower gardening tips that will guide you right from choosing the flower garden plants for your garden to the final outcome. The gardening tips will assist you in taking proper care of your garden and designing it beautifully.

Popular Flower Garden Plants:

You cannot just plant any flower in your garden. You should select the flower plants that can grow in the climatic conditions of your area.

The most popular flower garden plants are morning-glory, zinnia, cosmos, marigolds and sunflowers. You can also see for the flower plants that are in great demand if you are choosing flower gardening as a profession
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Flower Gardening Tips:

There are many vital factors that should be considered before planting your flower garden. You should choose appropriate location for your garden with good water sources. The garden should have good quality soil. The most important factor for flower gardens is selecting the plants.

Choosing the Garden Location:

The flower garden can be planted in your backyard, balcony or window. The only condition is that the place you select for garden should receive sunlight for maximum time of the day.

Different plants require different amount of sunlight. The plant nurseries will provide you with the light requirements of the plants you purchase. Choose the location keeping in mind the plant you choose for your garden.

Removing the Weeds:

Remove the existing grass and weeds from the location chosen for flower garden. The more carefully you do this job, the better results you will see later. Dig out the weeds by hand or use a sod cutter. You can also make use of herbicides for killing the weeds. When using herbicides for killing weeds read the instructions carefully provided on the label.

Soil:

The soil chosen for your flower garden must be rich in nutrients. Prepare the soil by removing the weeds, rocks, and trash from the garden area. Add compost to the soil to increase the nutrient content. Layer the soil with 2-3 inches of natural mulch to increase water retention and prevent the growth of weeds.

Selecting Flower Plants:

Select the flower garden plants based on the average, minimum and maximum temperatures in your area. Select the plants with varied blooming period to make the flowers available throughout the year.

Apart from these flower gardening tips, it is also important to harvest the plants on time. Keep gap in between planting the flower plants in your garden or all the plants will yield flowers at the same time. The flower gardens will add beauty to your backyard or balcony.

Choosing the right wedding dress

When you start with the wedding preparations, wedding wear is something that can't at all be missed out.

Choosing the right wedding dress out of the lot is definitely a task that is full of confusion. Well, the bride's body type, her personality and more importantly which type of outfits she can carry well are the important factors to be kept in mind while choosing the wedding dress. While many prefer glamorous wedding gowns, you might be a bride-to-be who loves to keep it simple and sober.

Well, if that soft look is what suits you the most, then there are a number of patterns in simple wedding dresses which you can opt for.

Yes, wedding wear does not always need to be very flashy and glamorous. You can have a simple wedding wear nicely designed to don a look that is class apart. Let me tell you that simple wedding gowns have become a popular trend in the recent years and most of the brides are opting for that soft and elegant look instead of the funky and flashy appearance. So, here are some styles and options that you can check out.

Simple and Elegant Wedding Dresses

Sober Fabrics

Fabrics play a major role in appearance of a dress pattern.

Right choice of fabric must be done considering the style of dress and your body type. As you might be opting for plain fabrics and soft colors, fabric must be so chosen that it adds the essential amount of rich effect. Satin, satin sheath, lace, raw silk, silk, cotton silk and linen are the best fabrics to pick for simple wedding dresses.

If you are not going to add even a single colored element to the basic dress pattern, then it is best to opt for lace fabric in white, beige or any other color. If you are looking for inexpensive wedding dresses, make sure you choose the fabric accordingly, as the same majorly affects the total cost.

Dress Patterns

When you look for simple dresses, A line gown definitely tops the list.

A simple A line gown with a 'V' neckline and sleeveless pattern is the perfect pick. Accessorize such simple wedding dresses with organza waist belt and get set to walk down the aisle. You can add a diamond or brooch at the mid of this belt to give a perfect finishing touch to the outfit. Empire waistlines are a hot trend of this season and you can have the same accommodated in the dress pattern.

Further keep the piece sleeveless or add balloon sleeves. Also, the lower part can be kept flowy or made a bit stylish by keeping it body fitted. Short dresses with empire necklines are also a good pick.

You can have the lower part flowy with a narrow colored trim added at the hemline that matches with a trim added at the lifted waistline in this case. Satin trims make the best pick for wedding gowns.

If you are opting for a colored wedding dress, you need not add any contrast colored trims or belts as the same can overdo the look. Keep the entire dress in single color and just add sequins at neckline or for the upper part of the dress and sleeves in case of empire necks.

Colors to Choose

Soft colors are the best trick to get that simple look. You can definitely pick a dark shade like the crimson or maroon, but keeping the dress pattern very simple in this case is much essential.

Colors like aqua blue or white make the best simple beach wedding dresses. Soft pink, peach, light rose color and ivory are the ultimate color choices for simple wedding gowns and dresses. When adding belts, bows and trims you can go for colors contrasting with the basic dress fabric.

Well, designing a wedding dress that looks simple, yet catchy and rich is not a tough task. All you need to do is browse through the dress styles, choose the right fabric and consult a good dress designer who will understand your requirements.

Make sure that colors, length of the dress, necklines and overall pattern is so chosen that it suits you well and you are comfortable to carry it off.

Surprise Your Sweetie with Colorful Flowers

　　It's expected that you give your sweetheart flowers on Valentine's Day or an anniversary. However, it's often the unexpected moments that can leave a lasting impact and earn you some serious brownie points. Taking an ordinary moment and turning it into a romantic gesture is a way to show your love and appreciation for your significant other, and ensure that you keep her around for a long time. When you're shopping for floral arrangements in the near future, keep a few of these situations in mind to make your gifts all the more special.
1. A surprise in the morning. Your girlfriend probably has enough on her mind when she's trying to get out the door in the morning. So why not use this opportunity to wow her with a gorgeous bouquet of lilies? Start first by making her coffee just the way she likes it as well as a quick and nutritious breakfast. You can then display everything on her table and place the colorful flowers inside of a vase. When she emerges from her bedroom, she'll be awestruck by your generosity and ingenuity and end up having a smile on her face all day.
2. Brighten her day during rush hour. Whether you're picking up your girlfriend from the train station or waiting for her at the bus stop, this the perfect unexpected setting to surprise your loved one with a dazzling floral bouquet. Regardless of the season, go with something bright and cheery, such as sunflowers flanked by iris or orange and yellow tulips accented by carnations. The simple fact that you took time out of your day to greet her when she came home will be touching in its own right, but you will earn some serious kudos by having some beautiful flowers in tow.
3. Send flowers to her work. If your sweetheart has been having a tough time at her job or even if everything is going swimmingly, there's nothing quite like the satisfaction of receiving flowers at the workplace. Not only will this make her co-workers jealous, but these gorgeous blooms will provide an aesthetic boost to her work environment.
Unexpected gestures of love are the ones that have an enduring quality, so use the beauty of flower gifts to your advantage to add a bit of joy to your loved one's day.

Delightful Bouquets

　　Chances are, you're already starting to see plenty of Halloween decorations popping up around your neighborhood. A lot of people like to get a head start on the season. They may relish the chance to display inflatable front lawn ornaments and have had playful ghosts and fake gravestones laid out since late September. Of course, not all of us are willing to go for the gusto when it comes to holiday decorations, but that doesn't mean only the extreme Halloween devotees get to have fun.

If you're looking for a way to spruce up your home with some delightful Halloween décor, there are plenty of options available. And you can even retain your modesty while you do so! Here are a few ideas to help get you in the proper frame of mind.
Naturally, when you think of Halloween, you think of jack-o-lanterns. It's a bit of a project to put one together, but there are plenty of online resources available to you that will help make the process much easier. This can be a great option if you'd like to get into the holiday's spirit (no pun intended) without getting too over the top. Do yourself a favor and wait until Halloween gets closer, though, or else you'll be greeting trick-or-treaters with a rotting pumpkin.
For something a bit more modest, you could always display some Halloween-inspired floral arrangements. You'd be surprised at how easy it is to bring a bouquet to life with a little bit of ingenuity. Remember those small buckets kids used to get from fast food restaurants around this time of year? If you've got a few of them laying around in the basement, this is a great opportunity to put them to good use. Simply arrange a few orange lilies or carnations inside and you've got a delightful boo-quet that's sure to capture the attention of passersby.
While you're at it, you might as well pick up a sweet treat for yourself. You can easily find brownie pops done up to look like pumpkins, mummies and candy corn. You're probably not going to want to hand them out - do yourself a favor and keep them for yourself. You can even pick up a jack-o-lantern cookie jar to keep those delectable confections fresh!

Make your next dinner date with some fine flowers

　　Inviting a special lady over for dinner is always a nerve-wracking experience, especially if you're not exactly the sort who prides himself on keeping a clean house. Tidying up is always a good first step to take, but if you're looking for a way to bring that extra bit of oomph to the evening, it may be just the time to pick up a bouquet of flowers. You'd be surprised at how well they can tie a room together when they are artfully placed on some empty counter space, or on the dining table. If you're not sure what to pick up, here are a few ideas that will help inspire you.

You're going to want something fresh and vivacious, but not overly so. If you overdo it, you run the risk of giving your home a senior citizen's aesthetic. Even if - for whatever reason - this might work for you, it's probably not the vibe you want to be giving off to a lady that you're trying to impress. Stick to a single bouquet, and let it do the heavy lifting on its own. The type of flower you end up displaying is largely a matter of taste, but it's understandable if you could use a bit of guidance.
You can't go wrong with something like roses - they're inherently romantic, and if you mix up the color scheme, you won't have to worry about overdoing it. Spruce up your dining room by working fall colors into the arrangement. Deep reds and oranges work very well, especially when paired with some fresh greens. Add dashes of yellow for an extra bit of vitality and you're good to go!
If you'd rather work with something a bit more modest, consider picking up some orchids. You can either pick up a single bloom and place it tastefully in a small, thin vase, or buy several smaller flowers. Either way, they're going to look fantastic once you put them on display. Remember - the flowers don't have to be lavish and over-the-top. If you're going to be putting them on the dining table, ensure that the bouquet isn't too tall. You don't want to have to spend the entire evening bobbing and weaving around the thing just to talk to each other.

Physicists study lily blossoms

How do flowers bloom? Physicists at Harvard have applied numbers to flowers and found a mathematical formula as well as explanation for why a lily's petals open outward to reveal the bloom within, according to ScienceNews.org.
L. Mahadevan, a physicist who also discovered how the Venus flytrap snaps shut, published findings along with coauthor Haiyi Liang, in the March 21 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
The scientists studied asiatic lilies - Lilium casablanca - in the process of blooming and tried to explain why petals curve outward as opposed to inward.
According to Discovery News, some of the earlier explanations for flower blossoms included models involving the midrib - or center vertical line - of each petal.
Mahadevan and his colleagues believe that the driving forces are more along the edges of flower petals.
To prove this, they surgically removed the edges of lilies and found that the outward curls changed, becoming less pronounced.
The team also explains blossoms in terms of "instabilities" in plant cells, according to ScienceNews. Such instabilities arise when some cells become longer than others and begin to strain the edges of flowers. Any flower lover has observed this process at the sight of ruffles along the edges of petals and sepals.
“Because it’s only growing at the edge and not the middle, you get a mismatch of strain," Skotheim told the news source.
To further follow the growth of each flower, Liang and Mahadevan drew dots on the buds of unopened lilies and proceeded to videotape the flowers' growth.
Journalist Tim Wall of Discovery News quotes several writers who may have intuited the process of flower blossoms long before the new publication in PNAS.
"It is at the edge of a petal that love waits," said William Carlos Williams. Similarly, Anais Nin seemed to believe that flower blossoming didn't originate from the center of the bud. "The risk to remain tight in the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom," wrote Nin.
Mathematicians have used numbers to study and quantify the nature of other plants. The phenomenon of grass blades turning away from the sun has been explained through math.
“Infusing a scientific aesthetic into a thing of beauty only enhances our appreciation of it. This is what we try to do as scientists," Mahadevan told ScienceNews.

Easter Flowers Show

As Easter - this year held on April 24 - approaches, Orange County has a number of entertainment shows and programs lined up, including a Bonkers for Bunnies program geared towards toddlers, a Meet the Easter Bunny Eggstravaganza as well as a Hats Off to Spring Flower Show, according to the Orange County Register.
The Bonkers for Bunnies Easter-themed program will teach children about rabbits and will be held on April 22 at the Orange County Zoo. The coast of admission is $5 per child, parent included.
The Hats Off to Spring annual flower show will be held on April 28, free of charge, at the Woman's Club of Orange clubhouse. As Easter coincides with the beginning of spring, flowers are in colorful display all across the country.
Near Springfield Missouri, the Salvation Army Women's Auxiliary Geranium sale is happening from now until May 5 and will feature flowers from Steinert's Greenhouse and Gardens, according to KY3 News. These include red flowers as well as pink flowers, with all money raised going to help provide needy children at the Family Enrichment Center with Easter clothes.
According to ReligiousTolerance.org, Easter is actually a combination of both Judeo-Christian and Pagan traditions. Easter falls on different dates depending on the year, but with less than a week remaining before the holiday this Sunday, those who are thinking of ordering flowers for loved ones and family members should start to look at online florists for the perfect Easter bouquet.
In Orange County, the day before Easter will be the last day of the Irvine Park Railroad's Easter Eggstravaganza. This year marks the fourth annual run of the program, which features Meet the Easter Bunny, Easter egg hunts, face painting, hayrides as well as games and carnivals. Train rides cost about $4 and parking is available on weekdays and weekends.
Flower bouquets that feature Easter themes are available online, including Easter Tulips and Spring Blooms. One can coordinate children's Easter outfits with the flowers of bouquets as well. A yellow and purple dress would go well with a batch of yellow and purple tulips.
Online florists provide a viable and often more convenient alternative to physical flower shops. One can order from the comfort of one's home at any time of the day or night. Flower delivery arrives at one's doorsteps and some online florists can drop off flowers without requiring someone to be at home, signing off on the receipt.