Archive for April 2013

Avril

Monday, April 29, 2013

Not this one.


This one.

 

I found a tiny half-egg this week on the sidewalk leading up to my home, and I thought it was the perfect thing to bring inside for April. I didn't photograph it, and I can't find it anywhere, so I believe it was probably eaten by a dog. (There have been a few of them around these parts, lately.)

I only lamented the loss of my tiny half-egg for a moment, though, because as soon as I stepped outside I realized that late April is really not for bringing things in.

Late April seems most suited to bringing ourselves OUT.


I watched a mother and her adult daughter release balloons outside of the Polish American Club on 1st Street. I walked past a hundred strange Uncle Sams. I listened to some Otis Redding in my garden, planting all kinds of poppies, bachelors' buttons, daisies, sweet peas, sweet annie, and raking the beds smooth. I walked my dog through the woods, where giant swaths of skunk cabbage sprout up in the lowlands like succulent green eyelashes.


And then I brought things in. This is the first week that I've populated bouquets entirely with my own stems and branches, and I can't tell you how happy that makes me. I still have to go to the flower distributor for some things, and it'll be awhile yet before those seedling babies make good on their promises, but for now the tulips, fritillaria, grape hyacinths, the flowering cherries and plums on the streets, the forsythia that Marwin adorably calls happy-new-year-flower, and the glowing daffodils (and popping dandelions) are more than enough for a calendar page.



No Comments »

Geranium Flower

Thursday, April 25, 2013 · Posted in , , , ,

 Geranium, Geranium Flower, Geranium care, red Geranium, Geranium color

Geranium are one of the most reliable plants in the home garden. They can be obtained in flower in late spring and will add color to the garden until frost. The new cultivars offer almost shatter-proof flowers that withstand wind and rain. Geraniums can be obtained as seedlings or established plants.
Geranium Flower, Set out plants in the spring after danger of frost is past. Geraniums that have been injured by cold temperatures will produce little growth and the foliage will often be red. Planting in late May is preferable for the most productive plants. Plant geraniums where they will receive sunlight for best flower production. Select a site where water drainage is good.
Geraniums will grow in almost any type of soil if well-aerated and porous. Heavy clay soils should be improved by adding organic matter each year. An inch of coarse sphagnum peat moss, partially-rotted manure, or compost spaded in when preparing the beds is ideal.
Geranium plants are generally available as rooted cuttings or as seedlings in plastic trays or pots. Plants should be set in the soil no deeper than the depth they were growing in the pot. If possible, plant more shallow--stem rot can kill plants if they are planted too deeply. Once planted, firm the soil around the roots. Be careful not to injure the stem of the plant, as this provides an opening for diseases to enter. Water thoroughly after planting.
Liquid fertilizers such as 20-20-20 or 15-30-15 should also be applied at the rate recommended on the package. Water after applying to ensure that the fertilizer reaches the roots and to avoid burning. Any fertilizer that gets on the foliage of the plants should be sprayed with water.

No Comments »

Iris Flowers

Monday, April 22, 2013 · Posted in , , , ,

Iris flowers, iris flower meaning, iris flower care, iris flower colors
Iris flowers come in many different colors and styles. The range of color spans the entire rainbow, and nearly every other color imaginable, except for black. The actual blooms of the iris flowers also come in a wide range of styles. There are two main classes of iris flowers, namely bearded and beardless.

The bearded iris flowers have six petals. Three of the petals, called standards grow up, while the remaining three, called falls hang down. The bearded iris flower gets its name from the falls, which have a ‘beard’ of fuzz down the center. The bearded iris flowers bloom in the late spring through early summer. Some bearded iris flowers will even re-bloom late in the summer, which lasts long into the fall months. This second bloom is not as showy as the first one.

Beardless iris flowers come in many different forms. One type of beardless iris flower, the Spurias, is tall and has blooms that often resemble orchids. The colors range from white and yellow through blue. A second beardless iris flower is the Siberian, which are mostly blue and need cold and wet conditions to thrive. A third beardless iris flower is the Japanese, which usually has huge, ruffled blooms that are flat. Most beardless iris flowers will bloom after the bearded iris flower blooming period is over.

Several other varieties of iris flowers are clumped together in a class called aril irises. Aril iris flowers are bearded, but not classified with the bearded iris flowers because they are so different. The beards are rather sparse, and generally nothing more than a fuzzy strip on the oncocyclus. Though the aril iris flowers are extremely beautiful and colorful, many of them are not able to grow in the United States, save for the hottest, driest climates.

No Comments »

Getting Real, Part II

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

You may have noticed, by now, that it seems to be becoming spring for good. The ground is soft; it smells like green, powerfully; birds are singing in the early morning; impossible growth is everywhere.

So it's time to begin! To formally announce the birth of the FLOWER SCOUT CSA. 


(Henceforward, Flower Scout will conduct the majority of its business in the form of this CSA, which will organize the mind and ease the anxiety of its proprietor.)


IT'LL FUNCTION AS FOLLOWS: As a CSA member, you can sign up for a full share (one $20 bouquet every week, for the value price of $65 per month) or a half share (one $20 bouquet every other week, for $40 per month) and pick it up during a designated pick-up time, at various locations TBD, or have it dropped off at your home or work, with an added delivery fee.

The locations/times of pick-up and the cost of delivery will depend on participation and what works best for CSA members.

WHAT YOU'LL RECEIVE:
  1. Many, many locally-and-organically-grown flowers and herbs, in the form of careful, intentional arrangements. 
  2. Participation in a club of cool kids (a.k.a. invitations to parties in the F.S. garden). 
  3. The first chance at purchasing cheap n' lovely seedlings, if I produce too many for my space. 
  4. A subscription to a weekly Scouting Newsletter.
  5. A Scout Badge of Honor
  6. And other things I'll think of as we go! Wreaths, hairpieces, dreamcatchers, probably a bug or two along the way, and my everlasting appreciation.
 

Flower Scout is now accepting CSA members for the month of May. Spots are limited. Please email flowerscoutfarm@gmail.com to reserve yours.

(If you're not ready to drink the floral kool-aid just yet, don't worry--you'll have another chance in June. And July. And August, and probably September too.)

Thanks to all of you who've ordered bouquets during the last few months! I can't tell you how much I've appreciated your support.

No Comments »

Calla Lily Meaning

Sunday, April 14, 2013 · Posted in , , ,

Calla lily meaning is sombre and grave. In one hand it is used in weddings as sign of purity and on the other hand it resembles resurrection and often planted in the graves. The flower is very attractive and beautiful and in one hand it resides in the wedding bouquet and in other it is used in funeral arrangements.

Calla lily meaning has been related to Greek goddess Hera. The word calla means beautiful. The legend goes like this. Zeus, the roman god had fathered Hercules with earthly women. When Hercules was born, Zeus wanted Hercules to have divine powers. He drugged Hera and let the little Hercules nurse from her. As Hera came back to her senses, she was furious and pushed the baby aside. During this act, the milk way was formed and as the few drops of milk fell on the earth they became lilies. Seeing the beautiful lilies, Venus felt that her beauty is being challenged. She began cursing the flower and soon a heavy pistil came out of the centre of the beautiful cup shaped flower. Callas lilies are associated with Mother Mary, and it symbolises her purity and virginity. Again it is seen on Easter and it herald resurrection. It also is related to the holy cross and Christ’s passions while on it.  During the Victorian Era, puritans imposed restrictions on the use of impure words and since then flowers are used to transfer feelings of the heart. Different flowers have different meaning and the Calla lily meaning is both rebirth and union.

The Calla lily is a beautiful flower, oddly enough, a Calla lily is not even a lily, and it is in the Araceae family and is actually poisonous. The Calla lily is also known as the Arum lily so it can be called both names. This flower has different meanings to different people. The actual meaning of the flower is beauty and it has sort of a femme fatal look to it. However, it is also a very popular flower that you will find at funerals and events that are celebrating death. So, make sure that you understand this flower before you are handing it to anyone.

No Comments »

Are You My Mother?

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Mothers' Day is May 12th

Order a bouquet for the woman who gave you an X chromosome, 
or for any woman or man whose gifts are more abstractly nurturing.

Pick it up Saturday May 11th, or Sunday May 12th, from CAC Woodside in Troy: $15
Have it delivered to your mother's door or your own: $15 + delivery cost (~ $10, depending on location)

email flowerscoutfarm@gmail.com to place your order



No Comments »

Season of Birthdays

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

For heaven's sake, the whole world is getting born! (and mine is coming up too)
Here's a bouquet I made for my talented friend Tara today, on her birthday:

with pink and yellow variegated ranunculus, deep orange freesia, a single pink anemone, sea holly thistle, and red eucalyptus

No Comments »

Mars

Saturday, April 6, 2013

Mars! I forgot Mars! I can't believe it. But those of you stationed in the greater Northeast will know that the end of March slid right into April with all the differentiation of one teeth-falling-out dream becoming a naked-in-the-classroom dream, made even more uncomfortable by mildly irritating snow cover. Goodbye, Mars! I'm ready for flying dreams now.


A week ago these crocuses (croci?) and miniature irises came up just near my kitchen door, and brought some serious purple into the house for a few days.


And in the world of the less-seasonally-appropriate, my flower distributor suddenly had anemones on Monday! Anemones are one of my real favorites, with velvet petals and deeeeeeep colors that fade like ombre within the petal itself.


 So alright, March, goodbye. 

Today is a planting day!


No Comments »

Cut Flower Care

Monday, April 1, 2013

I had the great pleasure//stress//elation//overwhelm-edness (in phases) of delivering about 15 bouquets in the past few days. It felt wonderful--spring is in the air, obviously, and the flowers I found to purchase were in soft-bright colors, if you know what I mean. Foggy spring morning colors.


But now that those bouquets are ensconced on the kitchen tables, mantles, and dressers of their recipients, I want to share some info about how to keep them looking good. Flowers are necessarily impermanent, and a huge part of their beauty and meaning comes from watching them change and decay, but few things are stinkier than cut flowers rotting in old nasty water.

So follow these simple instructions to stave off that rottenness:
1. Do not place bouquets near cold drafts or heaters. Flowers prefer cool temperatures, so make sure that they aren't resting on an electronic device (TV or stereo, etc) that emits heat.

2. Do not place them, much as you may want to, near bowls of fruit. The ethylene gas emitted by ripening fruits will over-ripen (aka cause the rapid wilt) of your bouuqet.

3. Keep the water level high, and keep the water clean. For the first few days, just top off the water that's in your bouquet. In Troy, our water is quite chlorinated, so it's best to use filtered water. That said, I use H2O straight from the tap. We can't all be perfect. Flowers prefer room-temperature water--hot water will cook 'em; cold water can clog 'em up.

4. Every few days, trim the cut ends of each stem, and replace all the water in the vase. Flowers uptake water in order to keep themselves fresh-looking, but their stems can clog with bacteria or with a sticky sap sometimes emitted by their stems.

5. Remove wilting flowers and deadhead "spent" blossoms. You may want to believe that that old tulip will spring back to life, but it's gone, man. Get it out of there and enjoy the flowers that still look good. With more complex flowers, like the delphinium include in this week's bouquets, you can remove the lower blossoms on the stem as they fade, and still watch the upper buds open. 
(5A: That said, sometimes you can revive a sad-looking blossom by giving it a fresh cut and new water. One of my big tubs ran dry this week, and when I came home all the snapdragons were staring at the floor. I re-cut and refreshed their water, and now they're back to their spiky gorgeous selves again.)

That's it! Send any flower-care questions or bouquet requests to me at flowerscoutfarm@gmail.com, or send a Facebook message anytime.

No Comments »
Powered by Blogger.