The Lost Language of Flowers and Foliage

In the mid 1800s, when someone created a bouquet, they created a message too. The message wasn't written in a letter or on a card, but in the flowers and foliage that made up the bouquet.

For the educated at that time, flowers and foliage had assigned meanings. So the combinations used to make bouquets conveyed messages, to be read only by others in-the-know.

The mythical origins of the language explains that they came from Turkey where a French painter wooed a Harem girl. He took her back to France as his wife where she taught European women to speak with flowers and foliage to their lovers. The Europeans then taught everyone else.

Some plant meanings are obvious, like the Venus' Fly-Trap signifying deceit and danger. Ouch! And a Lemon Branch meaning zest or vigor. Zing!

Some meanings are obvious if you know the Latin name for the flower, like the Daffodil. In Latin it's called a Narcissus, named for the vain god. The Daffodil signifies egotism.

The more interesting are the counter-intuitive ones, like a Cactus symbolizing warmth. But if you think about it, the Cactus grows in a warm climate. The prickliness is ignored.

It's interesting to note that some meanings are different than meanings we commonly accept today, such as for the Shamrock. It does not symbolize luck, but instead means lightheartedness.

And the holiday-season favorite, Mistletoe, does not mean a kiss, but instead means "I surmount difficulties". Perhaps the difficulty surmounted is how to get a certain person to let you kiss them, or how to get a certain person to kiss you? Just a thought...

One plant meaning is still commonly known. The Olive Branch is the universal symbol of peace. And you do still hear people say someone is as solid as an Oak. The Oak symbolizes bravery.

While the language of flowers and foliage is a dead language today, the dictionaries for this language still exist and inspire the more romantic, or devious, among us. If that includes you, here are some suggestions.

• A bride's bouquet of Blue Violets and Forget-Me-Nots surrounded by Ivy promises a faithful and true love within marriage.
• A Cabbage Rose and Lupines sent ahead by a date means the person will arrive as an ambassador of love, voracious for your company.
• You could head off the ambassador with a bouquet of Orange Blossoms and Acacia Leaves declaring your chastity (with them) and offering friendship instead.
• If you receive Variegated Tulips with Peonies it could be you have an admirer of your beautiful eyes who's too bashful to tell you in person.
• Watch out for an Oleander Branch with Lavender around a Tuberose. Someone could be trying to tell you to beware and to distrust dangerous pleasures.
• But Hollyhock with Sweet-Peas means someone has ambitions for delicate pleasures.
• A sweet arrangement is Buttercups with Daisies and Magnolia, communicating a childish, innocent, love of nature.
• Even sweeter is Honeysuckle, meaning generous and devoted affection.
• At a time of loss, Pansies with either Red Poppies, Marigolds or Pine Branches tell a person of your thoughts for them of consolation, despair and pity.
• But if the person mourning responds with Mimosa and Elm branches, they're telling you they're still sensitive yet coping with dignity.
• Decorating your doorway with Oak Branches would signify your hospitality to your party guests as they arrive.
• And a gift bouquet for your party host of Sweet Basil, Parsley, Mint, and Sage will not only make the food more flavorful, but also send good wishes for the festivity, and praises the host for their virtue, especially their domestic virtues.
• The earthy combination of Grass and Wheat stocks means there's to be a submission with an expectation of great riches.
• But for the broken heart, try sending the heart-breaker some Lettuce Leaves with Hydrangeas and one White Rose Bud. If they understand the language of flowers and foliage, they'll know you consider them a cold-hearted, boaster who's heart is ignorant of love.

I'll leave you with an Oak leaf with an Olive Branch, or the wish that you're brave enough to seek peace where you now have strife.

by Candida Martinelli

How to Make Adenium Rapid Flowering

There are many ways to make quick Adenium rapid flowering.So that the beautiful garden.
I have the tricks themselves. I think so Adenium fast flowering, the medium needs to. Not enough sand use only, need to use the media layer.

Bottom layer: consists of styroform approximately one third of the pot contents. The goal is to be smooth drainage. Layer in the given the top media consisting of sand, soil, and biokoko, plus NPK fertilizer grain shape. The material is mixed until evenly distributed. Fill in the pot, not fully.Adenium ready to be planted on the media. NPK fertilizer grain again. As the top layer, let the pot full of soil. After planting, flush adenium with water. Put in the shade, during the week. After growth, place in the sun directly. Media need to be replaced regularly. When the media has begun to hard and not fertile, replace immediately. Sign, and the plants grow short not flower. If it is so, the media must be demolished. Watch full pests that attack roots. For example flyblow beetle, dog land, and others. This pest can spend the root, while the plant still appears intact. If it is so, perforce media also must be dismantled.

THE BEST BONSAI CARING WAYS

Growing bonsai for a particular cause is different from the viewpoint of those people who look for an interesting plant, glance at a bonsai, buy it and take it home with great pleasure. The thing these people do not realize is that the bonsai is absolutely an outdoor plant, never an indoor one, though since the 1990s it is absolutely used as a part to add glamour to indoor decoration. Plants of different kinds are used for indoor bonsai as opposed to outside, so it must be taken into account where to place the tree in an ideal manner.

If a tree is brought home inside what would be done with it? The bonsai is that tree whose shape may be given after one’s own whims. It never changes, never dies. It’s a plant that is always lively and needs attention and pruning to remain after one’s own choice.

the best bonsai caring ways

Bonsai must be placed in an area where enough light is available. If a bonsai fails to have enough UV rays, it dries. The bonsai needs warmth in the daytime - at least 60 degree Fahrenheit and the humidity to flourish. Regular spraying on the leaves with water is mandatory. However, bonsai can never be placed in a saucer or tray filled with water, as this can rot the roots. At night what the bonsai needs most is cooling down as it occurs in the nature as well.

Repotting of the bonsai once every two years or so is very crucial and this should be done in the spring. When the re-potting is made the roots should be pruned. Depending on the size of the roots, 1/3 to 2/3 should be removed from the tips. Repotting in a similar type of container as the original is necessary to create the same kind of effect. Drainage holes for the water must be cared of. If the roots come in close contact of much damp they will rot gradually.

Bonsai containers should be shallower than normal indoor pots used for plants. So if fertilizer is added dilution is to be accordingly otherwise the fertilizer will burn the roots. Bonsai should be fed this fertilizer about once every three weeks - but it should not be fed in winter.

Bonsai needs to be “pruned” and “pinched back” at a regular interval to keep it at the desired shape. Actually, this should be done in the spring before the season’s growth begins, and then regularly throughout the season. Actually everything depends on perfect pruning .It must be taken care of what kind of tree was got before this pruning - for example, if a ficus is taken all the leaves should be cut back.

Take Care of the Bonsai to be amused

As the bonsai is kept in a shallow container, it can attract pets and prone to be diseased. Bonsai requires more care. Even more than any other plant we generally see at hand

1. The bonsai should be cleaned with a small brush on a regular basis. Any plant debris on the soil is not allowed after the finishing of pruning the bonsai.. It will decompose and hamper the growth with fungal diseases or moss.

There is a common idea that moss is decorative and is not removed. If this is the case it should be kept away it form the trunk and branches of the tree - using a special spatula, or a hard nylon toothbrush just scraping away . A pair of tweezers is needed to remove any weed and it must be remembered that any grass can steal nutrients away from the tree.

2. Pests always should be kept away. As bonsai is watered often to keep it humid, this attract

pests such as aphids (aka greenfly), caterpillars, ants and red spider mites.

Diseases to combat

Diseases like Powdery mildew are the most widespread fungus disease. If a white, floury layer on

the shoots and leaves of the tree is seen it is nothing but powdery mildew. Rust may appear as orange or brown patches on the leaves. You may be using too much potassium in the soil, if this begins to occur.

Iron deficiency will cause yellowing of the trees. The leaves or needles will turn yellow - while the veins will remain green. This usually takes place in chalky or lime soil, which “locks up” the iron.

Repot and changes in the potting compost should be done.

The four seasons to notice

Special treatments for the outdoor bonsai will need special treatment in each of the four seasons, but even the indoor bonsai needs special treatment at times, for the biological necessities, rather

than environmental ones.

There’s no need to give fertilizer during the winter, for example Pruning for shape should be done in early spring, and, as stated earlier, repotting should take place in the spring of every second year, and the roots trimmed.

How To Keep Cats Away From Your Garden

Your first line of defense when keeping cats out of your garden is to make sure that you have your boundaries secure. If there are any gaps in y

our fence, you should make sure that you block them to prevent any low access. Cats are very agile animals, an

d ca

n jump very high. Normally they can jump a fence, which is why you should also invest in string or taut wire across the top.

If a cat has made his way into your garden, it may be hard to get him out. Most people choose to use dogs, simply because dogs are known to dislike cats. There are several dog breeds out there that completely dislike cats, such as pit bulls and Dobermans. Cats are completely fearful of these breeds, and will flee if they see them around.

All cats are known to despise water as well. If you spot a cat in your garden, water almost always gets him out. All it takes is a bucket of water or a well aimed squirt with a garden hose to make him run away. After you have hit the cat with water several times, he should get the hint not to come back anymore. If he comes back, simply squirt him or throw more water on him until he gets the idea.

Protecting your plants is a different story. Mothballs are said to be very effective, as cats don't like the smell. You can use mothballs around your plants, garden borders, or even along the fence. There are other repellents that you can use as well, such as cayenne peppers, tobacco, lavender oil, citronella oil, mustard oil, and even lemon grass oil.

If you visit your local hardware or lawn store, you can find motion activated sprinklers. They work great in keeping cats out of your garden. Once you install the sprinkler system and a cat comes into the area, the detector will pick up the cat's presence and immediately shoot out a jet of water that will douse the cat. In most cases, all it takes is a few times of exposure to the sprinkler before a cat learns to stay out of that area.

Sound devices that feature high frequencies are also a great way to scare off cats, although they aren't annoying to humans. You can find several different models, such as those that stay on all the time, and those that are motion detected. To use this type of device, you'll need to make sure that the model you have is strong enough to cover the entire area. If you model you are using is strong enough to cover your entire garden, it should suffice in scaring off any unwanted animals.

You can also use commercial repellents as well. Commercial repellents use scents to keep cats away, and shouldn't be used near any food crops. Due to their high chemical content, commercial repellents can pollute your crops. You can find them at your local department store, with several varieties to choose from, many of which will fend off other animals from your garden as well.

If you have a garden, it can be very annoying if cats and other animals decide to make your garden their home. If you stick to your guns and do your part, you can prevent them from bothering your garden or your crops. Once you have secured your boundaries around the garden, you should try using water first. If water doesn't seem to work, you can look into another method, such as commercial repellents.

By Janice Sherwood

Make your flower Garden Beautiful

Make Your Flower Garden Beautiful

There is nothing more beautiful than a flowering shrub in full bloom, except maybe a flowering shrub in full bloom that has been trained to grow as a single stem tree. Imagine having a fragrant Viburnum Tree next to your patio or outside your bedroom window, waking up to such a wonderful aroma. Go to this website to see how I grow Weeping Pussy Willow from cuttings, then train them into single stem trees.

Don’t confuse what I am about to explain here with the common technique of grafting flowering shrubs on to the tall stem of some sort of rootstock. Grafting is very effective, but not so easy to do. This is much easier. Not only that, when you train the shrub to grow into a single stem tree, you can end up with some very interesting plants.

Training a flowering shrub to grow into a single stem tree is actually pretty simple. The younger the shrub you start with, the easier it is to train. I have a friend who grows thousands of Tree Hydrangeas a year, and this is how he trains them. The variety that he grows for this purpose is P.G. Hydrangea. (hydrangea paniculata grandiflora) This is the one with the huge white snowball blooms.

He starts with rooted cuttings and lines them out in the field about 30" apart. The first year he allows them to grow untouched as multi-stem shrubs. Being a fast growing shrub, they typically produce 3 to 4 branches that grow to a height of about 3 to 4’ that first season. The following spring he goes into the field, examines each plant and selects the one stem that is the straightest, and is likely to grow straight up from the roots if tied to a stake.

He then clips all of the other branches as close to the main stem as possible. Then he pounds a stake in the ground as close to the main stem as possible, and clips the tip off the single stem that is left. This forces the plant to set lateral buds just below where he clipped the top off, rather than continue growing straight up. These lateral buds will grow into branches that will form the head of the tree. He then ties the stem to the stake.

As it begins to grow, any buds that appear below that top group of buds are picked off to keep the single stem tree form. That’s all there is to it. You can use almost anything as a stake, and just tie the stem to the stake with a piece of cloth. I also anchor plants to stakes with a single wrap of duct tape. I find that if I only wrap the tape once, the sun will dry the glue and the tape will fall off by itself in about 12 months. 1/2" electrical tubing (conduit) also makes a good stake, and is just a couple of bucks for a 10 foot piece.

You can do the same thing with an older established shrub if you can find one branch that can be tied to a vertical stake. The stem is likely to be crooked and not too smooth because of the wounds from where the branches were removed, but that doesn’t mean that you can not create an interesting plant. Some of the shrubs that make beautiful and unique ornamental trees are many varieties of Viburnums, Burning Bush, Winged Burning Bush, Red and Yellow Twig Dogwoods, Weigelia, Mockorange, Rose of Sharon, and Flowering Almond.

I’m sure there are many more. My favorite shrub to train into a single stem tree is Harry Lauder’s Walking Stick. In shrub form this plant is extremely interesting with its twisted and contorted branches. The new growth is reminiscent of a pig’s tail. Using the same technique as described above I select a single stem, tie it to a stake, and train it to grow as a single stem tree. The effect is totally unique.

By Josiah Smart