365 Days of Floral Education - Days 141 - 145

As part of our 125^th Anniversary celebration at Stein Your Florist Co. we are sharing a year of floral education, November 1, 2012 thru October 31, 2013. Each day we will post something new on our Facebook page to share our knowledge of our favorite things, flowers and plants and we'll be updating our blog every 5 days or so. No need for pencils and notebooks, just sharing some simple lessons in floristry.

Day 141 - There are many different varieties of roses, including single roses, spray roses and shrub roses. While some rose bushes produce one blossom per branch, others produce several roses per branch. While a spray rosebush won't provide you with long-stemmed roses, depending upon your garden plans or decorative arrangements, spray or individual roses can work for your needs. Spray roses are typically smaller than blossoms grown on other types of rosebushes, but not always. They tend to be lush and have abundant flowers.

Day 142 - Geraniums have been a gardener's favorite for well over a century. The old-fashioned standard for beds, borders, and containers, geranium is still one of the most popular plants today. Traditional bedding types love hot weather and hold up well to dry conditions; many offer colorful foliage. Regal, also called Martha Washington, geraniums are more delicate-looking and do better in the cool conditions of spring and fall. Though most geraniums are grown as annuals, they are perennials in Zones 10-11. Bring them indoors to overwinter, if you like, then replant outdoors in spring. Or they can bloom indoors all year long if they get enough light.

Day 143 – Viburnum is a beautiful flower resembling a small hydrangea that is available as an import from Holland beginning in March and lasting until early April. Domestically it is available from May to early June. Though it is a short window to enjoy these pretty petals as a cut flower they are also a wonderfully versatile garden shrub. When the blooms are immature they are apple green in color and turn white as they mature.

Day 144 - In many Christian churches, Palm Sunday is marked by the distribution of palm leaves (often tied into crosses) to the assembled worshippers. The palm branch is a symbol of victory, triumph, peace and eternal life originating in the ancient Near East and Mediterranean world. The palm (Arecaceae) was sacred in Mesopotamian religions, and in ancient Egypt represented immortality. In Judaism, the palm is associated with the festival of Sukkot. A palm branch was awarded to victorious athletes in ancient Greece, and a palm frond or the tree itself is one of the most common attributes of Victory personified in ancient Rome. In Christianity, the palm branch is associated particularly with Palm Sunday, when according to Christian tradition palm branches were waved at the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. It was adopted into Christian iconography to represent the victory of martyrs, or the victory of the spirit over the flesh.

Day 145 - Scabiosa, commonly known as pincushion flower, is a genus in the teasel Family Dipsacaceae of flowering plants. Scabiosa plants have many small flowers of soft lavender blue, lilac or creamy white color borne in a single head on a tall stalk. Scabious flowers are nectar rich and attract a variety of insects including moths and butterflies. The symbolic meaning of scabiosa is unfortunate love.

365 Days of Floral Education - Days 136 - 140

As part of our 125^th Anniversary celebration at Stein Your Florist Co. we are sharing a year of floral education, November 1, 2012 thru October 31, 2013. Each day we will post something new on our Facebook page to share our knowledge of our favorite things, flowers and plants and we'll be updating our blog every 5 days or so. No need for pencils and notebooks, just sharing some simple lessons in floristry.

Day 136 – The globe artichoke is a perennial thistle originating in southern Europe around the Mediterranean. It grows tall, with arching, deeply lobed, silvery-green leaves 20–30” long. The flowers develop in a large head from an edible bud about 3-6” in diameter with numerous triangular scales, with the flower eventually blooming in a lovely shade of purple. The edible portions of the buds consist primarily of the fleshy lower portions of the involucral bracts and the base, known as the "heart"; the mass of immature florets in the center of the bud is called the "choke" or beard. They lend themselves well to many floral designs, especially centerpieces.

Day 137 - The shamrock refers to the young sprigs of clover or trefoil. It is known as a symbol of Ireland, with St. Patrick having used it as a metaphor for the Christian Trinity, according to legend. The name shamrock is derived from Irish seamróg, which is the diminutive version of the Irish word for clover (seamair) meaning simply "little clover" or "young clover". Shamrock is usually considered to refer to either the species Trifolium dubium (lesser clover, Irish: seamair bhuí) or Trifolium repens (white clover, Irish: seamair bhán). However, other three-leaved plants—such as Medicago lupulina, Trifolium pratense, and Oxalis acetosella—are sometimes called shamrocks or clovers. The shamrock was traditionally used for its medicinal properties and was a popular motif in Victorian times.

Day 138 - Velvet Centaurea, is – like some other plants – also known as "dusty miller". It is a small plant in the family Asteraceae and originates from the Island of Capraia in Italy. Dusty miller is a favorite because it looks good with just about everything in a garden or an arrangement. The silvery-white color is great and its fine-textured foliage creates a beautiful contrast against other plants' green foliage. Dusty miller has also earned its place in the garden because it's delightfully easy to grow, withstanding heat and drought like a champion and loving full sun.

Day 139 - According to the International Geranium Society, the flowers America most commonly refer to as "geraniums" are not true geraniums at all, but are actually pelargoniums. Both belong to the Geraniaceae family and both are native to South Africa, having been imported to America in the 1700s. They are similar in appearance but have notable differences. By the late 1800s, arborists realized the differences and wanted to call them by separate names, but Europe had already set the trend and refused to change so America followed suit. To this day, pelargoniums are grown and sold globally under the name of geraniums.

Day 140 - Azaleas are called “the royalty of the garden.” Azaleas have been hybridized for hundreds of years. Over 10,000 different azalea plants have been registered or named, although far fewer are in the trade. This provides a very wide variety of plant habits, sizes, colors and bloom times to meet almost every landscaping need or personal preference. The arrival of spring brings these beautiful blooming plants into our flower shops and our gardens.