As part of our 125th 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 146 -
Muscari is a genus of perennial bulbous plants native to Eurasia that produce
spikes of dense, most commonly blue, urn-shaped flowers resembling bunches of
grapes in the spring. The common name for the genus is Grape Hyacinth. Their
scent is said to resemble musk or honey.
Day 147 - The
flower symbolism associated with baby's breath is purity of heart, innocence,
and the breath of the Holy Spirit. Baby's breath is white with dense, delicate
clusters of flowers. They are native to Europe, but have been naturalized
throughout the eastern United States. Baby's breath is often used as ornamental
garden plants and as filler in bouquets.
Day 148 - The
distinctive dried seed heads of the lotus, which resemble the spouts of
watering cans, are widely sold throughout the world for decorative purposes and
for dried flower arranging. The lotus flowers, seeds, young leaves, and
"roots" (rhizomes) are all edible. Dried lotus seeds, from pods or
lotus fruit such as these, are sold in packages or in bulk at many Asian
markets for consumption, but they must first be soaked in water overnight prior
to use due to their hardness and toughness. They can then be added directly to
soups and congee, or used in other dishes. Fresh lotus seeds are sold in the
seed heads of the plant and eaten by breaking the individual seeds out of cone
shaped head. The soft rubbery shell that surrounds each seed should be removed
before consuming.
Day 149 -
When selecting hyacinths, choose flowers that have some of the bottom florets
beginning to open, while the upper blooms are still closed. This will ensure
that the entire stalk will bloom properly and that you don't have a bad bulb.
The exception to this rule is when you want the maximum effect of the flower
right away, say for instance a spring party, then go for full bloom. Also look
for stems with dark green foliage that stand firmly upright.
Day 150 - The
tulip is a perennial, bulbous plant with showy flowers in the genus Tulipa, of
which up to 109 species have been described and which belongs to the family
Liliaceae. Originally from Persia and Turkey, tulips were brought to Europe in
the 16th century, where they got their common name from the Turkish word for
gauze (with which turbans were wrapped) - reflecting the turban-like appearance
of a tulip in full bloom.
Day 351 – Charles Darwin, in his interesting work on
"Cross and Self-fertilization in the Vegetable Kingdom," gives some
interesting particulars of the ingenious way in which bumble-bees obtain the
honey from the snap-dragon when they cannot push past the projecting lip:
"In Antirrhinum majus one or two holes had been made on the lower side,
close to the little protuberance which represents the nectary, and therefore
directly in front of and close to the spot where the nectar is secreted."
In experiments, Mr. Darwin found that while fifty seed-pods protected by a net
gave nearly ten grains of seed, a similar number of pods from plants that the
bumble-bees had free access to yielded over twenty-three grains of seed. It is
not, however, by piercing holes in the flower that the bees effect
fertilization, but by thrusting their way through the jaws of the dragon into
the throat, where they encounter the stamens, and becoming dusted with pollen,
leave some of it on the stigma of that or the next flower they enter in like
manner. 
Day 353 – A few species of Muscari flowers, including M. comosum, can be used to
make wine that is high in antioxidants and vitamin C. In addition, some
homeopathic remedy practitioners crush the bulbs to create a form of poultice
for irritated or red skin. Other practitioners also boil the bulbs to make a
diuretic tea.
Day 355 – Many
parts of the Typha or Cattail
plant are edible to humans. The starchy rhizomes are nutritious with a protein
content comparable to that of maize or rice. They can be processed into a
flour. They are most often harvested from late autumn to early spring. They are
fibrous, and the starch must be scraped or sucked from the tough fibers. Plants
growing in polluted water can accumulate lead and pesticide residues in their
rhizomes, and these should not be eaten.
