Sunflower Wedding Bouquets Adds To Your Romantic Wedding

For a successful wedding you need to have beautiful wedding decorations. Whether it's the table centerpiece or bouquets, you need to decorate the wedding area to enhance the beauty of the occasion. The wedding budget, season of the year, wedding theme, etc. are some of the important factors that should be considered while planning the wedding floral arrangements. There are different types of beautiful flowers that can be used for making bouquets, corsages, boutonnieres, centerpieces, etc. Flowers like the Casablanca lily, rose, etc. are some of the expensive wedding flowers while sunflowers and chrysanthemums are cheap wedding flowers. Thus you can choose the wedding flowers according to your wedding budget. Sunflowers are beautiful and bright flowers that can be used for inexpensive weddings. Scroll down and know more about making sunflower wedding bouquets.

Sunflower Wedding Bouquets

The sunflower is a simple and elegant flower known for its large flower head and bright yellow color. Every flower has a meaning and sunflowers are associated with longevity and loyalty. Thus using sunflowers for making wedding bouquets is quite meaningful. They make some of the best flowers for inexpensive weddings and are popularly used for summer weddings. You can purchase sunflowers at a florist or even grow your own sunflowers in your garden. Growing sunflowers is quite simple and sunflower seeds are available at economic prices. These flowers are available in various sizes and because of their large flower heads, you require very few flowers to make the wedding bouquets. The bright yellow color of these flowers blend well with other flowers that are white or purple in color. You do not require special decorative material to prepare a sunflower wedding bouquet. Even a bunch of 3 to 4 sunflowers held together makes a simple yet elegant wedding bouquet. Sunflowers are quite large in size and thus you can make wedding bouquets with a lesser number of sunflowers.

Sunflower Wedding Bouquets Ideas

There are lots of advantages of using sunflowers for wedding bouquets. Sunflowers have thick and large stems, and hence you do not have to make special arrangements for holding the bouquets. These flowers last quite long and hence the wedding bouquet look fresh for a longer period of time. The wedding flower colors should always complement the gown of the bride and yellow being a nice bright color blends well with almost any color.

While using other flowers in sunflower wedding bouquets, make sure that you use flowers with colors that will mix well with the yellow color. Mums and carnations with their white, purple and orange colors, make a nice addition to sunflower bouquets. While using sunflowers with large heads make use of just 3 or 5 flowers and use more than 10 flowers when you are using small sunflowers with a diameter of 2 inches. Also use decorative material like baby's breath and floral wires. While arranging the sunflowers, make sure that every flower faces outward in different directions. If you simply squeeze the flowers together, the petals will get crushed. While arranging the sunflowers in the bouquet, arch the stems slightly to give it a natural look.

Though sunflowers are not popular as roses or calla lilies, these flowers are the best choice when you have a low budget for the wedding decoration. Sunflower wedding bouquets can be used for summer weddings, beach weddings or a sunflower wedding theme, so have a beautiful and bright wedding and cast away any hint of gloom with sunflowers.

Ixora Is Always Producing New Flowers And Looks Delightful In Any Flower Garden

Ixora flower is a genus of flowering plants in the Rubiaceae family. It consists of tropical evergreen trees and shrubs and holds around 500 species.Though native to the tropical and subtropical areas throughout the world, its centre of diversity is in Tropical Asia. Ixora also grows commonly in subtropical climates in the United States, such as Florida. It is commonly known as West Indian Jasmine. Other common names include: rangan, kheme, ponna, chann tanea, techi, pan, santan, jarum-jarum, Jungle flame, Jungle geranium, and many more. The plants possess leathery leaves, ranging from 3 to 6 inches in length, and produce large clusters of tiny flowers in the summer. Members of Ixora prefer acidic soil, and are suitable choices for bonsai. It is also a popular choice for hedges in parts of South East Asia, like in Thailand. In tropical climates they flower year round.

The Ixora comes from a genus of over 400 species but only a few are commonly cultivated. The plant is a dense multi-branched shrub that average 4-6 feet at full height and may be wider than it is tall. It is an evergreen plant with a rounded form. Its glossy, oblong leaves are carried in opposite pairs or whorled around long stems. The flowers come in yellow, pink, red, and orange and form 2-5 inch diameter clusters at the end of the stems. The dwarf varieties are very popular and usually stay under 3 feet in height.

For the best results, plant the Ixora where it will receive direct sunlight for most of the day. The more sun the better as the Ixora will be denser, more compact and produce more flowers. The plants like a well-drained, moist, acidic soil that is high in organic materials. To prepare the soil add some organic compost and peat moss and mix thoroughly. The Ixora is intolerant of alkaline soils that will cause the leaves to become chlorotic or a sickly yellow color. Use mulch to keep the soil moist and keep away from concrete and stucco runoff areas. The key to the Ixora is sun and acidic soil so make sure you find the right spot.

Maintaining the Ixora is quite simple. They drink lots in the summer and need water regularly but only need water sparingly in the winter. The plants are hardy in USDA Zones 9-11 but if temperatures drop below 40 -degrees F, leaves and stems will be damaged. Light freezes may kill the plant to the ground but it should sprout back to life in the spring. When the forecast calls for cold temperatures cover the plants to reduce the damage. The soil around the plant should be kept moist, so mulch thoroughly. Fertilize the plant monthly in the summer with a high nitrogen fertilizer to aid in the formation of new flower buds. Prune the plant at will as the tight, compact shrub is heavily branched and tolerates hard pruning. This is why the Ixora is such a popular choice for formal hedges.

Flowers of Ixora of the Rubiaceae family considered to be a shrub in undergrowth from tropical rain forest and noted for the bright bouquets of color.If you examine the Chinese Ixora flower ball it will reveal that it is actually a cluster of many small blossoms, quite beautiful.On each tube are four petals that turn outward. In the middle is a caterpillar like stamen with anthers quite pretty.

The wild Chinese Ixora is getting very rare and it is now a protected species because of it lack of reproduction in its natural tropical habitat. From what I have learned no matter what color all species are considered to be Chinese ixora.This plant grows wild only in the tropics where it blooms all year long.Large, clusters of tiny, white, yellow, orange, rose, colored flowers are produced. The flowers last for sometime when picked and put into a vase.

This shrub will usually grow only 5 to 10 feet tall and is commonly used a hedge or ornamental garden plant. As you can tell, growing Ixora is not complicated at all. Finding a nice sunny spot will probably be the most difficult task. Once it gets going, the Ixora is a wonderful plant to follow as it is always producing new flowers and looks delightful in any flower garden.

The Symbolic Meaning of Lotus Flowers

The Chinese nation loves flowers. The lotus flower is one of the top ten most famous flower species in China, and has been the most favored one for hundreds of years. Grown in muddy swamps and risen above the surface to bloom with remarkable beauty, the exquisite flower is huge in size.

Chinese people have an abiding fondness for lotus flowers. Literary people through the ages praised the lotus, chanted the eulogy of the lotus and painted lotuses. It is the subject of poems and paintings with great artistic appeal; it is the material of graceful dances; and it is a common pattern and design in various architectural decorations, sculptures and daily utensils. The adoration of the lotus has formed a unique “Lotus culture,” lasting a long time in China.

Furthermore, the lotus flower is the most frequently used object in poems. “Hang my head and touch the lotus, it is as clear as water,” says one poet to envision the purity of love. A “lotus-like face” is the greatest possible compliment for a women’s external charm.

In Chinese, the word for lotus is pronounced “HE,” the same as the word which means harmony. So in folk paintings, the images of two fairies, holding a lotus and a box in their hands, are used to symbolize auspiciousness and harmony.

Lotus as symbol of rectitude: In Chinese, the word for a lotus of a light blue color is pronounced similarly to the word for rectitude. The lotus is used to illustrate an official’s incorruptibility.

The Lotus’s meaning in Buddhism: Buddha is sometimes depicted sitting on a Lotus flower, symbolizing the one who overcame the pain that prevails in the material world and became enlightened, just like the Lotus flower, which starts to grow in the dirty and muddy water but manages to surpass the water and produce a perfect flower. The water, in many different belief systems, represents the material world, or the physical realm.

Legend has it that the 14th day of June in the Chinese lunar calendar is the lotus’s birthday, commonly known as the Lotus Festival. This custom originated in the Song Dynasty (960-1279) and on that day people, especially in southern China, will hold various kinds of celebration activities. They come to a lotus pond and enjoy the graceful scenery of lotuses.

Canna-Great Appeal And Appearance In The Garden

The canna family, Cannaceae, is comprised of one genus Canna and more than fifty species. Most gardeners choose canna plants for their colorful leaves and blooms to enhance their garden's ornamental or decorative appearance.

Canna edulis, native to Central and South America, is the one species important to agriculture. The roots are rich in starch. It is commercially cultivated in Australia for a product called "Queensland Arrowroot" and in the Caribean for a thickening agent called "tous-les-mois". The rhizomes of Canna edulis are similar in taste to white potatoes if cooked, but because of their high content of fiber they are not as palatable. The green leaves and stalks are used as food for cattle.

Another highly appreciated species is Canna indica, called Ali'ipoe and Li'ipoe on the Hawaiian Islands. The ripe seeds are used for making Hindu and Buddhist rosaries in India and throughout Southeast Asia to count mantras,chants, or prayers. The leaves are used for food wrappings in tropical regions of Africa.
Other species include Canna glauca and Canna gigantea which are native to Brazil. Canna glauca is used as a cooked vegetable, and Canna gigantea is used as a diuretic. Canna speciosa is cultivated in the Sierra Leone and is used as a seasoning similar to turmeric.

Cannas flourish in most parts of the United States with plenty of heat, temperatures ranging from upper 70s to low 90s, and regularly watering. They are dependable and easy to grow providing tropical foliage and flowers from early summer until fall frost.

Cannas are available as dwarfs, one to two feet tall, medium height, three to four feet tall, and tall size plants, six feet or more. Excellent dwarf varieties include Bangkok Yellow, Chinese Coral, Jester Pink, Japanese Rose, Orange Punch, Pink Angel and Porcelaine Rose. Medium to tall size varieties include Aida, Cleopatra, North Star, Picasso, President, Red Futurity and Richard Wallace.

The foliage ranges in color from different shades of green to beautifully variegated leaves. Cultivars with variegated foliage include Bangkok Yellow, Pretoria, Stuttgart and Tropicana.

Canna rhizomes should be started in spring indoors before planting them outdoors after all danger of frost has passed generally sometime in the month of May in most of North America.

Before planting outdoors, either in pots or in the ground, add some compost, manure or high Nitrogen slow release fertilizer to the soil in order to increase lush growth. Blood meal is an excellent choice when it comes to a slow release high Nitrogen fertizer. Best results are achieved when cannas are planted in loose, fertile and well drained soil which has warmed to 60 degrees or more.

In the ground cana rhizomes should be planted approximately twelve inches apart. When grown in pots planting two rhizomes into one twelve inch pot results in a nice display of foliage and flowers. This is best achieved by placing two rhizomes with space in between them and the growing tips showing in opposite direction. When planting outdoors in the ground, or in pots, the rhizomes are laid horizontally and completely covered with an inch or more of soil with the growing eye, if possible, facing upwards. However, this is not critical as cannas will always grow towards the surface, growing towards the light. During one growing season cannas produce three to five rhizomes for each rhizome planted.

Canna plants need regular watering and fertilizing with any fertilizer high in Nitrogen. Regular dead-heading of spent flowers results in an attractive floral garden display. Cannas are rarely bothered by insects. If insects appear, several applications with insecticidal soap usually take care of the problem easily.

After the first frost the tops of the plants should be removed, cut off, and the rhizomes dug up for planting next spring. The rhizomes should be rinsed, the soil washed off, divided and dried.

One storage option is to layer the rhizomes with peat in cardboard boxes with lids or to place them in plastic bags with a few holes for a little ventilation. This way canna rhizomes can be stored in the basement, garage, or any place which is cool and stays above freezing. The ideal storage temperature for canna rhizomes is between fifty and sixty degrees.

Another storage method is to dig up the whole clump of rhizomes, without being cleaned off, cover them with plastic and store them in the same manner mentioned above. The rhizomes should never be stored in mesh bags as this results in the rhizomes drying out.