Sandra Cox - Flower Gardens And More

Copyright

Flower Gardens and More

Previously published as Power Flowers

Originally Published as Flower Power

Copyright 2009 by Sandra Cox

Any information related to health or medicine is not meant to constitute medical advice. If you have any illness or medical issues, please consult a physician. Please discuss any flower or essential oil uses with your doctor.

This book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in part by any means existing without written permission from the author.

Dedication

To my eighty-eight year old uncle, Robert Horntrop: Happy Birthday and many more.

Acknowledgements

Special thanks to the following people for their contributions:

Mary Caelsto

Meghan Cox

Sarah Davis

Heidi Telphner

Roxanne Newton

Joyce and Jimmy Rumple

Leslee (Robin) Waite

Content

I ntroduction

Enchanting Gardens

Planting Instructions

Compost

Zones

Gardening and Flower Tips

Flowers by Color

Visit to a Daylily Farm

Deadly Beauties

Carnivorous Plants

Edible Flowers

Aromatherapy

Pressing Flowers

Language of Flowers

Truth and Myth

Just for Fun: Florascope Personality Test

Bibliography

Glossary

Introduction

W hen you have only two pennies left in the world, buy a loaf of bread with one, and a lily with the other. Chinese Proverb

Through the ages flowers have delighted and empowered us. Shakespeare talks about the sweet smell of roses. The Koran tells us that flowers feed the spirit. Henry Beecher thought they were the sweetest things God had ever made without a soul.

And who could forget the flower children of the sixties, with their message of love and peace. Or the mysticism of oil and incense?

We pay tribute to births and deaths with sprays of these delicate beauties. A bride carries flowers down the aisle, and at the wedding reception, she tosses her bouquet, a symbol of eternal love, for someone to catch.

We embroider flowers on our hand towels and add them to our lotions and perfumes. We press a rose from a loved one between the pages of a book. We dry lavender from a garden so well have its sweet scent in the dead of winter.

Flowers boost our emotions. Wouldnt Mondays be easier to deal with if someone sent us a bright, scented floral bouquet for our desk?

Besides their intrinsic appeal, flowers are valued by the homeopathic community for their healing qualities. Theyre also used for purification and rituals.

Myths and legends abound around the eternal flower.

In the pages that follow, you will discover the wonders and uses of flowers such as gardens, aromatherapy, edibles, crafts, their personal language and the carnivores of the plant kingdom.

An easy reference chart of basic floral information has been included at the end of this book.

So please come with me to a world that will delight your senses and give you peace of mind.

Enchanting Gardens

N othing is more soothing and more guaranteed to relieve the days stress than walking through a fragrant garden, watching the butterflies flit from flower to flower and listening to the whir of hummingbirds. In gardens, we meditate, restore our spirit, create, and envision the future. There are many gardens to choose from. Do you want a perennial garden, something that will come back year after year? Maybe an annual garden thats awash with color and blooms all season long. Or perhaps a prayer garden for reflection. Here are some different gardens and plants to put in them. Choose the one that works best for you.

Annual Garden

Annuals are flowers that die back at the end of the season. However, several annuals do reseed themselves.

Annuals make beautiful summer gardens. A lot of folks like them because they bloom, and rebloom, all summer long.

The list of annuals is endless but here are a few favorites with gardeners.

Coleus plants are more popular for their brilliant leaves than for their flowers. Coleus leaves come in green, pink, red and white. Their leaf shapes vary, and some are as lacy as old-fashioned womens handkerchiefs.

Impatiens are a very popular summer flower. They come in a wide range of colors and like to be deep watered in a shady location. Deep watering is slow, steady watering, often by using a sprinkler hose, that allows water to seep at least twelve inches into the ground. Some people mulch to hold the moisture in the soil around the plants.

Marigolds are bright shades of yellow and are extremely hardy. These feisty little flowers have a pungent aroma that insects dont like. They also reseed themselves.

Is there anything prettier than a purple or pink peppermint petunia? These umbrella-shaped flowers look like a floral waterfall when they are in full bloom.

The delicate, beautiful snapdragon comes in a variety of colors. They are quite hardy and will reseed. Their beauty adds to any garden.

Apartment Garden

Just because you live in an apartment doesnt mean you cant enjoy a garden. If you have a balcony, patio or even a useable roof, you can build your own small garden with containers and pots of different sizes and shapes. Fill some with bright colored perennials and others with season-long blooming annuals. What could be prettier than a waterfall of white purple-centered petunias, draped over your balcony? If your apartment doesnt have a balcony, patio, or useable roof, hopefully there is a communal garden which you can take part in.

Birders Garden

If you would like to plant flowers that attract birds, try the following:

Black-eyed Susan

Bachelor Button

Cockscomb

Coneflower

Daisy

Goldenrod

Shrub Rose

Snapdragon

Sunflower

Zinnia

Flowers that attract hummingbirds:

Bee Balm

Butterfly Weed

Columbine

Coral Bells

Evening Primrose

Foxglove

Hollyhock

Nicotiana

Petunia

Pineapple Sage

Salvia

Zinnia

Most of your flowers will thrive in a sunny location, but you will want a tree or two, or possibly some tall shrubs, on the perimeter of your garden for the birds. This will also give shade to your columbine and foxglove. If you let your plants die back instead of deadheading (removing the dead blooms), the birds will enjoy getting the seeds. They will be especially appreciative if you have a nice clean bird bath filled with fresh water in your garden.