Ask and Answer Flower Questions Archive - Dec 2006

By Hendricks:Please tell me how to take care of Shamrocks

Answer By Daniela:Shamrock should be grown in wide containers like trays or flower boxes that will allow the tips to make contact with the soil. Shamrock grows well in full to moderate sun. The temperature required for this plant is between 50-65 degrees F at night and in day time not more than 75 degrees F. In Bloom, they prefer cool temperatures. The plants prefer moist soil.

Normally, shamrock plants will go dormant during winter and re-emerge in the spring. Temperatures above 75 degrees F may induce dormancy. Leaf die back is a signal that the plant is entering dormancy. When you recognize that it is entering dormancy, stop watering and fertilizing and cut back the leaves. Move the plant to a cool and dark place for a period of 2 to 3 months. Some species of shamrocks even bloom during winter if they are placed near a sunny window which brings enough sunlight for the plant. After the dormant period, you can witness new foliage emerging in spring.

By Sherman:Our chrysanthemums need help for the Winter should I cut them to ground level and then what

Answer by Garry:Cut Chrysanthemum stems to 2-3 inches from the soil this will help your chrysanthemum to sustain the winter. In winter the most common problem for chrysanthemum are constant wetness or ice falling on the leaves to overcome this problem protect you chrysanthemum by mulching with evergreen branches or similar material. Another problem is thawing of the soil you can avoid this problem by mounding the soil up around plant to create a simple drainage ditch alongside.A well drained soil is an important requirement for chrysanthemums in winter.Provide shade for the plants and insulate their roots with a light airy mulch.

By kim:what are some facts on poland's national flower

Answer by Webmaster: The National Flower of Poland is Red Corn Poppy. It is red just like one of two Polish national colors the other color is white.The poppy as national flower of Poland has great history behind it. During World War II, a famous battle took place at Monte Cassino which is also know as a "Battle for Rome". In this battle nearly 40000 Polish soldiers took part. The polish soldiers were the first to reach the top of the hill Monte Cassino and which has become key to the victory in the war. In that battle thousands of polish soldiers died and they were buried in the slope of the mountain consisting of poppy flowers. Immediately after the battle a song entitled "Red Poppies on Monte Cassino" was written by Feliks Konarski in remembrance of the polish soldiers. The song commemorates the heroism of Polish soldiers and links them to poppies which, according to the song, were nourished by Polish soldiers blood thus they are so red.Poppy became linked with Poland after this famous song.

Corn Poppy (Papaver rhoeas) it is also known as Red Poppy and Flanders Poppy. The corn poppy is one of the most famous wildflower. The poppies are annuals they grow very quickly and blooms heavily. They die in the first frost and they again grow if the seeds fall on the ground. They grow well in loose soil. They require full sun to partial shade.The are propagated by seeds and also from root cutting.

By Omar: How to grow Petunias from seeds?

Answer By Webmaster:

Petunias are one of the wonderful flowering plants coming in great colors. Petunias are very easy to grow from transplants. But is not that easy to grow petunias from seeds. They have to be initially grown indoors for about 10 weeks.

The seeds of petunia are fine. Spread these seeds in a container with damp soil or sphagnum moss. Press these seeds gently such that they go just below the surface of the potting mixture. Then water the seeds. Cover the potting mixture with a transparent cover and place the pot in a bright locatio where there is enough light, but see that it is not under direct sunlight. Let the temperature range between 70 - 80 degrees F. Continue this for about ten days till the seeds show sproutings.

Place the container in a brighter but cooler location (60 - 70 degrees F) after the seeds sprout out. For best results, place it 4 - 6 inches below a fluorescent light. Continue this till the plant has three true leaves on it. The new petunia plant is ready to grow outdoors!

By Ann: What is the Christmas flower in Mexico?

Answer By Webmaster:Poinsettia is popularly referred to as the Christmas Flower in Mexico. While the bright colors of the poinsettia plant add color to the festive decoration of Christmas, the little poinsettia flowers assume religious significance in Christianity. Please have a look at our page on Poinsettias.

By Jantzen: What is the right time to prune Bottle Brush?

Answer By Garry: Callistemon (Bottle Brush) is a beautiful shrub for the gardens with colorful flowers. Spring, especially the early part of spring is the right time to prune a bottle brush plant.

By Snehal: What is the scientific name of Rose?

Answer by Hoopla: There are a number of species and varieties in roses. Hence, there cannot be a specific scientific name to Rose. The genus name, Rosa is the prefix, followed by the species or variety name.

Here is a list of some such scientific names of Roses:

• Rosa 'Aime Plantier' - Aime Plantier Rose
• Rosa 'Alabama' - Alabama Rose
• Rosa alba 'Semi-plena' - Alba Semi-Plena Rose
• Rosa alba - Alba Rose
• Rosa 'Alfred de Dalmas' - Mousseline Rose
• Rosa 'Amiga Mia' - Amiga Mia Rose
• Rosa 'ANDeli' - Double Delight Rose
• Rosa 'Angel Face' - Angel Face Rose

For the complete list of roses, please visit the NCSU

By Carol: In the south US, what is the proper method to care for crinum lilies after the tops are frost-hit?

Ana: The best way to take care of Crinum lilies after the frost is to properly water them. Water the plants again and again. Mulching does help the Crinum lilies since it avoids loss of water. Not much of special care is needed crinum lilies in the south.

By Omar: Can Western flower seeds grow in Asia?

Answer by Webmaster: Most of the flowering plant seeds bought from the western countries can be grown in Asia. Since seasons vary with latitudes (North - South), we cannot infact speak about this variation interms of East - West. Still, it all depends on the flower variety you are speaking about. Please let us know which flower seeds you want to grow.

By Megan: How does the angle of the cut of a flower effect the life of a flower?

Webmaster: The flowers should be cut obliquely at an angle of 45 degrees to place them in a vase of water. This helps the flower to increase the water sucking ability. For instance, if you cut the flower horizontally, the whole base of the flower touches the base of the vase and thus obstructs the passage of water by closing the water passage pores of the flower. If we cut it obliquely, this is avoided. So, it is essential to cut the flowers obliquely.

If the flower is fed with more water, it naturally lives long. Hence, cutting the flowers obliquely is necessary to prolong their longevity.

By Tristie: What is the class of a daisy?

Answer by Webmaster: Daisies are wonderful, cheerful, exuberant flowers, belonging to the class Magnoliopsida. Daisies are further classified into the order Asterales and family Asteraceae.

For more information on daisies, please have a look at our page on Daisies

By Sandy: I bought an Amaryllis bulb in Canada to grow it in Dominican Republic. How to grow it?

Webmaster: Amaryllis is a flowerig bulbous plant which is one of the easiest to grow. It ususally tolerates temperatures ranging between 65 -75 degrees F. Since the average temperatures of Dominican Republic on most of the days of the year is more than this, We do not recommend to plant your Amaryllis bulb outdoors.

Plant the Amaryllis bulb indoors, preferably in smaller containers (pots) in proportion to the size of the bulb. Let there be only an inch of room for soil around the bulb. But the pot should be heavy since the plant may grow upto two feet. A ceramic or clay pot is preferable since they are heavier compared to pots made of other materials. Also see that the pot has holes at the bottom for proper drainage of the excess water.

Amaryllis prefers a sandy loam soil. When you plant the bulb in this soil mix, see that atleast half of the bulb is above the surface of the soil. Spread out the roots of the bulb evenly in the pot and press the soil gently from above to let the bulb settle down properly in the pot. Initially, water the bulb thoroughly when planted. Do not water the plant later unless the soil becomes dry or the plant starts to bloom.

Place the plant in a window where there is a lot of sunlight available for the Amaryllis plant. Amaryllis flourishes well in sunny conditions. Temperature should be maintained around 65 degrees F to reap better results.

By Marco: My Frangipani is 4 years old. It did not bloom yet. Solution?

Webmaster: Blooming in Frangipani can be inhibited if the soil where you are growing is deficient in Phosphorous. Phosphorous can initiate blloming in Frangipani. You can try out a fertiliser with high proportions of Phosphorous. Besides, a Phosphorous-rich fertilizer can also boost branching in Frangipani to be able to give more flowers in the next season.

By Misty: Name of the cactus which blooms once in 50 years or so?

Answer by Daniella: American Century plant (Agave americana) is a cactus plant which blooms only once in its lifetime, mostly after growing for more than 10 to 15 years or even 100 years, yet times. The flowers of Agave are borne on a large asparagus-like stalk emerging from center of plant, which is 15 to 30ft tall. The yellow flowers emerge from terminal end on a horizontal branching structure up to 6ft across. The exact triggering mechanism for flowering in Agave is not well understood yet.

By Donna: How to get my christmas cactus to flower?

Answer by Webmaster: Flowering in Christmas Cactus, in scientific terms, is photoperiodic. Christmas Cactus requires 13 hours of uninterrupted darkness each night for a period of four to six weeks, for flower bud development.

Hence, the Christmas Cactus should be placed in a dark room from early October to mid November to form buds which give color in the holiday season. If you are planning to have the bloom for the coming holiday season, you are late. Please go through our blog post on how to get Christmas Cactus to blooming

By Emily February 17, is My wedding. Want to have Camellia/Amaryllis for my bouquet and Ranunculus for my bridesmaids. Will Ranunculus be available then? What other flowers might be considered in with a navy/ivory/orange/champagne colors?

Answer by Gary When beautiful flowers are around, February is a great time for weddings. But unfortunately, Ranunculus flowers may not be available during this time. Usually, Ranunculus flowers come to bloom by March. But occasionally, Ranunculus blooms towards mid February also. But, We dont recommend you to plan for these flowers because you may have to land up into choas if you cannot find Ranunculus in the last minute.

Amaryllis is a great choice for weddings in February. I dont think you should look beyond Amaryllis, especially in the color palette you have in your mind.

Still, for your information, Casablanca lilies (white flowers but are popular for wedding in February), Tulips (Red and Pink) and Anemones (Red and Pink) are also available during this time and are popular for weddings. Besides all, Calla lily is the best ever choice for weddings anytime since they are available all the year round and are simply great for wedding bouquets for the bride.

By Nimra: Name of the place in Holland where every type of flower grows?

By Webmaster: There is in fact no place in Holland or elsewhere in the world where all kinds of flowers are grown. But, in Vienna and Prague, Carolus Clusius, a botanist of 16th century, who introduced Tulip into Holland, used to cultivate all kinds of plants, especially herbs in his garden to undertake his research.

By Yara: Why was meadow violet selected as New Jersey's state flower?

Answer by Rhodes: The state legislature of New Jersey adopted the meadow violet as the state flower of New Jersey at the request from the garden clubs of New Jersey in 1971. Meadow violet was chosen by the garden clubs of New Jersey because of the beautiful and lovely purple blossoms of the flower. The choice of Meadow violet has nothing to do with other factors like they being the native flowers of the state, as is the case with most of the sate flowers adopted by other states.

By Angie: Which flowers are native to Germany?

Answer by Sisse: Native flowers of Germany are numerous but most of them got mixed up with the non native flowering species and today it has become difficult to distinguish them from one another. Here are only some of the known flowering native species of Germany:

• Tilia cordata flowers (Little-leaf Linden)
• Betula pendula flowers (Birch)
• Sinapsis alba (White mustard)
• Linum usitatissimum angustifolium
• Berberis vulgaris flowers - Native of Natural Reserve “Hellberge”, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany.
• Picea abies flowers - Native of Heidelburg, Germany
• Castanea sativa (Esskastanie or Sweet chestnut)
• Urtica dioica flowers (Greater nettle)
• Hippophae rhamnoides (Seabuckthorn)

By Margie: What is this flower? Is this flowering plant suitable for growing in gardens?

Answer by Webmaster: The flower in the photograph you have sent belongs to Summer Snapdragons (Angelonia augustifolia). This plant is a wonderful addition as a bedding plant for gardens. Snapdragons are sensitive to winters. Hence, the plant is grown in containers to be able to bring it indoors in cold winters.

Snapdragons perform best when it is watered well. They are tolerant to heat. The plant thrives well in good sunlight and soils with good drainage.

New plants of Snapdragons can be propagated from divisions of the root mass, from seeds of the plant as well as the cuttings of the tips of the plant.

By Heikes: I have plumerias. A severe cold front has moved in and I did not get them out of the ground. Will they be all right?

Webmaster: Plumerias are sensitive to cold ant they cannot tolerate cold. Hope, they are not damaged by what we see today in Houston. Usually, a temperature below 40 F is will harm the plant and today's average in Houston is 40 F.

Some protective measures like draping cloths around the plant could help the plant. If it is feasible at this juncture with you, try out some wooden frame encircling the plant and wrap it with plastic to keep the cold current away from the plant.

Hopefully, the plants may not be badly hit since the temperatures have not fallen beyond the critical point. All the best.

By Tracey: What is the national flower of Antigua?

Answer by Daniella: Dagger's Log (Agave Karatto Miller) is the national flower of Antigua. For information on more national flowers, please have a look at The Flower Expert's page on National Flowers

By Margie: What is the name of this flower? Is the plant invasive?

Answer by Webmaster: The flower, the image of which you sent, is a wild variety of viola. The scientific name of the plant is Viola bicolor Pursh. It is commonly known as the Field Pansy. It is an invasive species and not advised for gardens.