Florist Amaryllis - Dutch vs African

Dutch marketers have grown and offered for wholesale and mail order flowering bulbs for centuries throughout the world and for many years in the United States. Because the climate of the Netherlands was similar to the Northern United States, many of their catalog bulb favorite flower bulbs grew and thrived year after year. In many humid, arid, or warm areas of the United States, these flower bulbs can perform and grow as an annual plant, but generally will not reappear the year following flowering.

The most common Dutch flower bulbs marketed at first were Daffodil, Scilla, and Tulips, however, after World War II, the Dutch began to market Calla lily (Zantedeschia aethiopica), Daylily, Pineapple Lily (Eucomis), Amazon Lily (Eucharis grandiflora), and Gloriosa vine lily (Gloriosa rothschildiana).

Amaryllis bulbs have been hybridized by inter crossing different native species from several continents. The amaryllis group of flower bulbs is among the great advancements of hybrid bulb improvement in color, size, flower form, flower number, flower bloom stalks, and repeated blooming cycles. The knowledge that cold treatment, heat, and forcing amaryllis bulbs to flower at the desired time has produced a flower bulb with an exact behavior that blooms at a predictable season. Christmas amaryllis flowers, anniversary gifts and presents, and various holiday occasions are greatly enjoyed by the predictable flowering patterns of amaryllis. Before World War II, amaryllis were hybridized in Florida using various species from South and Central America. The resulting amaryllis hybrids were moderately cold hardy and could be planted outside in zones 7-11, where the bulbs readily multiplied into clumps of spectacular flowering beauty that would rebloom reliably every year.

The Dutch hybridizers developed a long line of clear colors in amaryllis, some solid colored amaryllis and others with various colors of alternating stripe patterns. The Dutch amaryllis bulb market was directed toward the florist trade and growing amaryllis by forcing early flowers to bloom for the holiday season. The Dutch colorful amaryllis of red, pink, white, purple, and orange flowers won the marketing war between the Florida amaryllis growers and the Dutch growers. The Florida outdoor hybrid amaryllis market in the 1950's collapsed and the Dutch became the winners. Many huge clumps of Florida (South American hybrids) can be found blooming throughout the South in yards during late spring, however, there is no company offering these bulbs for sale anymore, only backyard growing flowers remain.

Amaryllis flower bulbs are usually marketed retail with a designation of bulb size diameter given in the metric system, but cm (centimeters) is a term not understood by most American gardeners. Huge amaryllis bulbs (mother bulbs) are 40cm in size or about the size of a grapefruit. The mother bulb amaryllis can produce as many as 4 flower stems, some stem clusters containing six flowers. The mother bulb amaryllis are rare and expensive but well worth the extra money for a flower lover. Guaranteed African amaryllis flowering can occur on flower bulbs as small as 22cm, and some of the miniature (dwarf) amaryllis new hybrids from Africa will bloom on 12cm bulbs, producing tiny stems and small flowers. The African bulbs of amaryllis will rebloom more and will produce more flower stems than Dutch amaryllis. Florists find that African flowering amaryllis are easier to flower for the Christmas season than Dutch amaryllis. African amaryllis often produce 2 flower stems at once, but Dutch bulbs don't. African amaryllis bloom in many unusual pastel colors of pink, lavender, red, white, and striped.

The Dutch hybridizers have introduced a new amaryllis flower color: yellow, and many pastel colors with a doubling of the petal count on an amaryllis flower called a "double amaryllis." These double amaryllis flowers normally grow 12 petals instead of the normal 6. Improvements of petal count to an increase of 18 petals is called a "triple flowered" amaryllis.

Other notable improvements that were made on the amaryllis flower by the Dutch were: larger amaryllis flowers, more blooms per stem, more stems produced by an amaryllis bulb and repeated blooming. Clones of amaryllis bulbs were hybridized that could be chilled to predictably flower during the holiday season of Christmas by planting the amaryllis in a measured and controlled light, heat, and moisture condition at a precise date (most cultivars bloom 3 weeks after planting). After flowering, most Dutch amaryllis bulbs can be planted outside in the yard in zones 8-10, but the bulbs may freeze in the ground if planted in cold zones.

The Dutch hybridizers have also established hybrid amaryllis colonies in Africa, where different varieties (clones) have been developed to satisfy the needs of the American florist trade. These floral amaryllis bulbs are called African amaryllis, named after African, the continent where they are grown in huge fields for the commercial florist market in Europe and America. The wholesale market of the African amaryllis is tightly controlled by Dutch bulb distributors, who have dominated bulb wholesale and retail sales throughout the United States and the world. The flower clusters of the African amaryllis are short and more compact. The leaves of the African amaryllis begin to appear simultaneously with the flowers, whereas the Dutch amaryllis period of flowering is often finished before the leaves appear. Florists prefer leaf foliage and flowering to occur at the same time. Many Dutch flower stems grow extra tall and that makes the weight of the flowers top-heavy. Occasionally this problem causes the amaryllis pot to turn over.

Miniature amaryllis have been developed for the florist appeal for a colorful, fragile bloomer. Yellow or gold colored amaryllis have been bred for florists with a flair for the dramatic, however, red amaryllis are by far the most popular color.

Some hybridizers, especially the African hybridizers, have developed fragrant amaryllis with a very pleasant scent. It appears likely that the quality of fragrance will be incorporated in future plans for improving amaryllis flowers further.

Visit TyTy Nursery to purchase the trees mentioned in this article, or many others that you may be looking for!

Melbourne Florist Advises On Care Of Fresh Flowers

Melbourne Florists chief florist Francine Rizza says that it is important to purchase your fresh flowers from a florist who stores their flowers within their store and not on the street. Fresh flowers will last a lot longer when not exposed to the elements, as flowers are sensitive to ethylene gases produced by passing traffic.

Most good florists purchase only premium quality flowers. You will not find this quality by purchasing cheap flowers from service stations, supermarkets or fruit shops. It is false economy to purchase flowers from such suppliers. At Melbourne Florist our flowers are purchased on demand from our high quality supplier, "Tesselaar Flowers", specialist wholesale florist Melbourne. You can be assured of our flower quality.

With proper care fresh flowers should attain a vase life of 10-14 days, depending upon the cultivar. Lillium, chrysanthemum, gerbera and Australian native flowers are among the longest lasting flowers and can last in excess of three weeks. Firstly choose your flowers skillfully. Avoid buying flowers with yellowing or transparent leave. Examine stems looking for small brown blotches. These are signs that the flowers may be affected by botrytis. Botrytis blight or gray mold is a fungus disease that can affect a wide variety of flowers and plants.

Care and Handling. Remove all packaging materials such as cellophane. Trim stems under water. Strip leaves from lower stems, taking care no foliage will clutter the vase water. Place flowers in a clean container containing a properly prepared solution of fresh flower food. Melbourne Florist advises that you clean your vases using hydrogen peroxide. Domestic cleaner, "white King" is a good choice. Do not overcrowd your vase as flowers need breathing space to survive just as you do! Avoid using water with high fluoride levels, if possible, flowers such as alstroemeria which are susceptible to fluoride damage. By repeating this process of flower care every 2-3 days you can greatly extend the life of your cut flower arrangement. Flowers arranged by the florist in florists foam known as oasis floral foam should by kept topped with fresh water containing a good quality flower food such as "CHRYSAL" Which is supplied by reputable florists. Do not place your fresh flowers in "hot spots" such as near windows or on top of heaters as the life of your flowers will be severely effected.

It is important you do not use flower food for any bulb flowers such as daffodils, hyacinths and tulips as the flower food will cause the stems to grow too much and become weak. Bulb flowers are unique as their food is stored in their bulb

The Melbourne flower shop offers a diverse range of stunning fresh flowers to the Melbourne area including interflora

The Pros And Cons Of Online Florists

The whole of the world today is moving at a rapid pace, and the credit goes to all the developments and inventions added to existing technologies. The internet is a well-suited example of this. Thanks to the internet our various things we do have been simplified; such as shopping and communication.

Online shopping offers convenience, but we need to remain extra cautious. Among various other products and services, now you can purchase flower bouquets online. Since you are spending money, make sure that the quality of the flowers is up to your standards.

For this purpose, it is worth the effort to throw some light on online florists. It is possible to have a good perspective about the quality of an online florist. There are steps that must be taken before buying online, to ensure that the florist is of a high quality. Once you have made sure that it is safe to purchase from online florists, only then will you be able to understand the benefits and simplification that online florists provide.

Before you make any final decision, it is essential that you are aware of both the pros and cons related to online florists. While purchasing something that is so personal like flowers, you will love to have human touch attached to it. Actually, most of the reputed online florists have their proper physical address, and they are a florist in actual terms even if they are providing services online.

Their working procedure is very much like an actual florist. Undoubtedly, your flowers are not virtual, but real. So when you select the kind of bouquet you wish to have, it is then ordered from the wholesalers by the florists. After this, the flowers are sent in proper conditions; i.e. at the right temperature and with sufficient moisture. Extreme care is taken while sending them to the location of the florist, from all over the world. They are then delivered to you, or to the person you requested they be delivered to.

Purchasing flowers online is comfortable, but it is still important for every online shopper to check the authenticity of the online shop. Generally, the physical address can be found in the "About us" section of the webpage. In the case of it being a local address, then you can go and check it out yourself. This way you will be able to make future purchases confidently from there. Testimonials also prove helpful in letting you know about the type of customers who shop from there.

Once you get at ease with the idea of buying flowers online, you can enjoy other various benefits of shopping online. Usually online flower shopping proves less expensive compared to buying them directly from the florists.

Apart from that, there is a direct link between the producer and the buyer. There are no commissions for intermediaries. Generally the flowers available to online florists are in a better condition than a real florists' shop.

Buying online is similar to buying directly from a real florist. The same choices and varieties are available online. So surely it is the best way to bring joy to your near and dear ones by getting flowers delivered to their doorstep.

Stefan Rockhaus. For further info on online florists visit Online Florist Guide - You may reprint this article as long as no changes are made, and this resource box is left intact.

A Bouquet of Hawaiian Flower Tattoo Pictures

Many people like to have flower designs applied as tattoos to their body and a Hawaiian flower tattoo picture is one of the most popular images for this as it’s a very beautiful flower. Because of the intense colors that are present in many flowers the tattoo artist sometimes needs to go over a design for a flower a few times with different colors of ink that can accentuate the colors in any flower tattoo.

Some people have small tattoos of flowers on their ankle or wrist for example while others may have a flower that covers half their body. Some cultures value flowers mush more than others and this is one of the reason why some cultural groups prefer to have flower tattoos on their bodies more than others. In many cultures for example, the flower isn’t viewed as a fragile symbol of beauty as it often is in North American culture. In some cultures the flower is associated with strength and power and this is why some men have flowers as tattoos and don’t think anything is feminine or fragile about it.

Many women, when they can’t decide on what they might like for a tattoo, choose flowers more often than not simply because they know that they will like the design for many years to come. There are many styles and types of flower designs in tattoo shop catalogs that the customer can choose from. These designs can also be highly modified to make them even more unique for the customer.

Many Hawaiian people have flower tattoos due to the flower’s integral attachment to their past. Many of their tales have flowers as part of the story and that’s also why the lei – or rings of flowers - are associated with their state. Flower tattoos can be in any of a thousand colors and some will look better than others on different people.

Many women when they choose a flower motif as their tattoo image will choose the red rose simply because it’s associated with romance and true love. Others will choose the daisy or sunflower because it’s associated with vibrancy and life. The main thing to remember is that if you want a flower tattoo you should make sure that whatever design you decide upon is what you really want. Doing research on web sites devoted to tattooing or to flowers and flower designs can help you decide on which design might be right for you. The nice thing about having a flower tattoo is that if you want another style of flower someday you can simply have the tattoo artist ink one in next to the other one. Pretty soon you may have a whole bouquet of flowers on your body, which isn’t a bad thing at all.

Kip Goldhammer owns and operates http://www.tattoosdesignsreviews.com Hawaiian Flower Tattoo Picture

Displaying Your Wedding Bouquet

The great day has come and gone, and you are now happily married. You now want to showcase your silk bouquet as a memory of the wonderful occasion. A good display will help to really show off your wedding, and will also help to make sure the bouquet stays in tip-top condition.

There are a few things you should think about when displaying your bouquet. In particular, you must be very careful about displaying your bouquet next to a window. But I'll tell you more about that later...

Anyway, there are 3 ways you can display your bouquet: in a display cabinet; on a shelf; or on a table.

Displaying In A Glass Display Cabinet

The ideal way to display your silk bouquet is in a glass display cabinet. This works really well with a picture of your wedding behind the bouquet, so that your flowers have a backdrop for other people to admire them in their full extent.

Displaying On A Shelf

Another place to display your bouquet is on a shelf. Try and use a high shelf, so that the bouquet is out of the way - you don't want people knocking it over! A couple of small wedding photo's either side of the bouquet will look great, and will really draw the eye to the display.

Displaying On A Table

If you have a posy, then you can display it in a vase, on top of a table. Try and use a table out of the way (A corner table, or dining table maybe), so that the posy doesn't get in the way of your everyday routine. If you place blue and white stones at the bottom of the vase, it will give the impression that the flowers are sitting in water. It looks spectacular, and is definitely worth a try.

Whichever way you to decide to display your bouquet, there are 4 simple rules you should pay attention to:

1) Put the silk bouquet in a place where it will draw attention. A well displayed bouquet makes a great talking point, and will remind you of the happy day every time you see it.

2) Make sure the bouquet is out of the way. You don't want to be knocking it over, or pushing it aside all the time. Perhaps you'll be careful, but what about your children, or your pets?

3) KISS - Keep It Simple Stupid. Many people get carried away when setting up their bouquet display, and add too many photographs and other wedding items. This makes the display look cluttered, and the bouquet stops being a focal point. You want the display to be VERY simple, so that eye is drawn to the the bouquet.

4) Be sure to avoid direct sunlight hitting the bouquet. Direct sunlight is very bad for silk bouquets, and will make them fade and lose their color. Ideally you want natural room light. If you have your bouquet anywhere near a window, make sure the sunlight doesn't directly hit it!

Peta Fletcher has been making silk bouquets for over 14 years. She is the webmaster of http://www.visionsofsilk.com, a website featuring a catalog of bouquets that can be bought, as well as easy-to-understand articles about creating your own silk bouquet.

Catch that Bouquet!

Throwing the bride’s bouquet, as well as catching the bride’s bouquet, has its moments.

Erratic brides have been known to underestimate their throwing capabilities and throwing the bouquet so far that no self-respecting person would bother to run for it. Or, as in playing squash, in the nervousness of the moment, bouquets have been known to be thrown at walls, windows, ceilings, and most disastrously, into overhead ceiling fans.

On the side of the catchers, there have been moments where catching the bouquet became so violent, that a referee had to be called in to separate the combatants. As embarrassing as that might have been, there have also been those weddings where self-assertive women refused to play this silly old-fashioned game where women were thought to be dying to catch the bouquet so that they would be the next in line to get married.

Ha! They weren’t that desperate!

So, perhaps, before the bride decides to enliven the wedding by tossing the bouquet among the unwed females, she should count up just how many unwed single females she’s inviting, and just how many are actively looking for life-long partners. And, of course, and most importantly, she should get in some throwing practice to ensure the accuracy of the landing.

Having said that, why do brides bother with this bit of tom foolery? And is there any truth that whoever catches the bouquet will be the next to wed?

As far as throwing the bouquet is concerned it’s all about the lucky wedding couple sharing their good fortune, the flowers being yet one more symbol of it. In this spirit, some brides compose a bouquet which consists of dozens of minuscule bouquets. When she is about to throw it, the bride unties the ribbon which holds it in place, and literally showers guests with minute bouquets and good fortune.

As for weddings, have you noticed how when one of your friends gets married, not long after another follows suit?

Could it be that by catching a bouquet you will become the next bride? Actually, that’s a bit psychology in the making. In this part of the wedding, the female who is actively searching for a partner, has the opportunity to make herself visible to a prospective husband. If she is truly serious, she should make that opportunity count. Like the thrower, she should practice graceful and nimble leaps to make herself memorable to all those young bucks watching. If she can continue to hold their interest after the catch, so much the better.

Never forget, would be brides, weddings are catching!

Vlady Peters is an Australian Civil Marriage Celebrant authorised to perform marriages in Australia. She also perform general ceremonies such as Baby Naming, Renewal of Vows and Commitment Ceremonies. To learn more about her as a celebrant and an author visit vlady at http://www.weddings-celebrant.com

A Florist for All Seasons

If you are planning a wedding or a party for any other occasion, then you will probably need a florist to do the flowers you need. Like every other aspect, when buying flowers you have to make sure it's the best you can get for your money. You should put as much effort into finding just the right nursery for you as you would with any other purchase you make There are a few things to keep in mind when you are doing this.

There are some things required that you have to provide for the person doing your flowers, such as what type of flowers you prefer for the occasion. You have to get informed yourself and be specific as to what your needs are and what you expect. There are several ways you can do this by visiting your local flower shop. Look around at the selection available or visit any number of them until you have decided what it is your looking for. Go online and do some research on flowers that may help in your selection.

You have to know what kind of budget you are working with when you do discuss the price with the person you've chosen. Be firm in your bottom line amount. If he/she gives you a quote that is beyond what your budget is, then shop somewhere else. If you have chosen the right person, they should be able to get creative no matter what your budget is.

When dealing with a flower store, it is best to be quite clear on what your needs are and what you expect for the money you will spend. They must know your likes and dislikes to be able to serve you better, and if they suggest something you are not comfortable with then speak up and let them know up front. Give your ideas to the person, but also give him/her room to improve on the ideas without them going to far so that you end up with something you absolutely don't want.

Style is crucial when it comes to choosing someone to arrange the flowers. Each one has their own distinctive style that they usually stick with. This is where you ask for previous pictures of events that they have catered with flowers. This will help give you an idea if this person can meet your needs. It is very important that the person you pick has lots of experience.

For lots of information on finding a florist online and other related topics, visit The Flowers Guide at www.theflowersguide.com