These attractive, brightly coloured summer-flowering annuals or perennials have a remarkably long flowering period, and in districts where the autumn weather is warm, dry, and sunny, the flowering period is protracted until the advent of winter. There are about twenty species, which are all native to North America.

Among Classical writers and poets the hyacinth was always one of the most popular flowers. We find it mentioned and exalted by Virgil, Pliny, Theocritus, and Ausonius. From what we can deduce from their writings, the hyacinth of Antiquity was a violaceous-red, and it is perhaps for that reason they associate'd it with blood.

Villagers in the vicinity of thick forests, which hold good orchid population, should be encouraged to orchid farming in their land. They should be supplied with seedlings of ornamental orchids and also with other materials for construction of simple orchid houses. They should be trained with the know-how of rearing orchids. The marketing of orchid plants and/or cut flowers should be managed through their own societies through financial assistance from banks.

Orchids are never wind-pollinated. External agents such as ants, bees, wasps, butterflies and moths in search of food in the flower transfer the pollinia on to the stigmas effecting pollination. The structure of the orchid flower is tailor-made for insect-pollination.

Floral foam is a porous material designed to hold water and provide stability for stems within a floral design. Flower stems can be held at any angle when inserted into a block of floral foam. Floral foam comes in two formulations for both fresh and dry plant materials.

There are quite a number of gardeners who put away their tools at the end of October and don't reckon to get them out again until March. I would like to take them for a walk round my garden on the first day of February.

So far I have used no ground cover here, although I suppose the arisaema would push its way through anything, but Eujsborbia robbiae makes a border on one side and an epimedium is growing on the other side.

Some people are worried by the peculiar scent of the ferny leaves of this plant, which is supposed to be abhorrent to bugs. It gives the plant its colloquial name of "bugbane" and its Latin name.

September is an easier month than August. The days may be getting a little shorter but there is a dampness and crispness in the air which pleases the plants and enriches the colors of the flowers.

Many people regard ivy as an enemy. I suppose it is in the wrong place. It can destroy walls and get under the eaves of houses, but I believe it is not as disastrous for trees as some of us have been taught. Be that as it may, one of the wayside plants I enjoy in November is the common ivy, Hedera helix.

Although the first flowers of Prunus subhirtella autumnalis may open as early as September they go on flowering till April. A cold spell and the flowers disappear, but when milder weather returns there are more soft pink flowers against the blue of a winter sky. A standard with wide-spreading branches can be very dramatic, but the outline of a bush with flowers on the bare branches from the ground upwards is more intimate.

June is the month that takes care of itself. Even the dullest garden can't help being colourful in June. When the cow parsley reaches shoulder level in the hedgerows and the roadside is scented with honeysuckle and wild roses the garden too seems to grow up overnight. This is the time when one discovers if one has planted too closely, and I always have, and if one has staked sufficiently and efficiently, and I never have.

In spite of the north-east winds and constant frosts of late March scillas and chionodoxas are opening every day, some in the places where I want them to be and where I planted them and a good many in spots they have chosen for themselves. The first of all is the pale blue, very dwarf Scilla tubergeniana. The chionodoxas, with their white eyes, flower next, then the ordinary scillas.

The cottage chrysanthemums are even later in their blooming. Sometimes they leave it so late that they have to compete with wind, rain and sodden leaves. A pleasant single pink called Innocence is usually out by the end of September. It isn't as tall as some of the other cottage types, the yellows and bronzes, and that interesting old gentleman, the Emperor of China I have given up growing some of these in the orthodox way as it seems impossible to make them grow straight, even with the most careful staking.

Flowers, without a doubt, are amongst the most beautiful things that God created. They have for ages played an important role in our lives. They were considered the best offering for God and were an integral part of religious ceremonies. The healing power of some of the flowers found their way into stories of miracles and sometimes even myths were associated with certain flowers.

Has someone ever asked you, your flower sign? Yes you heard it right. The latest to join the gamut of astrological signs like Zodiac sign, sun sign and moon sign, are the flower signs. According to experts in the field, like each astrological signs has a gemstone attached to it, special flowers are associated with those under specific astrological signs. They believe that this connection of flower in astrological sign is a reflection of a person's styles and personality traits.

Flowers have been gifted more than anything else these days. These natural beauties are available in such a wide range of colours and shapes and some have such lovely fragrance that it becomes difficult to remain allure to their charms. The neighbourhood florists as well as online flower shops are there in every region to make sure that the most beautiful and aesthetical arrangements are there for you to pick from.

Nothing beats being able to look and feel the flowers yourself and then picking up the right bunch for the right person and occasion. Flowers also have a fragrance (smelling them is something that you cannot do in an online flower shop) and it does make a difference while making a selection.

Humea elegant growing in a wall border at Hampton Court With plumbago and other not very hardy plants made me decide to try again with this most aromatic of all plants. It is quite beautiful when growing and nothing scents the house in winter so sweetly and mysteriously as its feathery brown plumes.

It was in Mr. Norman Hadden's well-known Porlock garden that I saw Helleborus sternii in bloom for the first time. I do not know if there is anything different in this hybrid from the corsicus x lividus cross, of which seeds are regularly offered. H. sternii is a cross between corsicus and lividus, and I have heard that the good form of corsicus called Bauer's Hybrid has the same parentage.