Article by John Elton
Why are flowers colorful?
Since flowers can’t move, they need to be able to attract pollinators or be built so that wind is able to pollinate them. Flowers attract pollinators like bees, butterflies, insects, and birds with sweet nectar, bright colors, and shapes and structures. Some flowers open at special times to attract pollinators such as night blooming plants that are pollinated by bats.
Pollen from the male plant is removed from the anthers (male parts) to the stigmas (female parts), by means such as bees, for example, rummaging around in the flower. The bee is covered in pollen from one plant, and when it flies to another plant of the same species, the pollen is rubbed off on the stigma and so pollination occurs!
What Are Annual Flowers?
Annual flowers or annual plants are plants that complete their growing cycle (grows from seed, flowers and produces seed) in the course of a single growing season. In other words, annual flowers pack a lot of living into a short span of time and many annual flowers continue blooming all season long.
We carry a huge selection of annual flowers and depending on the time of year our stock varies. Please stop in and visit our greenhouse to see all of our current annual flowers.
Which flowers are best?
The color is important, as trends come and go. White flowers such as lilies or roses seem to never go out of style. But, you might check with the florist first, as they usually know which flowers are in style for funerals. A second way to ensure that you’re sending the appropriate colors is to contact the funeral home. Sometimes a themed funeral has been planned, and the family may have requested a certain color.
How big should you go? This question can be answered by your budget, but it also is answered by your connection with the bereaved family. If you’re a friend to the deceased and you shared an office space, then send a small arrangement. If you’re a distant relative, be careful. You don’t want to send an arrangement that’s larger or more elaborate than anything ordered by the immediate family or smaller than one sent by a friend. Although this advice may sound ludicrous, many families still follow convention of hierarchy – even with funeral flowers. Check with a florist in the town where the funeral is held – that florist may have answers for your questions.
Are there male and female flowers?
Yes, there are. The ones that are one sex are called monoecious and the flowers that are both sexes are called dioecious. Sometimes the two sexes are found on the same plant (like corn) and sometimes the entire plant is one sex (like ginko).
How do you preserve flowers?
The best way I have found to preserve flowers is with Silica Gel. You can find it at your local craft store. Its fairly simple and does a good job with most flowers. Its a powder that removes the moisture from the flowers. There is even a type that you can microwave to make the drying process faster.
Another way of preserving your flowers involves a process called freeze drying. It uses an advanced equipment with advanced technology. First, you place your flowers in the machine.
Then, moisture is removed gradually up to 4 weeks. All this is done under sealed vacuum condition. This makes sure no oxygen is present. Oxygen can cause oxidation and change the colours of the flowers.
About the Author
John Elton is an avid writer about flowers and other subjects. Check out this flower blog
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