Get The Dirt 1

I'm putting up past news letters, which have fun random tidbits about plants and flowers.

Flower of the month: Celosia

Symbolizing; immortality, affection, warmth,

humor and friendship

There are 3 main types of celosia, crested, plumed and spiked.

Crested varieties look wrinkled and coiled. Common names are brain

 and coxscomb celosia.

Plumed look like bright fluffy feathers.

Spiked are narrow and come to a point, resembling heads of wheat.

They are edible if you're aware of the source and taste like spinach.

Available in a wide range of colours. Red, magenta, orange, yellow and shades of pink. They have a great vase life as a cut flower and can also be dried.

Floristry Tip

Plants ~ Nature's hoovers.

Plants clean our air though phytoremediation. The unpaid "molly maids" in our homes. Pollutants are absorbed through microscopic openings in the leaves called stomata, and are digested at the root zone. They collect CO2 and release O2. Water vapour and phytochemicals are emitted into the air through a process called transpiration.

All plants do this, but the following is a list of particularly talented ones.

Plant of the Month

Ivy ~ Hedera

Symbolizing fidelity, affection and attachment. Very popular to be included in a bridal bouquet.

English, Swedish, Neon, Needlepoint and Irish to name only a few. So many different colours, shapes and sizes of this versatile trailing plant.

For most ivy to thrive they'll want to live in a bright spot with some gentle sun, but sheltered from hot all day direct rays.

Beware not to allow it to totally dry out, they can recover but will never be the same. Let the soil dry slightly, then water thoroughly.

They love a little mist. Trimming will encourage it to fill out, as they have a habit of getting a little sparse on top.

You can propagate ivy easily by stem cuttings in water. Remove a few leaves, this is where the new roots will sprout.

For the love of flowers and creativity.

When creative friends get together to play photo shoot. Kellie is the absolute best for letting me put a huge floral head piece on her and rocking it!

Ask away. Do you have a question, or something you'd like to know more about? Leave a comment and let me know.

Maybe check out my post about pet friendly plants to see what's on the list. House plants and our pets.

Thank you for stopping by. Please send this to someone who may find it of interest, just for the love of flowers ~ Sheri.