Shasta Daisy – Like the Pink Cone Flower, the Shasta Daisy is a tall flower that can withstand the full sun and heat of the summer. Blooming time can vary from all summer long to mid-summer through fall.
Brown-Eyed Susan - Not quite as tall as the Cone or Shasta Daisy, this flower is bright to deep orange with a brown center. It also is sun-sturdy, and the blooming time will vary from all summer to mid-summer through fall.
Lily of the Valley - A very fragrant flower that is a great plant for a front border as it only grows to 6″-8″ tall. The small white, bell-shaped flowers bloom late spring into early summer, but the green leave and stem remain all summer.
Hostas – Makes for a great border plant and comes in a variety of green shades, and some are even variegated with white. The low, leafy plants come up in the spring and bloom tall stemmed flowers from their centers in mid-summer.
Heirloom Roses - Different from the hybrid roses sold in flower shops, Heirloom Roses are hearty sun-worshipers and come in a multitude of colors and shades. They can grow on trellis’, fences, or in a bush and make incredible summer flowers.
Pansies and Violets - These are great summer flowers for flower beds, and for potted plants to adorn your front porch. These annual flowers will bloom all summer long if well maintained. and will add tons of color to your garden palate.
Butterfly Bushes – Attract butterflies and pollinating bees to your summer garden by adding one of these bushes. They are very fragrant, bloom most of the summer, and can withstand summer heat.
Day Lilies – One of the most popular medium sized summer flowers, and one of the most varying ones. Flower shoots can grow as tall as 4′ and flower color will range form white to orange to red.
Gladiolas – This tall, spear shaped flower loves the sun, and will continue blooming as long as the “spear” continues growing. It’s a great summer flower for adding accents to greenery background.
Ajuga - A low lying ground cover, Ajuga is a good choice for space between flowers and bushes. Mid-summer, it blooms a beautiful small purple flower, and is fragrant.
With all your summer flowers, be sure to “dead head” – pinch off dead blooms – and water on a regular basis, especially for full sun gardens. By choosing the right summer flowers and properly maintaining them, you can enjoy your colorful garden all sum
Orchids are easily distinguished, as they share some very evident apomorphies. Among these: bilaterally symmetric (zygomorphic), many resupinate, one petal (labellum) is always highly modified, stamens and carpels are fused, and the seeds are extremely small.
A close-up of an phalaenopsis orchid leaf; the parallel veins and cuticle are visible.
Like most monocots, orchids generally have simple leaves with parallel veins, although some Vanilloideae have a reticulate venation. Leaves may be ovate, lanceolate, or orbiculate, and very variable in size. Their characteristics are often diagnostic. They are normally alternate on the stem, often plicate, and have no stipules. Orchid leaves often have siliceous bodies called stegmata in the vascular bundle sheaths (not present in the Orchidoideae) and are fibrous.
The structure of the leaves corresponds to the specific habitat of the plant. Species that typically bask in sunlight, or grow on sites which can be occasionally very dry, have thick, leathery leaves and the laminas are covered by a waxy cuticle to retain their necessary water supply. Shade species, on the other hand, have long, thin leaves.
The leaves of most orchids are perennial, that is they live for several years, while others, especially those with plicate leaves, shed them annually and develop new leaves together with new pseudobulbs, as in Catasetum.
The leaves of some orchids are considered ornamental. The leaves of the Macodes sanderiana, a semiterrestrial or lithophyte, show a sparkling silver and gold veining on a light green background. The cordate leaves of Psychopsiella limminghei are light brownish green with maroon-puce markings, created by flower pigments. The attractive mottle of the leaves of Lady’s Slippers from tropical and subtropical Asia, (Paphiopedilum) is caused by uneven distribution of chlorophyll. Also Phalaenopsis schilleriana is a pastel pink orchid with leaves spotted dark green and light green. The Jewel Orchid (Ludisia discolor) is grown more for its colorful leaves than its fairly inconspicuous white flowers.
Some orchids, as Dendrophylax lindenii (Ghost Orchid), Aphyllorchis and Taeniophyllum depend on their green roots for photosynthesis and lack normally developed leaves, as do all of the heterotrophic species.
All orchids are perennial herbs and lack any permanent woody structure. Orchids can grow according to two patterns:
Anacamptis lactea showing the two tubers
Terrestrial orchids may be rhizomatous or form corms or tubers. The root caps of terrestrials are smooth and white.
Some sympodial terrestrials, such as Orchis and Ophrys, have two subterranean tuberous roots. One is used as a food reserve for wintry periods, and provides for the development of the other one, from which visible growth develops.
In warm and humid climates, many terrestrial orchids do not need pseudobulbs.
Epiphytic orchids have modified aerial roots that can sometimes be a few meters long. In the older parts of the roots, a modified spongy epidermis called velamen has the function to absorb humidity. It is made of dead cells and can have a silvery-grey, white or brown appearance. In some orchids the velamen includes spongy and fibrous bodies near the passage cells. These structures are named tilosomes.
The cells of the root epidermis grow at a right angle to the axis of the root to allow them to get a firm grasp on their support. Nutrients mainly come from animal droppings and other organic detritus on their supporting surface.
The pseudobulb of Prosthechea fragrans
The base of the stem of sympodial epiphytes, or in some species essentially the entire stem, may be thickened to form what is called a pseudobulb that contains nutrients and water for drier periods.
The pseudobulb has a smooth surface with lengthwise grooves and can have different shapes, often conical or oblong. Its size is very variable; in some small species of Bulbophyllum it is no longer than two millimeters, while in the largest orchid in the world, Grammatophyllum speciosumDendrobium have long, canelike pseudobulbs with short, rounded leaves over the whole length, some other orchids have hidden or extremely small pseudobulbs, completely included inside the leaves. (giant orchid), it can reach three meters. Some
With ageing the pseudobulb sheds its leaves and becomes dormant. At this stage it is often called a backbulb. A pseudobulb then takes over, exploiting the last reserves accumulated in the backbulb, which eventually dies off too. A pseudobulb typically lives for about five years.
Dactylorhiza sambucina, Orchidoideae for reference
Orchidaceae are well known for the many structural variations in their flowers.
Some orchids have single flowers but most have a racemose inflorescence, sometimes with a large number of flowers. The flowering stem can be basal, that is produced from the base of the tuber, like in Cymbidium, apical, meaning it grows from the apex of the main stem, like in Cattleya, or axillary, from the leaf axil, as in Vanda.
Zygopetalum maculatum
As an apomorphy of the clade, orchid flowers are primitively zygomorphic (bilaterally symmetrical), although in some genera like Mormodes, Ludisia, Macodes this kind of symmetry may be difficult to notice.
The orchid flower, like most flowers of monocots has two whorls of sterile elements. The outer whorl has three sepals and the inner whorl has three petals. The sepals are usually very similar to the petals (and thus called tepals, 1), but may be completely distinct.
The upper medial petal, called the labellum or lip (6),, is always modified and enlarged. The inferior ovary (7) or the pedicel usually rotates 180 degrees, so that the labellum, goes on the lower part of the flower, thus becoming suitable to form a platform for pollinators. This characteristic, called resupination occurs primitively in the family and is considered apomorphic (the torsion of the ovary is very evident from the picture). Some orchids have secondarily lost this resupination, e. g. Zygopetalum and Epidendrum secundum.
Zygopetalum crinitum
The normal form of the sepals can be found in Cattleya, where they form a triangle. In Paphiopedilum (Venus slippers) the lower two sepals are fused together into a synsepal, while the lip has taken the form of a slipper. In Masdevallia all the sepals are fused.
Orchid flowers with abnormal numbers of petals or lips are called peloric. Peloria is a genetic trait, but its expression is environmentally influenced and may appear random.
Longitudinal section of a flower of Vanilla planifolia
Orchid flowers primitively had three stamens, but this situation is now limited to the genus Neuwiedia. Apostasia and the Cypripedioideae have two stamens, the central one being sterile and reduced to a staminode. All of the other orchids, the clade called Monandria, retain only the central stamen, the others being reduced to staminodes (4). The filaments of the stamens are always adnate (fused) to the style to form cylindrical structure called the gynostemium or column2). In the primitive Apostasioideae this fusion is only partial, in the Vanilloideae it is more deep, while in Orchidoideae and Epidendroideae it is total. The stigma (9) is very asymmetrical as all of its lobes are bent towards the centre of the flower and lay on the bottom of the column. (
Pollen is released as single grains, like in most other plants, in the Apostasioideae, Cypripedioideae and Vanilloideae. In the other subfamilies, that comprise the great majority of orchids, the anther (3), carries and two pollinia.
A pollinium is a waxy mass of pollen grains held together by the glue-like alkaloid viscin, containing both cellulosic stands and mucopolysaccharides. Each pollinium is connected to a filament which can take the form of a caudicle, like in Dactylorhiza or Habenaria or a stipe, like in Vanda. Caudicles or stipes hold the pollinia to the viscidium, a sticky pad which sticks the pollinia to the body of pollinators.
At the upper edge of the stigma of single-anthered orchids, in front of the anther cap, there is the rostellum (5), a slender extension involved in the complex pollination mechanism.
As aforementioned, the ovary is always inferior (located behind the flower). It is three-carpelate and one or, more rarely, three-partitioned, with parietal placentation (axile in the Apostasioideae).
Orchids have developed highly specialized pollination systems and thus the chances of being pollinated are often scarce. This is why orchid flowers usually remain receptive for very long periods and why most orchids deliver pollen in a single mass; each time pollination succeeds thousands of ovules can be fertilized.
Pollinators are often visually attracted by the shape and colours of the labellum. The flowers may produce attractive odours. Although absent in most species, nectar may be produced in a spur (8) of the labellum, on the point of the sepals or in the septa of the ovary, the most typical position amongst the Asparagales.
In orchids that produce pollinia, pollination happens as some variant of the following. When the pollinator enters into the flower, it touches a viscidium, which promptly sticks to its body, generally on the head or abdomen. While leaving the flower, it pulls the pollinium out of the anther, as it is connected to the viscidium by the caudicle or stipe. The caudicle then bends and the pollinium is moved forwards and downwards. When the pollinator enters another flower of the same species, the pollinium has taken such position that it will stick to the stigma of the second flower, just below the rostellum, pollinating it. The possessors of orchids may be able to reproduce the process with a pencil, small paintbrush, or other similar device.
Some orchids mainly or totally rely on self-pollination, especially in colder regions where pollinators are particularly rare. The caudicles may dry up if the flower hasn’t been visited by any pollinator and the pollina then fall directly on the stigma. Otherwise the anther may rotate and then enter the stigma cavity of the flower (as in Holcoglossum amesianum).
The labellum of the Cypripedioideae is poke-shaped and has the function to trap visiting insects. The only exit leads to the anthers that deposit pollen on the visitor.
In some extremely specialized orchids, like the Eurasian genus Ophrys, the labellum is adapted to have a colour, shape and odour which attracts male insects via mimicry of a receptive female. Pollination happens as the insect attempts to mate with flowers.
Many neotropical orchids are pollinated by male orchid bees, which visit the flowers to gather volatile chemicals they require to synthesize pheromonal attractants. Each type of orchid places the pollinia on a different body part of a different species of bee, so as to enforce proper cross-pollination.
An underground orchid in Australia, Rhizanthella slateri, never sees the light of day and depends on ants and other terrestrial insects to pollinate it.
Catasetum, a genus discussed briefly by Darwin actually launches its viscid pollinia with explosive force when an insect touches a seta, knocking the pollinator off the flower.
After pollination the sepals and petals fade and wilt, but they usually remain attached to the ovary.
Some species, as some Phalaenopsis, Dendrobium and Vanda, produce offshoots or plantlets formed from one of the nodes along the stem, through the accumulation of growth hormones at that point. These shoots are known as keiki.
Cross-section of an orchid capsule, the longitudinal slits
The ovary typically develops into a capsule that is dehiscent by 3 or 6 longitudinal slits, while remaining closed at both ends. The ripening of a capsule can take 2 to 18 months.
The seeds are generally almost microscopic and very numerous, in some species over a million per capsule. After ripening they blow off like dust particles or spores. They lack endosperm and must enter symbiotic relationship with various mycorrhizal basidiomyceteous fungi that provide them the necessary nutrients to germinate, so that all orchid species are mycoheterotrophic during germination and reliant upon fungi to complete their lifecycle.
As the chance for a seed to meet a fitting fungus is very small, only a minute fraction of all the seeds released grow into an adult plant. In cultivation, germination typically takes weeks, while there is a report of one paphiopedilum that took fifteen years.
Horticultural techniques have been devised for germinating seeds on a nutrient-containing gel, eliminating the requirement of the fungus for germination, greatly aiding the propagation of ornamental orchids.
The main component for the sowing of orchids in artificial conditions is the agar agar. The substance is put together with some type of carbohydrate (actually, some kind of glucose) which provides qualitative organic feed. Such substance may be banana, pineapple, peach or even tomato puree or coconut milk. After the cooking of the agar agar (it has to be cooked in sterile conditions) the mix is poured into test tubes or jars where the substance begins to jelly. The seeds have to be put in the dish above boiling water, in the steam because that secures sterile conditions. The test tubes are put diagonally after that.
A study in the scientific journal Nature [8] has hypothesized that the origin of orchids goes back much longer than originally expected. An extinct species of stingless bee, Proplebeia dominicana, was found trapped in Miocene amber from about 15-20 million years ago. The bee was carrying pollen of a previously unknown orchid taxon, Meliorchis caribea, on its wings. This find is the first evidence of fossilised orchids to date.[8]
The extinct orchid M. caribea has been placed within the extant tribe Cranichideae, subtribe Goodyerinae (subfamily Orchidoideae).
This indicates that orchids may have an ancient origin and have arisen 76 to 84 million years ago during the Late Cretaceous. In other words, they may have co-existed with dinosaurs. It shows also that at that time insects were active pollinators of orchids. According to M.W. Chase et al. (2001) the overall biogeography and phylogenetic patterns of Orchidaceae show that they are even older and may go back roughly 100 million years [9]
Using the molecular clock method, it was possible to determine the age of the major branches of the orchid family. This also confirmed that the subfamily Vanilloideae is a branch at the basal dichotomy of the monandrous orchids, and must have evolved very early in the evolution of the family.
Since this genus occurs worldwide in tropical and subtropical regions, from tropical America to tropical Asia, New Guinea and West Africa, and the continents began to split about 100 million years ago, significant biotic exchange must have occurred after this split (since the age of Vanilla is estimated at 60 to 70 million years).
Flower Garden Design - The Secret of Color For Every Season
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Hans_Dekker]Hans Dekker
Good flower garden design is the result of good planning. Be careful not to place too much emphasis on a colorful spring, also plan ahead.
Plan ahead and enjoy the best results
Make sure to plan spring, summer and autumn bloomers. I know the months after the grey winter we are drawn outside and are prepared to work out butts of, but with some planning your garden will be an explosion of color and a quick succession of blooming flowers the whole gardening season.
So if you want your garden to look good in spring, summer and autumn, do some planning at the start. If you are going for annuals, choose plants that bloom in all seasons where possible.
Long Bloomers
Choose those with longer blooming seasons over those that only bloom for one or two weeks. Consider all the work you have to put in, plant, water and weed. And the net result is two weeks of bloom. This to me sounds like a waste. If you really adore those short bloomers, then go ahead and put them, but mix in some longer bloomers too.
Mix Annuals and Perennials
Ifyou mix annuals and perennials in the same garden, you can put the perennials into the middle and keep the short annuals for the edges. You could alternate things like mondo grass and pansies for an attractive edging, and then when the pansies are starting to fade off, you still have the mondo grass.
Some tips on Bulb Layering
The Bulb Flowers that announce spring usually don’t last long. There is a nice trick to overcome part of this challenge, plant them on top of each other. Meaning plant them in layers. Plant some really early bloomers like…sneewklokje in layer one and for example daffodils underneath them. Or use layer on for crocusses and the second for tulips
The process of planting the bulbs is simple dig deeper them you are used too. Place the bulbs that are second in line. Cover them with a layer of soil and proceed with the second layer.
Alternatives
Or you could design your garden so that spring, summer and autumn flowers are interspersed throughout. That way there will always be something of interest to look at. If there is a bare spot, pop in something from the nursery that will soon be blooming.
This introduction to a planned flower design was meant as an “aanmoedonging to be creative in your approach. Its fun to plan things like this on the computer. Use some good design software for this purpose.
Hans is an avid gardener and writes for http://www.gardening-guides.com
and literate in [http://www.gardening-guides.com/garden-design/gd-home.php]computer flower garden design
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Flower-Garden-Design----The-Secret-of-Color-For-Every-Season&id=1124042] Flower Garden Design - The Secret of Color For Every Season
Flower Garden Design is a fun process, make sure that you plan to have blooming flowers throughout the year. Use some good designing software and have double fun.
The name comes from the Greek “órkhis”, literally meaning “testicle”, because its root has a similar shape. The term was introduced in 1845 by John Lindley in “School Botanty”
Orchidaceae are cosmopolitan, occurring in almost every habitat apart from deserts and glaciers. The great majority are to be found in the tropics, mostly Asia, South America and Central America, but they are also found above the Arctic Circle, in southern Patagonia and even on Macquarie Island, close to Antarctica.
The following list gives a rough overview of their distribution:
This family is totally recognised, and the APG II system of 2003 places it in the order Asparagales.
The taxonomy of this family is in constant flux, as new studies continue to identify more classificatory elements.
Five subfamilies are now recognised. The cladogram has been made according to the APG system:
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A majority of orchids are perennial epiphytes, which grow anchored to trees or shrubs in the tropics and subtropics. Other species are lithophytes, growing on rocks or very rocky soil, or are terrestrial. Nearly all temperate orchids are terrestrial.
Some orchids, like Neottia and Corallorhiza, lack chlorophyll and are unable to photosynthesize. Instead, these species obtain energy and nutrients by parasitising soil fungi through the formation of orchid mycorrhizas. The fungi involved include those that form ectomycorrhizas with trees and other woody plants, parasites such as Armillaria, and saprotrophs.
These orchids are known as myco-heterotrophs, but were formerly (incorrectly) described as saprophytes due to the belief that they gained their nutrition by breaking down organic matter. While only a few species are achlorophyllous holoparasites, all orchids are myco-heterotrophic during germination and seedling growth and even photosynthetic adult plants may continue to obtain carbon from their mycorrhizal fungi.
How To Design A Flower Garden For Beginner’s
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=John_E_White]John E White
When most people start there flower garden they just start digging and planting stuff. They let things flow from their mind naturally. The problem with this is that things might not look right as things actually start to mature. This could easily be avoided if you just think things through a little bit more. Were going to take a look at how you can come up with a great flower garden design that you will be happy with.
Start With A Site Analysis
What you are doing here is giving yourself an idea of what can grow in certain locations. If a part of your garden is shaded then you will need to make sure the plants you grow there can handle shade. Look at your soil. Find out what will grow in the different types of soil. You can’t just design for beauty. Healthy plants are important too.
Draw It Up On Paper
It really helps to draw up a basic design of how you want your garden laid out. This gives you an idea of how things look before you even get started on the project. This doesn’t have to be perfect nor does it need to be perfect. You also have the right to change your mind later. The idea is to start with a plan.
Sketch out where you want certain plants. Where do you want shrubs? Where do you want roses to go? Where do you want your vegetables to go. What types of plants will go well together? What mix of colors will bring out the best of your garden? Where will your water fountain go? What is the best place to put a bird feeder?
Keep Space In Mind
Different plants need different amounts of space. For example, roses need a fair bit of space between plants. And you can’t just grow something like cucumber anywhere or pumpkins as their vines may interfere with other plants.
Are You Trying To Attract Birds & Butterflies
Many people plant flower gardens so that they can attract birds and butterflies. This does effect your design. What is your plan to go about attracting these animals and insects? Will you have a bird bath? Will you have a bird feeder? What plants attract butterflies easily? Where will you locate these things in your garden so that they look nice?
How To Decorate Physical Things
This is something else you need to look at. Do you have a flag pole? What sorts of flowers, shrubs, or decorations would you like to put around that pole? The same can work for water fountains, bird baths, and bird feeders. How can you spice these up by growing or decorating around them?
Conclusion
Those are just few ideas and things you need to consider as you design your perfect flower garden. As you design all of it out on paper realize that your original vision can change. But a little planning can go along ways before you get things started.
John E White is the author of First Garden Mastery. It’s an e-book that walks new gardeners through the creation of their very first garden. Visit http://www.firstgardenmastery.com/ to learn how to grow the garden of your dreams and sign up for your free 7 day mini course on gardening for beginners.
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?How-To-Design-A-Flower-Garden-For-Beginners&id=1166939] How To Design A Flower Garden For Beginner’s
When most people start there flower garden they just start digging and planting stuff. They let things flow from their mind naturally. The problem with this is that things might not look right as things actually start to mature.
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