Fun Flower Facts

Plants — they’re alive, colorful, scented, and did we mention just plain beautiful? While many people are aware of the many decorative benefits of plants, few realize that they have the ability to improve your mental and physical health.

Whether you live in the “Concrete Jungle” or the vineyards of Northern California, every home can benefit from bringing the great outdoors inside.

They Reduce Stress Levels

Have you ever noticed that the minute you step out into a lush forest or beautiful park, you instantly feel at ease? It’s not your imagination — people actually feel calmer when surrounded by greenery. Continue Reading…

Whether you start every morning by reading your horoscope or you only look at it from time to time, there’s no denying that it’s fun to learn what the stars have in store for you. But has astrology made its way down from the sky to Earth?

While most people know they have corresponding traits, likes, dislikes, and even numbers associated with their zodiac sign, few know that they also have an astrological flower. Take a look below to see what your flower sign is and the traits you both share!

Aries: March 21 – April 20

Flower: Honeysuckle

As the first sign in the zodiac, Aries signifies the start of something new. With honeysuckle blooming in early spring, the season most associated with rebirth and new experiences, the two pair perfectly together!

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When it comes to roses, there’s more to them than meets the eye. Sure, roses are renowned for their beauty and symbolic meaning, but they’re also an incredibly interesting flower with a rich history. To help you enjoy your favorite flower even more, we’ve picked a dozen strange facts about roses that you probably didn’t know.

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When it comes to phrases that live at the tip of our tongues, we’re sure you’ve got some personal favorites that are the bee knees and sound as pretty as a peach. But being florists and all, we’re pretty partial to floral phrases — can you blame us? This season, why not add some of our favorite phrases and sayings into your vocabulary?

“Stop and smell the roses”

Feeling overwhelmed? Stressed? Overworked? If so, it may be time to “stop and smell the roses.” This means it’s time to break away from your hectic schedule and take a minute to enjoy the little things in life and the beauty of nature. And while there’s no denying that we love the expression, studies show there is some scientific truth behind it! Spending time outdoors among nature has been shown to reduce anxiety and depression.

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If there’s one thing that remains a constant in this world it’s that April showers always seem to bring May flowers. With spring fast approaching, many perennials can’t wait to break through their dirt beds and stretch their leaves out in the world.

If you’re looking to save time, money, and energy on your spring garden, perennials are certainly the way to go, because when it comes to the world of flowers, perennials are the gift that keeps on giving. Check out this list of perennial flowers that will bloom all spring long!

Lungwort

Don’t let its less-than-appealing name fool you — lungwort is a marvelous, flowering plant that blooms at the first sight of spring. Starting off pink, lungwort gradually transitions to a dark purple flower, before dying once the sweltering temperatures of summer arrive.

Why We Love Lungwort

• It’s a strong plant that’s highly disease resistant.
• Even in partially shaded areas, it flourishes well.
• Rabbits, deer, and other plants tend to leave it alone.

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After the long, cold months of winter, there’s nothing better than swinging open your doors and windows on the first warm day of spring. That is, until you turn around and realize that sticky, yellow pollen has taken over every inch of your home.

Luckily, there are things even the most severe allergy sufferers can do to ensure they still get to enjoy the sights, sounds, scents, and serenity of spring in their home.

Kick Your Shoes Off

The moment you come in from a day of hiking or exploring a spring garden, wipe and take your shoes off right away. If you want to go the extra mile, hose off the soles of your shoes outside before coming in. Continue Reading…

Having existed for more than 4.5 billion years, it’s no surprise that the Earth has undergone some major changes in its life — particularly in the types of greenery it plays home to. Whether due to climate change, geological shifts, or human or animal interference, below is a list of a few flowers and plants that have gone extinct both recently and billions of years ago.

1. Silphium

If you were somehow able to stumble upon this flower, you may mistake it for a daisy. With its many small, long, yellow petals, the silphium looks like the cousin of yellow daisies. However, the flower has not been seen by humans since it went extinct in the 1st Century B.C.

2. Cooksonia

Believed to be one of the first plants on the planet, cooksonia lived more than 425 million years ago (to put that in perspective, dinosaurs lived around 66 million years ago). These water-loving plants could be found along coastlines all over the world. Even more interestingly, scientists believe these were the first plants to have a stem. Continue Reading…

You’ll be hard-pressed to find someone from anywhere in the world who takes one look at a tulip and doesn’t instantly fall in love with it. But the country of Holland may just take the cake when it comes to crowning the country that’s most in love with tulips. Let us explain…

History of Tulips in Holland

Tulips may not have originated in Holland, but that hasn’t stopped them from becoming one of Holland’s main exports and one of the things it’s most well-known for.

It was in the 16th century that tulips were imported to Holland from the Ottoman Empire (present-day Turkey). Just a few years after arriving in Holland, tulips became the most sought-after commodity in the entire Netherlands, after Carolus Clusius wrote what’s considered the first major book about the flower. At the time, tulip bulbs were worth more than gold and were sold for 10 times what a commoner made in a year. Needless to say, the time period was appropriately named “tulip mania.”

Though they certainly don’t outweigh gold anymore, the Netherlands is still one of the largest exporters of tulips in the world. Today, roughly 60% of the country’s land is used for agriculture or horticulture, with much of that land dedicated to growing bulbs. And it’s a good thing because in 2014 the Netherlands exported more than 2 billion tulips worldwide.

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After months of the cold, dark days of winter, there’s nothing that brings a bigger smile to our face quite like the sight of blooming flowers. Whether on your walk to work or the living room, budding flowers are the universal symbol that spring has finally sprung!

In the Wild

While some wild flowers like to wait until we’re deep into the warmer months to bud, these flowers are so eager to see the sun, they open at the first sign of spring weather (and sometimes even before that!).

• Daffodils: Perhaps the earliest flower to bloom, daffodils can sometimes be seen popping up through thin layers of late-season snow. Unlike their cultivated brothers and sisters, wild daffodils tend to be much smaller and more delicate than the ones you’d find in a flower shop.

• Snowdrop: Named after its shape and ability to bloom as early as December (when there’s often still snow on the ground), the presence of snowdrops is a welcome sight for those who are not exactly fans of the winter months.

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When it comes to flowering bulbs, there’s a lot more to them than meets the eye. Also known as “packaged plants,” a flower bulb is a circular mass that contains food and tissue (it looks like an onion!). In layman’s terms, it’s a self-contained flower factory, with everything a flower needs to grow held right there in the bulb.

Little Known Facts About Bulbs

• Though most all bulb flowers bloom in the spring, they should be planted in the late fall before the first hard freeze.
• Without a few cold months to sleep and set, certain bulbs can’t bloom (sorry to those of you in perpetually sunny Florida and California — but on the bright side, we deliver!).
• Tulips, arguably the most popular bulb flower, have been around for centuries, far longer than some other spring flower favorites. Tulips were first found sprouting in the valleys and mountains of West Asia where temperatures range from sweltering hot to ice cold.
• Speaking of tulips, tulip bulbs were more valuable than gold in 1600s Holland. This was during the height of tulip mania.
• Though we don’t suggest trying it, some recipes still found today say you can substitute onions for tulip bulbs.
• If you’re in the market for bulbs, always choose the largest, hardest ones — these are the healthiest.
• Some bulbs have what appears to be two ‘heads,’ or points. These bulbs will sometimes sprout two flowers.
• Several flowers that bloom from bulbs, including tulips, are known for being almost perfectly symmetrical.

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