San Leandro Flowers

Winter Flowers

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It's rare to find flowers during the cold and harsh winter season. But with the cold atmosphere and chilly mood brought by winter, flowers' presence would make a big difference inside and outside our homes. More importantly, flowers should still be there during winter weddings. Fresh flowers will surely clear away that winter gloom and invite a brighter mood for everyone.

Here are some flowers that can make your garden brighten up during winter:

Snowdrops make the list of flowers that first bloom in January. You can carpet snowdrops in your garden. Plus its many varieties can give you a lot of options how to make your garden more interesting.

Winter jasmine is known for its fragrance and bright yellow flowers. It blossoms late in November make its way through winter until spring.

Winter Aconite blooms late in winter and best grown under trees and shrubs.

Honeysuckle and its fragrance can be enjoyed from December to March.

Mahonia is also one variety of flowers that can thrive in the winter climate. They look like a smaller version of holly with yellow fragrant flowers.

Here are some flowers that make great winter wedding flowers:

Amaryllis comes in red, pink and white varieties. They make perfect winter wedding flower particularly as a table centerpiece.

For bridal bouquet, orchids are perfect. You can find many varieties and colors of orchids available during winter.

Gerber daisies are also available during winter. You can choose from its many colors.

Roses as the classic wedding flowers are also available during winter season together with tulips.

If you want something unique you may opt to choose kangaroo paw. Its soft texture would make wonderful reception arrangement. It comes in pale pearly pink, yellow, rich dark red and limegreen.

Another rare find is Nerine. It comes in pink and white and would make a beautiful addition to a bridal bouquet or table centerpiece during the reception.

There are beautiful flowers that thrive during winter. Finding flowers for a wedding during winter should not be a problem aside from winter seasoned flowers, there is also a great selection of winter wedding flowers available from commercial growers cultivating under glass, or those importing from warmer climates.

Flowers in San Leandro (94577), CA

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San Leandro's colorful heritage is reflected through its expansive array of flowers. This is one of the reasons why you can find San Leandro flowers suit all your flower needs whatever the occasion might be.

San Leandro flowers (94577) come mostly in varieties having different colors with character that can match every mood you may have. For instance, chrysanthemums abundant in Northern California comes in many colors from rust and wine red to orange and  golden yellow.

One of the best ways to express appreciation, love, sympathies, apologies is through the simple act of giving flowers. You can find flower shops in San Leandro offering beautifully arranged fresh flowers. Add more color to any occasion, it could be significant days like birthdays, graduations, weddings, Valentines and anniversaries, or it could be just ordinary days when you feel like turning it to a special day by giving flowers. There is nothing more sweeter and thoughtful than a basket or a bouquet of blooms.

You can make someone feel special, loved and appreciated simply by sending her or even him flowers. San Leandro flowers' diverse varieties adds more options to the kind of bouquet or flower basket you choose to give.

Flowers and Myths

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From birth to one’s last breath, from innocence to passion, flowers have played significant parts in myths and legends across all cultures, from the Greeks to the Chinese. Flowers have been symbols of love, youth, beauty and many more.

Different kinds of flowers have different characteristics. This makes flowers perfect in expressing different conditions, sentiments and thoughts. No wonder they are favorite symbols in many myths and stories. Consider how there are so many types of flowers. Some bloom in spring. Others flourish in summer. Some stay during autumn. A few thrived in winter. At its best condition, flowers take pride in their beauty, color and scent. From all these traits sprung the symbolism of flowers in certain cultures.

Flower Symbolism. Flowers are mostly associated with new life, with the emergence of spring after a cold winter, with resurrection and with the blissful youth, beauty and pleasures. However since flowers do not stay in bloom for long, they are also connected with death. The combination of flowers’ association with birth and death implies with death usually comes a divine rebirth. This might explain why we put flowers on graves. Certain religions and cultures also put flowers at the shrines and altars of their gods.

The colors of flowers also obtain certain meanings in many societies around the world. Two of the most common associations with white flowers are purity and death. Red blooms often indicate passion, power and blood. Yellow ones may symbolize gold or the sun for Taoism, golden flower indicate the highest level of enlightenment. Blue flowers which are rarer than most flowers signify serenity and calmness. The way the color of flowers is seen in different cultures varies, so one must be careful in offering flowers that might offend someone belonging in another culture.

Shapes also matters in floral meaning. Flowers having petals reminiscent of the rays of the sun symbolize the sun as the center of the universe or perception.
In Greek mythology and even for Aztecs, flowers have symbolic significance. Many flowers are associated with Greek goddesses. The Aztecs, on the other hand, regard flowers as a symbol of life and death.  This association with life can be seen in their goddess of sexuality and fertility, Xochiquetzal, who is carrying a bouquet of blooms and wore a wreath of flowers in her hair.

We can also see how flowers and its meaning are found in literature particularly in poetry in many cultures.

Do IT Yourself Floral Arrangement

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You can create whatever kind of floral arrangements you fancy from simple ones to flamboyant designs made from almost any flower. If you are still a novice in floral arrangements stick to the simple ones first as a practice. But doing something ornate like a Victorian nosegay arrangement can also be accomplished given you know the things you needed together with the steps. In making this arrangement you need:  a large variety of a rose in medium or light pink together with small clusters or single small roses of the same color, lavender hydrangeas, small and large carnations, floral foam ball, metal bowl and floral preservative.

Here are a few steps in making a Victorian nosegay arrangement.

Steps:
  1. Keep it clean and dry. Make sure your bowl is washed and dried. To use a bowl or any container that has not been wash from previous arrangement is a NO NO.
  2. Get your foam ready by immersing it in cool water. Allow the foam to float ‘til it is half-submerged in the water, then quickly remove and let the foam drain. Don’t force the foam into the water; allow it to sink on its own.
  3. Put the foam in the bowl. In placing the ball of floral foam, ensure that there is enough room allowing water to cover around a quarter of the foam. Then you can now add the right amount of floral preservative.
  4. Take off leaves from the part of the stems that will be placed in the foam.
  5. Put the large variety of rose in the center of the foam and push it in slowly and surely. Then put the clusters of smaller roses around the large rose.
  6. Place the violets in the middle of every third rose in the circle.
  7. Interchange a small and a large carnation to create another circle. Keep all the circles closed from each other. Insert violets in the midst of every fifth carnation.
  8. Start making another circle with one hydrangea, head and 3 carnations, then violets. Keep doing this until there is only one room for a circle of flowers on the bottom of the foam.
  9. Finally, hydrangeas will make the last row at the bottom of the arrangement. Take a look at your finish product. The floral arrangement should appear snug together and symmetrical, showing no sign of foam. If this isn’t achieved, then add more rows of flowers.

How to Make Fresh Cut Flowers Last Longer

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Fresh cut flowers have their way of making people feel good. Flowers are noticeably around on special occasions and communicate sentiments of gratitude, affection and sympathy.

The joy brought by receiving flowers is inexplicable. Studies show how flowers effect a woman’s mood in a positive way that can last for days. Flowers and the meaning behind them are such instrumental tool in strengthening a relationship.

For these reasons and many more we would want to keep flowers sent to us forever unfortunately flowers soon wilt and die. We would always want to have them fresh and alive but since it is not possible to achieve, you may resort to taking care of them so they would last as long as they can. It’s simple as long as you have the knowledge.

One thing that makes a difference in how long fresh cut flowers can last is how you cut their stems. In cutting you must use a sharp knife to avoid damaging the stem. Cut them on a slant so they can absorb more water having more stem surface area being exposed. Also keep the leaves that will be soaked in the water removed.

If you’re thinking about cutting some fresh cut flowers from your own garden, it is advisable to know when is the best time to do so. You can choose to cut flowers early in the morning or late in the afternoon when the weather is cool. Mornings are best since the plant stored many food and flowers are most fragrant then.

Another thing that can make a difference on how long flowers last is on their maturity when you cut them. For roses and irises it would be best to cut them in their bud stage. For marigolds and delphiniums you should cut them when they are already in bloom. Place them immediately in lukewarm water right after cutting them.

To make fresh cut flowers last longer, you may also add preservatives into the water. In this way, instead of bacteria eating the plant, they will be busy eating the preservatives making your flowers stay longer. But if you do not like to use chemicals, then you can go natural. You can add a penny and an aspirin to act as an alternative. The copper of the penny is said to act like a fungicide while the aspirin makes the water acidic.