1940s skirt and a bow blouse – and a cape

Can you believe that it has been a week since my last post? And, as you can see, in that week we have gone from hot summer weather to, well, woolen skirts and cape wearing weather! Today I wore a black skirt that is part of a 1940s suit with a, oh, ah, cinnamon (orange sounds too boring today, and just not right) stripe pussy bow blouse. I also got to bring out the cape!

black cape with tan buttons second hand shop in Carlton that is no longer around, sadly
cinnamon blouse opp shop
1940s black wool skirt (part of suit) special vintage store
stockings Legs Avenue
black peep toe platforms zu online

I love my cape, it is so lovely and warm and has sleeves underneath (it's two layers, if that makes sense) so I never have that trapped-in-a-blanket feeling. I finished it all off with black back seamed stockings (alas, not fully fashioned, but very comfortable and silky, I must say) and my black peep toe platforms.



I have not been online anywhere near as much recently as I had planned, and this is just a flying visit, but I will be back proper on Monday, I promise. Thank you so much for your comments on my last post, I am visiting each and every one of your blogs xxx

Mother’s Day Flowers to say “I Love You Mom”

Many people are asking now “When is Mother’s Day 2010?” People all over the world ask this because this is a global thing. Mother’s day falls on May 9, 2010. It’s usually on a Sunday. Anyway, many are trying to get ideas on what to give their mother and they search for “Mother’s Day Gift Ideas” on the internet because they run out of ideas on what to give, or what to buy them. You can treat your mother to dinner, or buy them flowers. Anything that will make them feels special.

Mother’s Day is a special day to show your mother how much she is appreciated. It’s the one day in the year that she is publically recognized, and flowers are a big part of showing her your love. Flowers are always a classic; despite the ubiquity factor, flowers has a great deal for Mother’s Day, with bouquets Read the below Characterized Flowering houseplants and think what flower matches perfectly with your mothers,

For those hovering mothers, I suggest an anthurium. These Hawaiian natives range from 10 inches to 2 feet high. Their leaves and flowers, held aloft on long stems, are both appropriately heart-shaped. The flowers, technically called "spathes," are bright red or orange and are as shiny and sturdy as plastic plates.

If your mother encouraged you to be independent, she will love clivias. These beauties are related to that Christmas favorite, the amaryllis. Clivias have strap-like leaves that shoot from a central base. Every spring, they send up a stalk topped by as many as a dozen long-lasting, bell-shaped flowers in bright orange or yellow.

What about the mother in the middle? My mother adjusted her level of attention to each daughter's needs. (Thank you, Mom!) It's a potted "Mophead" hydrangea for her. Each Mophead stem ends in a dense, spherical bouquet of delicate flowers, which come in a range of colors from blue to white to pink, and even red.

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Flowers Spreads the Smile

Flowers make people happy. And while that might seem obvious, there hasn't been much research to prove the point until now.

A trio of new studies by Rutgers University scientists supports the notion pretty strongly, and the experts go on to speculate that flowers have flourished on this planet, with their beauty evolving in recent millennia, partly because humans are so attached to them.

The first study involved 147 women. All those who got flowers smiled. Make a note: all of them. That's the kind of statistical significance scientist’s love. Among the women who got candles, 23 percent didn't smile. And 10 percent of those who got fruit didn't smile. In an elevator, 122 men and women were given a flower, a pen, or nothing. Those who got flowers smiled more, talked more, and here it gets interesting stood closer together.

Finally, in another test, bouquets were delivered by florists to 113 men and women in a retirement community. All 113 got flowers and a notebook, but some got them earlier and received a second bouquet when the others got theirs. By now you can guess the outcome. The more flowers, the more smiles. From there, it's a bit of a leap to the idea that flowers are prolific because we love them.

But the results got the scientists to thinking about how the flower industry of today has evolved into growing things that serve no other purpose than emotional satisfaction. Nature won't even pollinate many of the domesticated flowers. Just among roses, there are so many types conjured by humans that, clearly, flowers aren't what they used to be. But it's likely our collective hand has played a role longer than you might think.

Rutgers geneticist Terry McGuire suggests that nature's prettier flowers got to survive and thrive because people didn't destroy them when they cleared land for agriculture. Instead, they cultivated them and have been doing so for more than 5,000 years.

"Our hypothesis is that flowers are exploiting an emotional niche. They make us happy."

Hybridization of New Varieties of Lilies

Dutch hybridizers are gilding the lily, upgrading the cut flower favorite that also brings such long-lasting beauty to gardens. New varieties with deeper tints, stronger stems and softer fragrances are entering the market.

Breeders like lilies hybrids can be crossed and their progeny sold more quickly than other bulb flowers, like tulips, that may require a decade or better to develop. Gardeners like lilies because the bulbs are so easy to grow. They bloom for a long time.

As perennials, they're troupers, providing years and years of pleasure. They're colorful and often exquisitely fragrant. They have height (and) excel at blooming above other perennials. Shorter varieties are well suited to containers or patio pots.

In earl days lilies came only in four types: Asiatic, Oriental, Longiflorum and Trumpet. Dutch breeders have been actively crossing those types, producing an average 60 to 70 new varieties each year. Most are developed to boost quality and make shipping easier for the cut flower industry.

Names of the new types point to their parentage. "LO" hybrids, for example, are derived from Longiflorum-Oriental varieties and carry traits of both notably large blooms and heavy fragrance. That also goes for the "OA" or Oriental-Asiatics, with their bright colors, shiny foliage and softer scent.

Most Expensive Spicy Saffron Flower

The most expensive spice in the world is considered exotic, intriguing and seductive - so much so that legend has it Cleopatra used saffron in her baths so that lovemaking would be more pleasurable.

Meanwhile, Greek mythology says a handsome mortal named Crocos was turned into the beautiful purple crocus flower, from which saffron comes, when his advances to a lovely nymph named Smilax were spurned.

The vivid orange of saffron is considered the epitome of beauty and is the color of Buddhist robes. When it comes to food, this is one incredible ingredient, imparting a wonderful soft orange glow to dishes and tasting of honey hay-like notes and a unique penetrating spiciness. Saffron is the dried red stigma of the crocus, which flowers in April.

The stigma is hand-picked, ideally first thing in the morning before the flower opens. The three hair-like red stigmas are laid on a dehydrating tray to dry, losing about 80 per cent of their weight. It's a back-breaking, labor-intensive, time-consuming task and it can take up to 150,000 flowers to produce a kilo of the spice - hence its ranking as the world's most expensive.

Decorate Your Home with Flowers and Keep it Fresh

Roses, carnations, orchids, oriental lilies .If you love to decorate your home with flowers even in summer, go ahead. A little sugar here, some distilled water there should keep them from wilting any time soon.

Maintaining a beautiful interior with fresh flowers is a tedious job, especially in summer because fresh flowers have a short shelf life. The excessive heat and dryness decrease their life further, so one should take extra precautions to avoid their premature wilting. First and most important thing is to change the water of these fresh flowers every day.

Also when you change the water, cut half-an-inch of the stem diagonally as it leads to proper water flow in the flower. Use plain or lukewarm water for most cut flowers. Distilled water is best but tries to avoid tap water.

In order to increase the endurance of the stem, a bit of sugar should be added to the water. This will increase the life span of the flower by a few days. These simple tips can help a single stem of rose last for four days instead of its usual life span of one day.

Room temperature should be moderate, say, around 22 degrees Celsius. The flowers should not be exposed to harsh direct sunlight, nor kept directly under the AC. Also, one should keep these flowers away from direct sunlight and from appliances like television that give off heat, causing flowers to dehydrate.

In case you want a flower to bloom fast, Pathak suggests adding a tablet of Disprin. Adding a bit of sugar to the water will increase the life span of the flower by a few days.

If you are planning to gift flowers to your friends, opt for anthurium, birds of paradise, oriental lilies, orchids and carnations because they have a shelf life of around seven days compared to roses, which don't last for more than one or two days.

Experts also suggest that while selecting flowers look for ones with upright, firm petals and buds beginning to open. Avoid yellow, spotted or drooping leaves all signs of ageing.

Hummingbirds Love with Flower Gardens

Hummingbirds are nectar feeders, and they appreciate a season-long succession of plants that provide that. In general, hummingbirds favor tubular flowers that are orange, red and pink.

Researchers discovered a behavior of the purple-throated caribs, a hummingbird on the island of Dominica in the eastern Caribbean, that has not previously been recorded in birds. Male caribs will defend a territory larger than they need, including a flowery area meant exclusively to lure females for mating. Female caribs have longer bills than the males, enabling them to eat nectar in lobster claw heliconia flowers. Despite the males’ inability to eat from the heliconia, males were seen aggressively defending an area that includes these flower spots.

Salvias are colorful, drought-tolerant little perennials that attract hordes of hummingbirds to the garden. But when you see how long this perennial flowers, as well as all the hummingbirds that flock to it, 'Blueberry Taffy' is dependably perennial. The best hummingbird, is a dark-blue-blooming tender perennial called ‘Black and Blue’ Salvia.

1940s red stripy sun dress

And clearly it is still hot here :) More stripes, this time on a '40s sun dress. I love these kinds of stripes, especially on dresses. When this dress arrived I was actually a bit disappointed at first, as it was quite a lot bigger than the measurements given. It was only after trying it on and then wearing it for a few minutes that I realised the extra room was, in fact, a good thing; the fabric is fairly delicate, and if it was smaller, and 'fitted' me, it would soon get torn by me moving too much, and I hate being restricted by clothes. At this size (it's maybe a dress size or two up) I can move all I like.



I found these 1970s sandals (pics next time) at the op shop the other day, and, as I don't think I could ever really have too many pairs of red shoes, I snapped them up; their somewhat '40s styling (sans platform, alas) made them a good match for this dress. They were unworn, and their leather soles need some good scuffing to make them truly safe, but as we still – still! – have some hot days coming up that should be taken care of very soon. We are more than half way through Autumn...

dress etsy.com
shoes opp shop

Finally, I just want to let you know I haven't been home much for the last three days, so I am very behind on comments and visits and so on. I will be catching up soon :)

Snake's Head Shaped Enchanting Flower

Like a snake's head rising up, the bell-shaped flowers of Fritillaria meleagris make their entrance. Having just been enforced winter’s constraint, the scurrying about the garden every morning, blissfully happy at greeting each new bud or blossom. One of the more enchanting and one could possibly say addictive species is Fritillaria in their many forms and colors.

Fritillaria is a genus of approximately 100 species of bulbous plants, native to the temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Most often, they have nodding, bell- or cup-shaped flowers, most of which are spring-flowering.

Of this group, one of the easiest to grow is Fritillaria meleagris, also known variously as snake’s head (its original English name), checkered lily (common American name), rattlesnake lily, Guinea-hen flower, frog-cup, leper lily, turkey hen, chequered lily, ginny flower, chequered daffodil, and whew just plain fritillary.

The pretty, pendant blossom has a square, checker-board-type pattern of reddish-brown, purple, white and gray coloration and a mix of these bulbs generally also sports white (cream) and pale yellow, though the latter coloration doesn’t show up very often. Inside, the stamens are shocking yellow.

In the slightest breeze, the large single to multiple blooms dance on delicately thin gray-green stems and from a distance, these intriguing blossoms appear as if suspended above the ground.

Delightful Allium Flowering Varieties

Alliums are always welcome as the flowers offer height and that distinctive allium shape in the early summer when the garden is not quite so colorful.

Alliums are generally plants of sunny and well drained soils and can be used in regimented eye catching rows or sweeps or else in a more cottage style, with isolated small groups to equally good effect. In days where we are all more careful to provide for the "wee beasties", the Alliums are good nectar bars for butterflies and other beneficial insects.

Allium angulosum (pyrenaicum)
Easily grown summer flowering plant with deeply keeled deep green leaves. The leaves persist through the flowering period. The flowers are pale lilac formed in a hemispherical umbel darkening as they mature tall at flowering. Very hardy and tolerant of acid soils, though does need moist conditions to thrive. The flowers are not very pungent and are very attractive to a great range of insects.

Allium caeruleum
Grown from really quite small bulbs producing three cornered leaves in the spring which have withered by flowering time? A small ball of mid blue flowers forms in July about 18" (45cm) from the ground, sometimes with bulbils forming in the flower head. Not widely seen in gardens though should be easy enough in a sunny dry spot.

Allium cernuum
The nodding Allium of western North America and Mexico. Pink flowers hang from the tip of the nodding stem and tumble down forming a chandelier. There may be successive flower stems, which do not carry the Allium odour and can be cut for the house. Each head may carry 20-30 flowers and in light soils they self sow Suited to sunny open conditions in lighter soils.

Allium cristophii (albo pilosum)
Found in the wild in Soviet Central Asia to Iran on rocky slopes and first described in 1884. In the garden growing best in free draining soils in the sun where the strap shaped leaves. The flower made up of 50-80 star shaped florets in a pale purple and metallic silvery violet color. The seed heads dry well, though get bleached of their color by the sun.

Allium Emir
A hybrid between A.rosenbachianum and A.sarawschanium (Afghanistan and Tadzhikistan) and highly commended by the Dutch equivalent of RHS in their trials of Alliums in 2005. Deep purple flowers in two distinct layers reminiscent of A.schubertii.


Allium Firmament
The flowers are deep purple with a metallic sheen, about 4-5" (10-12.5 cm) across, characteristically quite flat at the base. The foliage is disappearing at flowering time in June. The flowering height is 24-30" (60-75cm). A very good late flowering form with a deep color.

Allium hollandicum (aflatense)
Synonymed with A. aflatuenense the process of growing, selecting, hybridizing and multiplying bulbs in horticulture may well have led to considerable deviation from the original description in 1904 of this plant. Hardy throughout the UK, in higher rainfall areas they would be better planted in well drained situations, certainly sited to get the sun in the late spring and early summer. It is in the size of an orange in pale purple or deep lilac.


Allium hollandicum Purple Sensation
Produced as deep colored strain. Some of the production of this plant is from seed which results in some variation in the plant. The stock we offer is from clonal material and should be less variable. The growth, flowering time and other characteristics are just as A. aflatuenense, but the flower color is very much darker, an intense deep purple. It can be grown very effectively with blue or cream colored.

Allium karataviense
A low growing Allium, useful for its foliage as well as its flower as the leaves still look good at flowering time. Particularly so when they are quite closely planted in a sunny spot when the metallic characteristics of the plant come to the fore. The broad, lined leaves are grey-green with silvery bloom and a reddish edge line, the stem is short and sturdy with a pale pink flower.

denim shorts and a stripy bow

And the heat goes on... back in early February I was wishing I had got me a pair of the Remix vintage style shoes, but thought as the pair I wanted was a summery style, I had better wait till next summer. Ha! Chronic summer clothing shortage (well, after 5 months of summer, it kinda feels like it!) to be dealt with asap, but there are winter things to be found first: vintage hats! cardigans! etc!

white blouse opp shop
stripy bow from '70s dress, from etsy
denim shorts with straps ebay
white ankle socks $2 shop, as per usual, and they're still going strong. I am amazed
red shoes topshom.com, a good year ago now

Months of Blooming Flowers Gardening to Enjoy Summer

Summer means sitting in the orchard in the shade, while plants and flowers waft delicious scent towards the resting gardener. With a bit of forward planning this is possible any time after the end of May, when the only task for the rest of the summer ought to be a little light deadheading.

In the cool of the evening, the resting gardener will dunk the watering can in the water butt and then slowly pour the contents over thirsty vegetables or the odd dahlia, before sitting down to supper outside.

As the summer stars come out one by one, the smell of honeysuckle, or jasmine, or rose gets stronger and everything is so utterly lovely that you know it can't last. Of course it never turns out quite as perfect, but at this time of year we can still hope and plan for our long overdue summer.

Flowers that go on and on (but more subtly than bedding plants) are what is needed. The roses that I enjoy look gentler than hybrid teas, but only flower for three weeks from midsummer, with another burst in September.

Dahlias lack the scent of roses, but have more staying power. If you like pastel shades choose 'Porcelain' or lemon yellow 'Glorie van Heemstede'. The darker, richer shades of 'Arabian Night', or scarlet 'Grenadier', but there are masses to choose from. All dahlias need planting in sunny, rich soil once frost danger is past. Once planted they can come through even Cotswold winters with a little protection heaped over them.

They all need staking with stout canes and if there is a drought, an evening drink will be needed. Should they fail to grow well, a booster shot of Maxicrop seaweed fertiliser or Tomorite will give them a lift. Given all the above, dahlias should reward you with flowers from July to October.

The pale team will choose Fuchsia magellanica 'Alba Aureovariegata' or 'Hawkshead'; bold gardeners will want 'Enfant Prodigue', 'Mrs Popple' or 'Madame Cornélissen'. These shrubs are hardy, with mine surviving even the coldest winter for years.

Among herbaceous perennial plants there are a few stayers that will keep going as long as dahlias and fuchsias and add shape and interest. Thalictrum delavayi, with delicate leaves like a maidenhair fern and cloudy flowers, is lovely at any time. Knautia macedonica 'Mars Midget' will flower for months and so will the blue Aster x frikartii 'Mönch' or the scarlet Persicaria amplexicaulis 'Fire Dance'.

Add the sword leaves of the day lily Hemerocallis 'Hyperion' and the fragile stems of Stipa gigantea, the golden oat grass, and you have enough to enjoy all summer, with minimal work.

floral top

The hot weather continues... and I wore a pretty floral top I didn't actually wear in our actual summer, as well as my yellow wedges, which I also thought would be left on the shelf for months and months now.

yellow floral top tara starlet
denim shorts ebay
yellow wedges opp shop

hopelessly devoted

Last – last – Saturday (April 10th) was a very special day for me – I worked on a photoshoot for Hopelessly Devoted! I first heard of – or, rather, read about – the beautiful pieces made by Gaby on Niotillfem over a year ago, and I was chuffed to see they were made in Melbourne. Then I found the lovely SpokesnDaggers blog... and now I was doing this! The pictures were taken by the very talented photographer Jono Winnel, and it was lovely to meet Daydream Lily (beautiful blog!), who was a big help for me on the day, too. It was so strange for me behind in front of the camera (when I take pics on my blog, it's kind of incidental!) but it was really good fun :) These pieces really are amazing, and it was a joy to get to wear them!

Top 10 Varieties of Blossoming Flowers for Your Garden in 2010

Looking for something new to plant in your garden then add active living composts from your garden. The following are 10 of the top selling flower varieties to make your garden colorful for 2010

1. Sapphire Xtreme Impatiens Mix -- Sapphire Mix includes shades of lavender, violet, and pink. Vigorous 8- to 10-inch plants resist stretching and produce more blooms per plant than any other impatiens.
2. Caribbean Cocktail Nasturtium -- This specially concocted brew mixes equal quantities of pinks, strawberries and cream types and raspberry shades for a colorful, yet amazingly soothing carpet of beautiful fragrant nasturtiums.
3. Mixture Antigua Hybrid Marigold -- Mixture of day-length neutral marigolds in orange, gold and yellow.
4. Flag Mix Easy Wave Hybrid Petunia -- A patriotic mix of red, white and blue. A more compact, mounding habit with a spread of 3 feet or less and height of 8 to 10 inches makes this petunia an excellent choice for containers and small-space gardens.
5. Blue Wave Trailing Hybrid Petunia -- Growing only 6 inches tall the plants spread 4 feet or more and are continuously covered with masses of 3-inch bluish-purple flowers. Their exceptional weather tolerance makes them ideal for cascading over banks and for borders and hanging baskets.
6. Starlight Rose Zahara Zinnia -- Disease resistant, drought tolerant, the most forgiving zinnia you can grow. A natural for borders, containers and mass plantings. Compact, bushy plants grow 12 to 18 inches tall and wide.
7. Cherry Brandy Gloriosa Daisy -- Big 3- to 4-inch flowers are hues of deep cherry red with chocolate brown centers. Plants are 18 to 24 inches tall.
8. Red Orbit Hybrid Geranium -- Amazing numbers of huge red blooms are produced on compact, 14-inch plants.
9. Double Click Rose Bonbon Cosmos -- Blooms are fully double, rare for a cosmos, and are a bright shade of lavender-rose that adds brights splashes to the flower border. Strong-stemmed plants grow 24 to 36 inches tall.
10. Versa Hybrid Coleus -- Low maintenance and high impact in sun or shade. They tolerate heat and humidity and come in a wide range of colors with heights varying from 20 to 32 inches. Spectacular colors include lime green, deep wine-red and combination's of rose, cherry, cream and gold.

red sailor shorts (and hello, summer, again)

So, a few posts ago, I said goodbye to summer for what I thought was for ever, you know, at least until next time, but I was way off the mark. It has got hot again! And so, I am wearing the red sailor shorts that I said I wouldn't be wearing, not without tights, for months... and we have a good few summery days coming up, too! If only Melbourne's summer actually was like this. It's perfect!



I have a real shortage of summery tops and such, but I must force myself to wait until next summer to, er, top up (that was unintended, but we'll go with it, yeah?) and eek out my teeny tiny supply for the next week or so... :) It's ok, washing dries within the hour on the line here..!

peter pan collar dress, part one

Well, I must admit, I have been feeling a little – what's the word, different? left of (my) centre? with things this week. I have rather enjoyed it; it's kind of like a little style holiday. I love, and always will, the vintage and vintage inspired styles – and stylings – that I usually wear. And then sometimes, perhaps because of the change of season, I kind of revisit some favourites of mine from a few years ago, which then, in turn, are definitely inspired by things I see out in bloggy land, and out come the long socks, the straight hair, the later vintage – well, the retro! – styles... it's a bit like kicking of my heels and wiggling my toes in the sand. It feels wonderful, but I will be back in my familiar self tomorrow.





So, in an I'm-making-the-most-of-it-while-it-lasts way, here is one of my new dresses from last week. I have shortened it (temporarily) and, as it is so short, I thought keeping it loose and shapeless (ugh, so negative sounding, but so true) would be the best way to go. After a day's wear, I am going to take it in and give it shape after all (the shapeless tent thing is just a step to far away from home for this little wanderer!) and I'll take in the shoulders, too. I think the late '60s silhouette will be fun, but it has to be just right... so for this dress there will be a part two :)





ps. I am having some problems with my comment moderating; one or two have been eaten! Please don't think I am choosing not to publish your comments, it's just blogger is apparently a bit hungry at the moment. Fingers crossed it's just a temporary glitch :)

California State Flower & Garden Show

The winter storm had California State Flower & Garden Show visitors leaning against the wind and rain as they trudged in from the Cal Expo parking lot. Once inside the show they were warm and dry, wandering through 11 show gardens, shopping with more than 100 vendors, and watching presentations from an impressive series of speakers.

These traditional garden show activities were augmented by a judged flower show under the auspices of the show’s co-sponsor, the California Garden Clubs.

The first major flower and garden show in Sacramento ran four days, April 8 through 11. Visitors were pleased to have a local show that focused on gardening in the Central Valley and enjoyed the opportunity to buy specialty plants from both local and out-of-state sellers. Garden decor items were offered, from cutting-edge pieces at Artefact Design & Salvage of Sonoma to the most basic pots.

1930s gloves – and pants!

I never, ever wear pants (trousers) but... here it is! I got these about 18 months ago, and it was just never the right time to wear them, until now. I do like the very high waist and soft shape which tapers at the ankle (now doesn't that sounds flattering) and I love the check. And I really quite like wearing them, especially with my 1930s green gloves. However, I just spent some time going through my dresses from the 1930s – 1960s, and am looking forward to wearing them very soon. I have also been working on alterations for some later dresses... so I will be back in a dress very, very soon!

olive green gloves and socks (nos) vintage
pants, top, scarf and belt thrifted
brown oxford shoes shop on brunswick st
black felt flower sportsgirl

fur, first time

Well what a change this is from yesterday's post! The temperature has dropped here, so now it feels more like winter than anything else. It's a bit of a shock to the system, and changes any earlier plans I had for Autumn outfits, but I 'spoooose don't mind it. Today I wore my fur shrug for the first time. It wasn't how I imagined wearing it a few weeks ago, but I enjoyed it all the same. I am still enjoying a kind of '60s + '70s thing (I thank my record collection for this) and, as I am doing things a little differently already, this is my study – I want to find little floral curtains for the book case, for those bottom shelves... I might just paint it, too!



Oh yes, I almost forgot: I have updated my sales blog!

esme and the lane way's sales

Thanks as always xxx

1940s scarf in hair, vintage dress clip, vintage fur
shorts and belt and black top op shops
ankle boots sportsgirl and they make me very, very tall! Well, relatively :)

Spring Flower Show Conservatory at Druid Hill Park

The spring display of flowering bulbs inside the Howard Peter Rawlings Conservatory ended after a colorful weeks. The Howard Peter Rawlings Conservatory is located at 3100 Swann Drive in Druid Hill Park. The theme this year was The Wizard of Oz. Daffodils, hyacinths, Easter lilies and other plants and flowers created a magical spring flower show that enhanced this theme. While the show is now over, the conservatory still has plenty to interest visitors, including more spring flowers in garden beds next to the building. The building is open all through the year.

As visitors entered the show in the North Pavilion of the conservatory, they could see the little white house that fell on the Wicked Witch of the East. Her feet, still clad in ruby slippers, poked out from under the house and into yellow daffodils and white hyacinths. Above the house rose a cleverly constructed tornado made of Spanish moss and air plants. Munchkin figures and Glenda the Good Witch were among the flowers, which included more daffodils, hyacinths, tulips, azaleas, and Easter lilies.

The Mediterranean House, Tropical House, and Desert House all provided a perfect environment for Dorothy’s journey. Patches of yellow bricks led visitors through these areas, which have a wide variety of plants that visitors can see all year long. Mosquito plants, paperflower, and crimson bottlebrush are some of the plants in the Mediterranean House. In the Tropical house, colorful ceramic mushrooms provided by Plow and Hearth complimented the Red Passion vines and the Red Hot Cattail plants. Large cacti of all types are in the Desert house. Flying monkeys and traces of the Wicked Witch of the West carried the theme of the show through these rooms.

Perhaps the most exciting part of the show was at the end, in the South Pavilion. The Wizard of Oz’s throne was flanked by parrot tulips, double daffodils in a wide variety of colors, and lots of hyacinths. Dorothy, returning home in her balloon, floated above a bed of yellow tulips and pink hyacinths. There appeared to be more flowers in this room than in any other.

While the theme was not included in the Palm House display, it is always interesting. This is the oldest part of the conservatory and it was built in 1888. This is a good place to come in winter as the palms and other humidity loving plants create a lush, green atmosphere.

How Do Plants Know its Spring?

The simple beauty of blossoms is made possible through a complex genetic process that tells plants to stop making leaves and start making flowers, according to research published in the issue of the journal Science.

Without calendars, plants don't know its April but they can sense weather, temperature and length of day.

All this information is routed through many pathways to protein AP1. While AP1 doesn't tell the plant it's time to flower, it flicks the switch that starts the process of blossoming. Plants have their own personal preferences for blooming time, perhaps because the genetic pathways that carry environmental information are organized or integrated slightly differently.

This process is critical. Almost everything we eat is a plant, or something that just ate a plant. Flowering time is one of the most important traits in breeding because it affects the yield of crops. Too early and you are killed by frost; too late and you are killed by heat.

Eventually, this information can be used for genetic tinkering to alter flowering times, predicted Dubcovsky. This is particularly important in a changing environment, with global climate change. Breeders will need to readjust flowering times and the knowledge of the genes that regulate flowering will allow them to engineer the desired times more precisely.

bye bye summer, really

As I may have mentioned (just once or twice) our Autumn took it's time to get here. Now it seems it definitely has. Hooray! Here are some pics I wanted to post earlier, but never quite got around to, of summery things I won't be enjoying now for a good 7 months. Well, not quite like this, anyway :) I have looked forward to cooler weather for so long. I am also looking forward to taking pictures outside again...