Great Mothers Day Giveaway

mothers day

Closing date for Mothers Day Prize is 5pm 20/03/10

This Mothers Day giveaway is Sponsored by Poplar Tree Florist. For more details visit www.poplartreeflorist.co.uk

What is Mothers Day?

mothers day flowers

In most countries, Mother’s Day is a recent observance derived from the holiday as it has evolved in North America and Europe. When it was adopted by other countries and cultures, it was given different meanings, associated to different events (religious, historical or legendary), and celebrated in a different date or dates.

Some countries already had existing celebrations honoring motherhood, and their celebrations have adopted several external characteristics from the UK holiday, like giving carnations and other presents to your own mother.

The extent of the celebrations varies greatly. In some countries, it is potentially offensive to one’s mother not to mark Mother’s Day. In others, it is a little-known festival celebrated mainly by immigrants, or covered by the media as a taste of foreign culture (compare the celebrations of Diwali in the UK and the United States). In the United Kingdom and Ireland, Mothering Sunday falls on the fourth Sunday of Lent, exactly three weeks before Easter Sunday (14 March in 2010). It is believed to have originated from the 16th century Christian practice of visiting one’s mother church annually, which meant that most mothers would be reunited with their children on this day. Most historians believe that young apprentices and young women in servitude were released by their masters that weekend in order to visit their families.[30] As a result of secularization, it is now principally used to show appreciation to one’s mother, although it is still recognized in the historical sense by some churches, with attention paid to Mary the mother of Jesus Christ as well as the traditional concept ‘Mother Church’.

Nine years after the first official Mother’s Day, commercialization of the British holiday became so rampant that Anna Jarvis herself became a major opponent of what the holiday had become and spent all her inheritance and the rest of her life fighting what she saw as an abuse of the celebration.[1]

Later commercial and other exploitations of the use of Mother’s Day infuriated Anna and she made her criticisms explicitly known throughout her time.[1][31] She criticized the practice of purchasing greeting cards, which she saw as a sign of being too lazy to write a personal letter. She was arrested in 1948 in the U.S.A. for disturbing the peace while protesting against the commercialization of Mother’s Day, and she finally said that she “wished she would have never started the day because it became so out of control”

Mother’s Day continues to this day to be one of the commercially most successful British and U.S. occasions. According to the National Restaurant Association, Mother’s Day is now the most popular day of the year to dine out at a restaurant in the United States

We still think that the best gift you can get a mother on mothers day are flowers. You can send them anywhere in the UK from a site like here and why wouldnt you want to brighten up the day of that special person in your life.

Annual Flowers

Definition: A true annual is a plant that completes its life cycle in one year. This means it goes from seed to seed and then dies off, during the course of one growing season. The whole mission of an annual is to produce seed and propagate. That’s why deadheading or removing spent flowers before the seed matures, produces more flowers and therefore more potential seed.
Some tender perennials are grown as annuals in colder climates. For a perennial to be worth growing as an annual, it must flower profusely in its first year of growth. Pansies, lantana and alyssum are all actually tender perennials.

There are also plants considered to be hardy annuals. This just means that they are able to withstand a little frost without being killed off and will continue to bloom and set seed into the next year, but they will eventually expire. Bachelor Buttons and Salvia Victoria are examples.

Annuals can be further divided into cool season and warm season. Pansies will fade as the summer heats up. Zinnias won’t even get moving until the nights stay warm.

Examples:
Annual flowers give you the opportunity to have a totally different garden every year.

Christmas Flowers – sending and displaying

As you know flower gives genuine touch to everything if you place beside that. So you can use flowers in your Christmas decoration for appeal scenic beauty. Christmas flower decorations will look more blazing depiction for your Christmas decoration. There is lot more flowers virtually red or green flowers which works excellent for your Christmas celebration. In fact among flowers the poinsettia is one of the most common options for the Christmas celebrator in flowers. Not only this flower but also you can use any type of flower that you would like to dazzle your Christmas decorations.

In deed you can also use flowers to your Christmas tree in your celebration. Even you can affix a few buds to this Christmas tree to dazzle. If you want you can use red and green colors flowers on your table for a beautiful centerpiece for the dinner. You can also to use Christmas flowers throughout your decorative method. It will look beautiful if you use them near your mantel when the fire is burning in the hearth. Gifting Christmas flowers is the best option for you.

Christmas flowers can bring a new life to your party and also makes wonderful. Often people prefer beautiful bouquet of flowers to make charm themselves in winter because in this time everybody forced to become dull and bored. In fact there are plenty of wonderful choices to select from the flower vendors. Make sure that you are gifting to the people so consider that the flowers should look beautiful so that they will please with your gift.

You can also select beautiful flower according to your choice on the web. Definitely you will find a wide range and of wonderful collection of beautiful flowers to select. Christmas is the perfect time to dazzle your guests with beautiful red flowers.

ponsettia christmas flower

Brighten up your home with a planter

There is nothing quite as effective and appealing as adding the perfect garden planters to your decorating scheme, both indoors and out. You not only transform drab and boring areas of your home or garden into elegant and charming aesthetically pleasing focal pointswith colourful shrubs, but container gardens can be functional as well as beautiful. Planters make it possible for anyone, even apartment and flat dwellers, to experience the joy of gardening and provide the opportunity to cultivate and produce a favorite herb, a fresh tomato, runner beans, and a host of other delightful and colorful plants, flowers, shrubs, and even trees.

You only need to take a drive around your local town to see that people all over are taking advantage of the low prices garden centres are carging for all different kinds of planters. Once only found adourning the pathways of stately homes and grand buildings, the growth of online garden centres has dramatically reduced the cost and significantly increased the availabilty of planters.

A simple planter can be just as appealing as an expensive grand one if it is decorated carefully and constructively. Colourful plants for the autumn flower border include antirrhinum, stock, pansy, viola, chrysanthemum, calendula, cineraria and marguerite daisies. It is easy to source all of these plants from your local garden centre. It is often beneficial to ask the staff in your local garden centre for advice. They will be able to offer suggestions on advice and what will best suit your requirements.

Expert Gardening Advice

garden

Follow me on my journey through gardening life. Everything you couuld wish to know from a gardening blog such as when to plant your spring flowering bulbs, how to make a hanging basket, how to keep animals out of your flower beds and so much more. Not only will my gardening blog be full of wonderful tips, but it will hopefully be fun and make you want to pick up a shovel and get into the garden. There is no better way to do that than by reading how to make the best of your garden through my blog and then head down the garden centre for everything you need to make your garden look wonderful.

Planting spring flowering bulbs

Planting spring bulbs

If you want to fill your garden with colour next spring, plant bulbs from October to December, before the first frost. Daffodils, tulips, crocus, grape hyacinths and fritillarias are just some of the plants to choose from.

How to buy bulbs

Most bulbs have a long dormant period, requiring little attention for much of the year. When buying bulbs check they are healthy and as fresh as possible, or your spring show could be a washout. Avoid any that are damaged, shrivelled or feel soft, and go for plump, firm bulbs. Aim to plant within a week or they’ll start to sprout. When possible, check that the plants have been obtained from reliable growers, rather than from stock that has been collected from the wild.

Where to plant

Choose bulbs according to location and soil type. Most hardy bulbs originate from the Mediterranean, thriving in a warm, sunny climate in freely draining soil. Good drainage and plenty of sunshine is key, since most bulbs are prone to rot while dormant.

Herbaceous borders

Planting bulbs in a herbaceous border will help to fill in gaps and provide colour and interest before perennials and shrubs begin to grow in early spring. Plant daffodils, winter aconites, tulips and fritillarias for outstanding colour. Drifts of single species can be planted to blend in with the general planting scheme of the garden, or try mixing different varieties to create an even and striking effect of bright colour.

Formal planting

When planted en masse, spring-flowering bulbs make a valuable contribution to formal bedding displays. Try growing groups of early-flowering tulips in a bed which will be occupied by annuals later in the summer. As a general rule, the larger, showy varieties are better suited to a formal position in the garden.

Naturalising bulbs

Many spring-flowering bulbs are ideal for brightening up the base of trees before they come into full leaf. The soil beneath trees is moist and light, offering the perfect growing conditions for scillas, anemones, erythroniums and crocuses.

Bulbs such as dwarf daffodils, crocuses, snowdrops and winter aconites can transform a dull looking lawn into a wonderful display of colour. To achieve a natural look, throw bulbs up in the air and plant them exactly where they land in the grass. The aim is to make it look as though they have decided to grow there by themselves. Allow plants to die down after flowering before mowing over the lawn. Alternatively, plant bulbs in defined areas so that it’s possible to mow the lawn around them.

Bulbs in pots

If you want a great patio display, try growing bulbs in pots. Keep it simple by planting a variety on its own or several of the same variety packed closely together for a bumper show. Several types can be planted together, but it’s tricky to get the flowers to appear at the same time.

How to plant

Bulbs are some of the easiest garden plants to grow, needing only a well-drained soil and some sunshine. As a general rule, plant bulbs two to three times their own depth and around two bulb widths apart. It’s important to plant bulbs with its top facing upwards. If unsure, plant the bulb on its side. Replace the soil after planting, breaking down any large clumps and firm in gently, making sure there are no air spaces around the bulbs.

Naturalise bulbs in lawns by taking a handful and dropping from waist height. Plant where they land with a strong trowel or bulb planter – these are ideal for digging into heavy clay soil. To use, push the cylindrical blade down, twist and pull up a plug of soil. Drop the bulb in, flattest side down, and crumble the plug into the hole.

In order to save time, try planting a large number of small bulbs by lifting a piece of turf and planting a group of bulbs in the soil.

When growing bulbs in a pot, pick a container that is the right size and will complement your chosen bulbs. If you are using a clay pot with a large drainage hole in the base, cover it with a piece of broken pot. Fill pots with general-purpose compost, mixed with a handful of horticultural grit to improve drainage. Water after planting.

Looking after bulbs

Bulbs in pots need more care than those in soil. Keep the compost moist and protect from frost by wrapping with bubble wrap over winter. Put a layer of chicken wire over the top to keep squirrels out and remove when shoots appear.

• Narcissus ‘Tête-à-Tête’ – a compact variety with golden trumpets in early spring. Plant with snowdrops in the lawn.
• Tulipa ‘Queen of Night’ – striking purple flowers and is perfect in a big pot with wallflower ‘Bowles’ Mauve’
• Mixed Allium Bulbs Ornamental Onions
• Ile De France Tulip Bulbs
• Crocus – comes in many shades, from white to purple, and flowers in early spring. Naturalise or plant in small pots