Christmas is fast approaching and it always seems that there are some people that you just don’t know what to give them. Find out if some of these people have a flower garden or like gardening and start looking around for gardening related items for them. Lots of people including me may like flowering plants for the holidays. One of my favorites is narcissus because they are very fragrant and you can force them to bloom just before Christmas.

Another favorite of mine is poinsettias. To me, poinsettias somehow herald the coming of Christmas. Poinsettias are absolutely beautiful flowers that are extensively used as Christmas decorations in homes, offices, churches and even in flower gardens. You can buy them in nurseries, hardware stores, department stores and even small grocery stores. Although the red poinsettia seems to be the most popular one, you can also buy them in pink. (photo courtesy: wikipedia.com)

How about flower bulbs for the gardener in your life? Yes, another idea is to give someone bulbs that they can plant and have flowers in their garden next spring. It is not too late to get bulbs that ship in the fall. My advice here is to make sure you buy bulbs from a reputable company like Breck’s for the best quality. Remember that good quality bulbs will produce beautiful plants and flowers.

Another idea is to give a gardener a soil test meter. This is a great little tool that a gardener can stick in the ground and get a reading of the plant nutrients in the soil. Every gardener should have this tool because healthy plants and beautiful flowers are the result of nutrient rich soil. The price range I’ve seen for this tool is $15 to $20 but like everything else shop around to get the best price.

And most gardeners do like bird feeders. There are lots of very unique designs to choose from and birds need to be fed too. I’ve seen some beautiful bird feeders in stores that will actually add beauty to your garden, patio or backyard. Years ago, most bird feeders had one design but now you can get different ones for just about all bird species. So consider giving a bird feeder as a Christmas gift to someone who loves gardening.

These are just a few ideas about Christmas gifts for the gardener in your life. There are many more available and you can just look around a nursery and find them. Of course, when in doubt, every gardener loves “how to” gardening books. A favorite of mine is The Gardeners Handbook. This is a comprehensive handbook that will give you all the information you need for a beautiful flower garden.

Here are some other flower gardening sites that I found for you to browse. Thanks for visiting Best Flower Gardening!

Creating Plant Containers Fit for Prime Time - Garden Column - WSJ ...
Flower arranging encyclopedia topics | Reference.com
Flower Gardening: Planning Your Space | MSU Alumni Association
AOL.com Video - San Francisco Flower and Garden Show 2010
horticulture: Definition from Answers.com
Flower Gardening - Salt Lake County Extension - extension.usu.edu

Technorati Tags: bird feeders, Christmas Gifts, gardening books, Narcissus, poinsettias, soil test meters

Now that most of the main chores are done in your flower garden and winter months are rapidly approaching, it is time to add some color to your garden. There is no reason for your garden to look empty and dull when there are many varieties of winter loving plants that you can add to your garden. By now you should have planted some chrysanthemums which are considered a fall flowering plant for your flower garden. But it doesn’t have stop there as you can also start adding some winter flowering plants to your garden.

Camellias come to mind as a favorite winter flowering plant that you can add to your garden. One preferred winter blooming camellia is called japonica and as the name infers, it is native to Japan but widely seen in Korea and China as well. It is also the official state flower of Alabama and also called the rose of winter. Although many hybrids have been developed from the camellia japonica, one of the most beautiful of all camellias is the Alba Plena. The flowers are pure white and extend 3 to 4 inches across. It blooms early winter and can continue blooming into spring. (photo courtesy: wikipedia)

You can also plant American winterberry (Ilex verticillata) and it will add gorgeous color to your garden with its bright red fruit that only ripe in the winter. The American winterberry is a species of holly that is native to eastern North America in the US and southeast of Canada and south to Alabama. During the summer months, the winterberry plant has large green leaves and it blooms with flowers bearing up to eight petals each. When the cool weather approaches, the winterberry will begin to loose its foliage and the plant will display a splash of bright red berries. Those bare branches covered with red berries will add much needed color to your flower garden.

If you don’t want to plant flowers in your garden during the cold weather, plant some in containers inside the house and place them in your window sill. The paperwhite narcissus is a gorgeous plant that is easy to plant in containers and it blooms during the winter. The white flowers come up in bunches and are very fragrant. It is best grown as a house plant and you can force it to bloom around mid December. Unlike other narcissus, paperwhite does not require chilling to promote blooms. The bulbs begin to grow as soon as you plant them and flowers appear in about 3 to 4 weeks. Remember to buy your bulbs from a reputable company like Breck’s for the best quality. Just follow the instructions that are included with your purchase and you will have beautiful flowers properly displayed on your window sill during the winter months. (photo courtesy: wikipedia)

Here are some other flower gardening sites that I found for you to browse. Thanks for visiting Best Flower Gardening!

SiteSeer Online gardening guides Playing in digital dirt - CNN
Garden | Define Garden at Dictionary.com
Welcome to Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary
Shakespeare garden - Wikipedia the free encyclopedia
NCDOT Wildflower Program
Grape Hyacinth - Dictionary.com - Reference.com

Technorati Tags: camellias, Chrysanthemums, flower garden, Gardening, Narcissus, winterberry holly

Beautiful Narcissus flowers (known as the wild daffodil) are in the Amaryllis family and native to Europe, North Africa and Asia. In order to have flowering Narcissus in the spring, you must plant the bulbs now in the autumn.

Narcissus are somewhat similar to daffodils but the main difference is that Narcissus have a central trumpet-like shape, or disc-shaped surrounded by a ring of six floral leaves called the perianth.

 

Years ago, Narcissus was used for medicinal purposes. It has bee said that in traditional Japanese medicine, wounds were treated with Narcissus root and wheat flour paste. The Roman physician Aulus Cornelius Celsus listed Narcissus root to be among medical herbs and described it as emollient, erodent, and very powerful in getting rid of any ailments of the body.

The Narcissus flower is named after Narcissus in Greek mythology who was the god of beauty. According to history, Narcissus was the son of the river god Cephisus. When he was born, they asked a seer named Tiresias if the child would live a long life and the answer was ‘if he never knows himself’. The story goes on to say that Narcissus supposedly turned into a flower when he died.

There is lots of history behind the Narcissus flower and will not bore you with all the details. What is really important here is that Narcissus are a beautiful flower and easy to grow. If you like daffodils, then you will love Narcissus because they are in the same family. There are also many species in the market today and here are a few that I am familiar with.

Narcissus ‘Golden Ducat’ – Botanical name is the same

This Narcissus somewhat resembles a Peony with its huge 4-inch double blooms. It produced golden blooms with many fluffy points that extend 4 inches wide atop 15-inch stems. Golden Ducat blooms mid to late spring and grows well in zones 4-8.

Narcissus ‘Jetfire’ – Botanical name is the same

Plant Jetfire among other tall perennials as these only grow on 8 inch stems. The golden petals are bent back on long ruffled orange trumpets. Jetfire is considered a free-blooming as many of the 8 inch stems will produce a second blossom. It blooms early spring to mid spring and grows well in zones 4-9.

Narcissus ‘Ice Follies’ – Botanical name is the same

Here is a beautiful bi-color Narcissus that is bad weather resistant. Ice Follies blooms measure almost 5 inches wide on 20 inch stems. The outside petals are pure white with a creased look. The cup is shallow and butter yellow shading at the petal tips to a darker shade at the center. Ice follies blooms mid spring and grows well in zones 4-8,

Enjoy,
Diana

Here are some other flower gardening sites that I found for you to browse. Thanks for visiting Best Flower Gardening!

Springtime Outdoor Flower Gardening For Beginners
washingtonpost.com: Style Live: Style
AOL.com Video - November Gardening Tips
Page 5: Flower Displays Wipe Away Winter Blues - ABC News
Off Topic Flower Gardening - Groups - Yahoo
August: Map out a new design sow seeds try winter tomatoes ...

Technorati Tags: Autumn Bulbs, Flower Gardening, Gardening, Narcissus