White Roses

By Paul Hata

 It is common that most people grow flowers strictly for their aesthetic value as not many realize that there are a lot of flower varieties that can be eaten. Flowers can bring amazing flavor and color to salads, and make stunning decorations for cakes and other dishes.

Flowers can also be used to make teas, and their flavor extracts can be used in cakes, frostings, candies, and other foods. Many flowers are also very good for you. Roses are very high in vitamin C, especially rose hips.

Nasturtiums and marigolds also have a decent amount of vitamin C, and dandelion flowers contain both vitamin C and vitamin A. If a flower is not poisonous, it is considered technically edible, but not all edible flowers are tasty.

Always bear in mind that you should be absolutely certain of what you are eating because some flowers have poisonous look-alikes! You should never eat flowers if you have hay fever, asthma, or other allergies.

Never eat flowers that have been sprayed with any type of pesticide. Be sure to choose only blossoms that have not wilted. Remember, even edible flowers should be eaten in moderate amounts.

Some people may still have minor reactions to large amounts of edible flowers. Some common flowering plants should NEVER be eaten. Lily-of-the-valley is one such plant which is highly toxic. Other flowers that should not be eaten include hydrangeas, daffodils, wisteria, lupines, hyacinths, castor beans, rhododendrons, sweet peas, clematis, bleeding hearts, oleander, and calla lilies.

This is just a partial list! Always carefully research any flower before eating it, and even check varieties of the same type of flower. For landscaping purposes, you should probably concentrate on perennials.

Now let us look at some of the very best blooming plants and flowers for landscaping. Remember, these are all perennials, since our purpose is creating landscaping:

- Dianthus comes in shades of red, white, and pink.

It tastes similar to cloves

- Daylilies come in many colors.

It taste a bit like squash or asparagus

- Red clover has pink or red flowers.

It taste delicate and sweet

- Tulips are mild and sweet and comes in

many different colors

- Violets are slightly sweet, slightly sour.

They come in pink, white, purple, and blue

- Chives have beautiful pink globes of blossoms

that taste very much like onions

- Bee balm has pink, red, white, and lavender

flowers that taste a bit like tea

- Hollyhocks are slightly bitter and come in many colors

- Borage tastes a lot like cucumbers, and comes

in blue, purple, and lavender

Perennials will continue to come back year after year, without the need for replanting each year. This is a very important part of landscaping, since landscaping should require only minimal maintenance.

Paul Hata is active in various social and community programs aimed at providing equal access to education,health and jobs to all.Paul has over 10 years experience in managing a multi-million dollar advertising company.Paul can be reached at - EarlyPlanet.com

How to Save Money on Wedding Flowers
By Dee Power

 One of the most important aspects of a beautiful wedding is the flowers. Depending on the bride’s final choice, they can be quite expensive. Fortunately, there are ways to save money on this expense and still create a lovely atmosphere. Here’s the answer to how to have your wedding on a shoestring budget and save money on wedding flowers.

One of the best ways to save money on flowers, for a wedding, is to choose those that are in season. It should be quite obvious that because they are readily available, the cost will be less. Seasonal flowers usually reflect the colors of the season as well. Pastels are spring, primary colors are summer, gold, red, and purple are fall, and red, and white are winter. Carnations, roses, chrysanthemums are available all year long at budget prices.

Flowers can be ordered online at near wholesale prices. Keep in mind most wholesalers sell the flowers in a tightly budded stage so allow a few days for the flowers to open in a warm and light area. The flowers have to be kept watered of course so find an assortment of buckets you can use.

Choosing an outdoor location will sometimes enable a couple to save money on flowers, for this joyous occasion. Depending on the specific location, natural flowers and foliage may well be an added perk. (Hint: many botanical gardens allow weddings to take place on their premises.)

Smaller weddings usually require less pomp and circumstance. A relatively compact location and fewer guests can mean the need for fewer flowers and other decorations.

Instead of cut flowers, use potted plants. Plants such as African violets and even cacti (for western themed weddings) can be dug up and potted, specifically for the occasion. Afterwards they can be used to decorate the home. If you’re planning a spring or summer wedding, consider buying flowering plants from a plant nursery. Or from a big box store like home depot. The choices and colors available are staggering.

Choose a bridal bouquet that is held together with ribbon, as opposed to being hand wired. This will save money because it is less time consuming to create. Another alternative is to choose an exotic bloom like orchids or calla lilies and carry just one stem or spray.

It is important to note that ALL flowers will cost more during the Valentine’s Day season and the week preceding Mother’s Day.

Another way to save money on wedding flowers is to use candles as a focal point. This is a good choice when more expensive flowers will be purchased: fewer flowers are needed. Ribbons and bows can be used to replace flowers as well.

Keep these ideas in mind and you’ll know how to save money on your wedding flowers.

More tips in the free ebook, Weddings on a Shoestring Budget. Dee Power is the author of several nonfiction books. Read her wedding blog More wedding reception ideas

Your Online Source To The Meaning Of White Roses

Planting Austin Friendly Flowers : A Guide To A Low Maintenance Garden
By Ki Gray

 Do you love the beauty and color of flowers but cringe at the thought of the maintenance required for their upkeep? If your colorful blooms have a tendency to turn brown and crunchy from neglect in the hot Austin sun, there may be some flowers made just for you. Flora native or adapted to the Austin area thrive where others perish, resisting drought, pests and other hazards. Just choose your plants wisely and you can have fabulous landscaping for your property with little work.

There are many benefits to growing native plants. In addition to saving on water and fertilizer you save on time by choosing plants that thrive in the unique climate of Austin Texas. Your gardening is also more enjoyable when you are not fighting mother nature in an attempt to grow plants that are not suited to the Texas Climate. It is also nice to help maintain the original ecosystem of your locale by promoting local plants and flowers.

Perennials are an essential part of a vibrant landscape, and a beautiful choice for any Texas flowerbed is Cedar Sage. A shade lover, Cedar Sage has bright red spiky flowers that bloom spring through summer and can bring a pop of color to an otherwise gloomy spot in your yard. Sage comes in several other varieties, too, including Majestic Sage, Mealy Blue Sage and Mexican Sage bush all of which produce beautiful flowers and require very little water, just like Cedar Sage.

Trailing Lantana is another great choice, especially when used as a ground cover. It is very tolerant of poor conditions, highly drought resistant, and its lavender flowers are very attractive to butterflies.

Purple Cone Flowers, also know as Echinacea, require a little more water than the previous plants, but they are nonetheless exceptional specimens for an Austin garden. These daisy-like flowers are a Texas native and produce violet or white blooms. Preferring sun or partial shade, they can be planted almost anywhere.

Mexican Honeysuckle is another low-water plant. It displays its orange flowers spring to frost, attracting hummingbirds with its sweet smell. It only requires an occasional pruning to encourage full growth.

Ornamental grasses are another option for sprucing up your landscape, and there are many hardy varieties to choose from, such as Big Muhly, Little Bluestem and Dwarf Fountain Grass. Some grasses can be quite invasive, so be careful where you plant them, because they will thrive and take over.

These are only a few of the many ideal plants for your Texas landscape. There are a multitude of choices available out there, so next time you go to a nursery, make sure you do your homework first or ask the people running the nursery which plants and flowers are native to Texas. The city of Austin has worked to promote a green and environmentally friendly city. The city of Austin has a Grow Green plant list featuring native and adapted landscape plants that thrive in Texas. By planting smart you can save water, fertilizer and time.

Ki works as a realtor in the central Austin real estate market helping individuals looking for homes as well as investors looking for cashflow properties. His site provides a free search of the Austin MLS along with a blog covering news and statistics on the Austin Texas real estate market.

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