Ask the Expert: trying to identify a house plant

i have a large house plant appr. 4 ft high. it has beautiful very dark green mottled leaves. Every so often it blooms with a white lily looking flower and also red berry looking seed pod. I am sorry I have no photo.

Shelly

one variety of a Chinese Evergreen (Aglaonema)

Ask the Expert: Sunny wanderer

Hello,  I am in the process of making a rock/wheel landscape area in my yard.  It gets full sun all day.  Any suggestions on what to plant around this?  Also if you have any suggestions on a climbing, trelling plant/flower that can handle the full sun.  the wheels have spokes on them and thought it would look nice to have something vining through and around.  Thank you, Mary

It’s not surprising that the growing popularity of multicultural and ethnic weddings leaves florists with the often daunting challenge of “thinking outside the box” for their nuptial flower arrangements. Cultural heritage affects nearly every facet of the wedding ceremony, stemming into the floral arrangements more often than expected. Brides, couples, and ethnic wedding planners are now enlisting the aid of florists to help give the bridal couple a memorable ceremony with a somewhat different meaning to the word ‘traditional.’

It is important in this ethnic wedding boom for florists to sculpt ceremonial floral arrangements and decorations around a cultural wedding theme. According to an article in the March issue of Floral Management magazine, taking the time to research the heritage and customary wedding traditions of a bride or groom may be the just the unique difference that helps guarantee the job for that couple’s wedding.

Many people wonder how different traditions affect wedding flowers. There are, in fact, many faux pas that can be avoided by researching the bridal couple’s heritage. For instance, it is customary for many Asian brides to change outfits three to five times during the ceremony. Florists may wish to alter the floral arrangements to suit the various colors of the bride’s gowns. A consideration for florists decorating a Jewish wedding ceremony is the Jewish bride's desire for a beautiful chuppah, the wedding canopy that the couple stands beneath during the ceremony. Florists of Jewish brides will need to provide flowers for the chuppah as well as pew markers.

The first ethnic wedding for florists may seem a bit formidable but a few tips exist to make the project easier. First, be prepared to do a lot of research. Understanding the customs of the couple will help to give them the wedding of their dreams as well as the perfect floral decorations. Secondly, do not be afraid to ask questions. Remember that while some customs remain the same, each wedding ceremony celebrates an individual couple.

There are many places in which you can find information about cultural practices. In fact Wedding and Party Network has developed a Wedding Traditions resource that includes many cultural wedding traditions. They constantly update the information and even allow their readers to give input.

Colors Associated With Flower Meanings

Flowers come in a plethora of colors and meanings. With so many colors representing a variety of emotions and feelings, it is often difficult to remember the different meanings associated with special flower colors. Breathe easy now! This handy guide to flower meanings by color will help send the right message for every occasion!

Red – Love, power, desire, seduction

Red has long represented true love, a thirst for power, intensity and desire, and passionate seduction. In nature, red is associated with heat, fire, and strength. Red catches the eye, grabs attention, and stimulates the mind. A dozen red roses arrangement is a typical gift between lovers. The "bloodthirsty" intensity and drive of a powerful executive makes a red flower arrangement the perfect gift.

**Red, pink, and white are common colors selected for Valentine’s Day arrangements.**

**Red and green are common colors used during the celebration of Christmas.**

Orange – Enthusiasm, energy, warmth, harvest, confidence

Orange is a very brazen color in nature. It is often associated with the fall harvest celebrations, warmth and energy of a fire, and chipper enthusiasm. Orange flowers make a bold statement and draw a large amount of attention.

Yellow – Friendship, joy, natural energy, brilliance, warmth

Yellow is the color most commonly associated with friendship. Yellow flowers may be used to celebrate a new friendship or to slow the development of a romantic relationship. Yellow is a vibrant color whose brilliance is often associated with natural energy and warmth like that of the sun. Yellow flowers stimulate feelings of joy and make excellent gifts for cheering up someone who is down or brightening the day of a loved one.

Green – Fertility, wealth, health, youth

Green these days can mean anything from environmentally friendly to financially wealthy. Green flowers represent all of these feelings from the fertility and fresh green sprouts of nature to the vitality and spritely youth of someone.

Blue – Tranquility, trust, peace, rest

The opposite of red, blue is a very calming color. The meaning of blue flowers is rooted in tranquility, trust, peace, and rest. Dark blue is also an elegant color that represents expertise and trust. Blue flowers are often sent to someone who needs a reprieve from anxiety, stress, or worrying. Blue is a very popular color in nurseries as it promotes rest and sleep.

Purple – Royalty, power, devotion, success, pride, good judgment

Even the great Emperor Caesar Augustus wore purple because of its strong ties to royalty, pride, and power. Purple can also represent good judgment especially in financial decisions. Purple flower arrangements are excellent gift ideas for women in charge or to send a message of confidence for a special boost.

White – Purity, innocence, fresh start, reverence, simplicity

Brides, babies, and angels of lore all wear white. This is no surprise as white represents purity, innocence, spiritual reverence, untarnished nature, and simplicity. A fresh arrangement of white flowers is a unique way to celebrate the birth of a baby, the fresh beginning of a marriage, and more.

Black – Power, mystery, farewell

Black is a mysterious color that draws attention because of its brooding and secretive nature. Perplexing, the mysteriousness of black also lend to its power and appeal because of such great intrigue. Alternatively, black can also represent death, dying, or departure and goodbye. Black flowers are not found in nature but flowers that appear black or black cultivars are very popular as over-the-hill gifts, sympathy announcement flowers, or to announce the end of a relationship. While black flowers are normally associate with negative things, recent design trends allow black to be used with other colors such as red, sprigs of white, silver-tipped flowers, and more to accentuate a room or accompany an elegant gift such as jewelry.

**Black and orange are used to celebrate Halloween.**

Brown – Warmth, nature, practicality, stability, dependability

Like orange, brown flowers represent warmth and nature but in an understated tone as opposed to the energy of orange. Brown flowers may be used in conjunction with the giving of chocolate, a new pet, or to celebrate a fall wedding or harvest.

Peach – Wisdom, appreciation, gratitude

A blend of pink and orange, peach captures the best of the meanings of both colors. Peach represents the warmth and appreciation of orange with the tenderness and romance of pink.

Coral – Desire, love

Coral is a unique color that represents love but especially desire. Coral flower arrangements are an excellent gift for revealing intense desire to a loved one but in a more creative way than traditional reds and pinks.

Dark red – Beauty, love

Dark red is an intense version of the romantic color and represents a bolder expression of beauty and love.

Pink – Romance, grace, playfulness, sweetness, sincerity

Pink is a delicate color that is often used in flower arrangements to express romance, sincerity, and a sweet nature. Much like the personality of a little girl, pink conveys playfulness, grace, and an adorable quality that is perfect for wives, girlfriends, or daughters.

Lavender – Femininity, tenderness, elegance, delicate

The softer side of purple, lavender is much like pink is to red in that it captures the intense qualities of purple such as elegance and lofty ambition but lends itself to the more tender interpretations of femininity, delicate nature, grace, and supple beauty. Lavender flower arrangements make excellent wedding centerpieces, prom flowers, and more when the graceful attraction of a woman is to be celebrated.

Gemini birthdays fall between May 21 and June 21. If the love of your life is a Gemini, he or she is probably known for being talkative, intellectual, and energetic. It may be difficult to find a unique gift as fun and fascinating as your Gemini but sending a fresh flower arrangement filled with alstroemeria, solidago, or daffodils is a very easy way to make your Gemini feel special. These beautiful flowers represent the Gemini astrological sign and, when paired with a personalized card, are as unique to your Gemini as her bright blue eyes or his sensual laugh.

Your guy or gal may appreciate a plant rather than an arrangement. Easy! Cactus, nut-bearing fruit trees, and maidenhair ferns all represent the same charismatic traits found in Gemini. Gemini represents very strong individuals who are adaptive and ready for a new adventure making cacti perfect gifts. Nut-bearing fruit trees reveal to the world a fresh start and a new season of growth and exploration. With these and many other gorgeous plants, there is no shortage of options for pleasing your Gemini with a special birthday or anniversary gift!

Alstroemeria Topiary makes great Gemini gift.

Ask the Expert: September wedding what kind of flowers?

We live in the high desert in CA, the wedding is in September, the colors are baby blue and chocolate brown.  What flowers would you suggest?  We are on a limited budget.  I was even thinking of just going with white roses with a "splash" of blue for the for bride and an assortment for bridesmaids. What is a good flower that is blue? Kim

Ask the Expert: What is this plant?

I have had this plant for 16 years. It belonged to my mother. It was given to her by her mother. I have no idea how old it is, but I love it. I seem to have a green thumb but I have no knowledge of plants. I hope you can help me. Thank you so much.
Jeri

Ask the Expert: 10 year old Peace Lily w/issues…HELP!

I noticed that a lot of people received their Peace Lily due to the passing of a loved one and I am no different. Needless to say this plant is very special to me as it was received for my Mother's passing back in 1999. At that time I lived in Indiana. Real cold winters and fairly humid springs/summers. The plant THRIVED! If it looked a little droopy all I had to do was water it and BOOM, up came the leaves. They bounced right back. I would sometimes get upset with the blooms when they would start to fade and drop all of the white "dust" stuff all over. Now I wish that were the case. I watered faithfully once a week sometimes a little in between, it was in my office so it had bright but indirect sunlight. I re-potted because it simply grew too large. I am now in Arizona. (Severe climate shock for me too by the way! I still water once a week. Then I thought since the humidty level here is almost non-existent (10% on a good humid day…wow) I would check it more often between regular watering. If dry..water and so on. It is in very bright indirect sunlight and I do not think it needs re-potted and since it looks so bad I don't know if now would be a good time to try that anyway. I haven't seen flowers since just after relocating. (It was in bloom when we got here and then had one more bloom) It has been almost 2 years. It has stopped growing. You can see where there are new sprouts but before some of them even make it to the leaf stage they die off. They go from a healthy looking green and about 1/2 inch later they turn brown and look "dried up" Some make it to leaves and are green and shiny some of those start turning brown at the tips some don't. I read through all of the posts and gathered some great tips but I am confused about which issue to tackle first or just do all at once. Obvioulsy the biggest change is climate but I really do check the soil regulaly and make sure it has good light etc. Is there something I might be missing? I have never fertilized the lily since I got it in 1999. It never seemed to need it. Should I now and if so how? Could starting that now after so long without make it worse? I will take any advice you can give! I just want my "Richie" back (yes, I named it…I'm weird.) Thank you soo much! Kathy

Ask the Expert: Peace Lily brown/black leaves

We received a beautiful large peace lily as a gift when moving into our new offices. It has been going downhill and I've been trying to save it. Leaves turning brown/black. I trim them off. I repotted the plant. The roots seemed to be OK. I did purchase a clay pot with drain holes so used about 3" of rock in the bottom of the pot. Will this work?

I now have more stems that were cut off than I have stems with leaves. The leaves continue to turn brown/black and I keep cutting them off. I have gotten two blooms since repotting, but they do not last very long.

Any suggestions? Ellen

Ask the Expert: What is my plant and is it poisonous?

It looks like a tiny palm tree with various stems.
It is a house plant. Janelle

chinese evergreen

Dumbcane

schefflera

photo from Bernecker's Nursery