Ask The Expert: My Sons dog ate all the leaves off my peace lily. Please tell me this plant
isn’t toxic and his dog will be ok. Thanks, Gina

Reply:
Peace lilies are on the toxic list for dogs. However, it depends on how much he ingests. Peace will cause the following symptoms: oral irritation, intense burning and irritation of mouth, tongue and lips, excessive drooling, vomiting, difficulty swallowing. If the dogs develops beathing problems, excessive drooling and/or difficulty swallowing call your vet. The dog may need something to counteract the insoluble calcium oxalates from the peace lily.

Please keep me posted on your dog. I have 2 dogs myself and will worry until I know how yours is.

Despite the wind, the rain (the massive rain) and the unseasonably cool temperatures, my peonies have been beautiful.

Since I like to share, here are a couple pictures from my garden.

White Peony Bloom

When you enlarge the picture you can see the water droplets on the peony petals.

White Peonies In Vase

I cut five peonies from my garden and placed them in a ginger jar. I made sure to shake out all of the ants first. I love being able to cut flowers from my garden. Fortunately, when I don’t have anything blooming I can turn to my local florist for flowers. I think I’ll use this vase of peonies as my dinner table centerpiece.

Ask the Expert: How do I transplant
I bought a lucky Bamboo plant years ago. It came in a small glass jar, over the years it has grown extremly tall, now its 32 inches high with not many leaves near the bottom.I see the roots are growning like crazy. I just bought a 7″ square glass vase to repot it in. How can I get the leaves to grow near the bottom of the plant? And how do I transfer it to the glass vase? do I need potting soil? or just put all the roots and stones on the bottom of the vase?I really would hate to lose this plant. I would like it to fill out near the stalks. Cathy

Reply:

Transplanting lucky bamboo from one container filled with water to another container filled with water is fairly easy.  Clean your new container before you begin.  Now add your lucky bamboo stems and gently place the pebbles or rocks from the original container around them.  I suggest cleaning the pebbles before you place them in the new container.  You may need to add more pebbles.  Once you have the pebbles and stems in the new vase fill with water.  Try to keep about the same water level as you had in the original container.

As for leaves, lucky bamboo usually only has leaf growth from the top.  At this point the only way to get leaves on the bottom would be to cut the stem off at the point you want leaves and encourage new leaf growth.  The top that you cut off can be a start for a new plant.

You might want to read Turning Your Lucky Bamboo Into A New Plant.

Good Luck and keep me posted.

Ask the Expert: finding plants for an inside garden
We have a garden on the porch which is an enclosed 3 season porch and we live in the NorthEast.  All the previous plants have either died or never flower anymore due to lack of sunlight (even though we have windows entirely around the porch) and we hand water the garden but we need to find plants that would be happy with a drier soil.  The garden has been filled nicely with good soil and was originally an outside garden before we enclosed the patio.  Any suggestions would be appreciated. Lora

Reply:

I assume you want plants that will remain all year long.  This makes it a little more difficult, if the 3 season porch is not heated during the winter. If your garden has enough depth to it, you can plant the following: hosta, liriope spicata, english Ivy, pachysandra terminalis, vinca minor vines.  These plants will give you great foliage with staying power and some will even bloom. For more blooms try: aquilegia, astilbe, dianthus, spotted dead nettles, snowdrops, bleeding heart.  Most of these plants will tolerate low light and drier soil.

I would also try planting New Guinea impatiens, annual impatiens and begonias.  These should be fine for three out of the four seasons.

I recommend dropping by your local garden center and nursery (not a box store) and discussing this with them.  They are your best source for regional plants that will work with your situation.  In fact, I’m sure they will be able to suggested and provide plants that I may not be familiar with.

Good luck and keep me posted.  As you create your new garden I would love to see pictures and learn which plants you choose.

If you need a name of a reputable garden center in your area, let me know and I’ll try to help.

Pink Honeysuckle

Ask the Expert: Why my pink honeysuckle won’t bloom?
A friend of mine gave me a cutting of his mother’s pink honeysuckle last summer.  It has gotten huge, but has not bloomed.  I have it in a pot right now because I can’t decide where to plant it.  Could this by why it is not blooming? Emily

Reply:

I believe the particular type of honeysuckle you have is Lonicera x bella.  If this is the case it won’t bloom until summer.  Leaving it in a pot should not keep it from blooming.  However, I would try to find a place for it as soon as possible.  It will go through a slight transplant shock when planted and it would be better to this before it starts blooming.

These Flowers Are Common In Many Bouquets

Flowers are pretty standard as far as anniversary gifts go, but this year why not bump it up a notch? Instead of picking out a standard bouquet for your anniversary, flowers that were in her wedding bouquet add a wonderful dimension of sincerity and romance. Now while it’s not a good idea to deconstruct or  necessarily reconstruct her original wedding bouquet, ask your local florist to use the type of flowers that were in her bouquet in an anniversary arrangement.

Ok, you’re about to score major points for using this idea. Can’t remember what flowers were in her bouquet? If you’re like most guys, you probably don’t remember what was in her bouquet and had probably all but forgotten that she carried one. No worries. I’ve got you covered.

She could probably tell you but asking her defeats the purpose of being a sneaky romantic. Instead, peer through the wedding photos for a picture of her with the wedding bouquet. Your florist can use this to determine which flowers played the largest part in the ensemble. Make sure it’s a clear picture though.  Plus, be even sneakier by getting the photo during a “baby, take a look at what I just found” evening. You’ll score even more points with her for wanting to relive the day by going through the photo album together! Go you!

Happy anniversary! Don’t forget to stop back by and let us know how it turned out!

Ask The Expert: I just recieved a lucky bamboo from my daughter, I was wondering about the tie around the stalks do I leave it or remove it.How do i tell if I’m adding enough water my plant is the one with stones in the container. Tarrie

Reply:

As long as the ties are not binding into the stems, you can leave them.  People often add ribbon or ties to lucky bamboo (dracaena sanderiana) stalks for aesthetic reasons only.  In fact, golden or red ribbon is used to symbolize additional good fortune.

Water level should be at least a couple of inches. Make sure the roots are covered with water; add water to keep the water level constant. Every couple of weeks change the water completely. Refill the container with clean water. Lucky bamboo is sensitive to the salts and chemicals in tap water; use distilled water or rainwater if possible. If you must use tap water let it set in an open container over night; this will let the chlorine evaporate. However, there is no way to remove the fluoride from the tap water. Fluoride can cause leaf tips to turn brown. Low humidity can cause leaf tips to turn brown as well. Mist the leaves of the lucky bamboo every couple of days if lack of humidity is a problem.

Good Luck with your lucky bamboo and keep me posted.

Kudos to Victoria Park Florist!!

In the midst of a hectic week leading up to Mother’s Day, David Pender of Victoria Park Florist became a champion for local florists everywhere.  He spent time educating consumers as to the pitfalls of ordering flowers online from order-gatherers instead of real local florists.

In a WRAL news report, David (a local Chapel Hill NC Florist) explained how these third- party-order-gatherers work.  He discussed how the value of your online flower order is de-valued by the time it gets to the local florist filling the order.  Since third party-order takers are not held accountable for the quality or value of the product, they are neither a champion for the consumer or the florist. In essence, only the order-gatherers are getting a good deal. David goes on to explain that by ordering directly from a local florist, consumers will receive more for their money.  The spot included a wonderful visual of the de-valued flower order.

The news spot, also, gave some helpful tips for ordering flowers online. Making sure the website has a real local physical address and telephone number was the number one tip. Another helpful tip was to contact a local funeral home for a recommendation.

This is just one more example of why you should always contact a real local florist when sending flowers.

One of my favorite days of the year is my anniversary. Flowers and gifts mean a lot, but having been blessed with another year with my sweetheart is what truly touches my heart. However, it’s very clear that showing up empty-handed to a wedding anniversary celebration is not going to go over well. We spend all year together so anniversary gifts-at least to me and several million other women-are excellent ways to make us feel special for all that we do. It’s how we express emotion and how we wish to receive it. One of the most traditional and widely appreciated anniversary gifts is the gift of anniversary flowers. Card messages with sweet words of love and affection make the gesture even more special.

When it’s time to say “I love you” to your sweetheart, you want to give a special gift that lets him or her know how valued they are. Anniversary gifts such as romantic flower bouquets are always a big hit. It’s when you get to the card message that the dilemma hits. Whether verbose and poetic or suffering from writer’s block, you know that anniversary card messages are very important. They can make or break the occasion. When you’re sending flowers this year, consider these 50 ways to express the “L” word. With the help of local florists, these are the 50 best anniversary card messages for your sweetie.

Charm Her Socks Off With One of These Anniversary Card Messages

1)       After all this time, you are still amazing to me. Happy Anniversary

2)       Happy Anniversary to my very best friend.

3)       Thinking of you both and wishing you all happiness as you celebrate the joys your marriage has brought. May your special day bring you many loving moments to share; moments you’ll remember long after the day has passed.

4)       The love so evident in your marriage is a treasure to many, a sign of hope and possibility to all who know you. May your love continue to inspire others shining brightly for years to come. Congratulations.

5)       In your smiles, all the warmth and fun, all the gentleness and joy of a cherished friendship. In your hearts, all the closeness and care, all the tenderness and devotion of a lifetime romance. In your marriage, all the harmony and hope, all the power and promise of a love that grows ever stronger and more beautiful with the passing years. Congratulations.

6)       May all the memories you have saved since your wedding day and all the complimentary things your friends and family say make this a very special time you’ll want to last forever–A lovely way to celebrate the life you’ve built together.

7)       Happy 1st Anniversary. Looks like marriage really agrees with you two!

8)       Happy First Anniversary. May every year you share find you still more in love with each other.

9)       Love makes life sweeter in so many ways. Wishing many more years of sweetness to a couple who deserves only the best!

10)   A wish on your first anniversary that all your days together may be touched with lasting love.

11)   Our first year of marriage… Three hundred sixty-five days of sharing and blending our lives together…Fifty-two weeks of learning new and wonderful things about each other…Twelve months of tenderness and sweet surprises…You’ve given me one incredible year of warm, caring love that has made every single day a beautiful dream come true. I Love You. Happy Anniversary

12)   Celebrating Your 10th Anniversary. Ten years of marriage and happiness together, of watching dreams come true, and making lasting memories. Ten years of sharing love, trust, and understanding. Happy Anniversary

13)   Your tenth anniversary is a special time - a day to celebrate the memories you’ve made, the things you’ve learned, the love that promises to bring you so many more years of joy.

14)   Two decades together! That’s truly a milestone of loving commitment, affection, and care. May this be a day of sweet moments, warm memories, and wonderful hopes for the future you’ll share. Happy 20^th Anniversary.

15)   Happy 20th Anniversary. May the cherished memories of the twenty years you have shared make this anniversary a wonderful celebration. Congratulations.

16)   Congratulations on twenty-five years of living and loving, of family and friends, of hopes and dreams, of moments and memories.

17)   On Your 25th Anniversary. May every silver memory bring you happiness. Congratulations.

18)   With Love on Our Silver Anniversary. Through all these years we’ve learned to share what life has brought our way, and we have learned to care still more with every passing day. And through the years that lie ahead, how happy life will be as long as I know I have you to share each day with me. Happy Anniversary.

19)   For forty years of love, joy, sharing, caring and commitment, family and friends, hopes, and dreams.

20)   Celebrating 50 Golden Years Together. Count your anniversaries not by years alone, but by the golden moments and the happy times you’ve known, by memories of plans you’ve made and dreams you’ve seen come true. Count your anniversaries by blessings shared by two. Congratulations.

21)   50 years ago, God created a beautiful partnership. Today is a celebration of His love and yours. Happy Anniversary.

22)   On Your 50th Wedding Anniversary. “With love” is just a little phrase that’s often used, it’s true, but never more sincerely than in this card for you. Thoughts and memories much too dear for words to ever say prompt this special wish that comes with love to you today.

23)   May all the happy memories you treasure and all the dreams that you have seen come true make this, your Golden Wedding Anniversary, a truly perfect day for both of you. Congratulations.

24)   Happy moments…Happy memories…Happy Anniversary!

25)   May this be the happy beginning of another wonderful year together.

Want to view all 50 anniversary enclosure card messages? Go right ahead but be sure to tell us what you think!

Sometimes you have a love so deep for something, so embedded and true that you know this is no ordinary love. It’s a calling. It’s a love chosen for you by the powers that be. It’s futile to argue it. It’s a passion that consumes you.

Take one step into All Seasons Garden Center in Grand Forks North Dakota and you’ll see what I’m talking about. Georgia, Jan, Jill, Scott and Dieter make running their business a real family affair. It’s just as well! With a garden center, nursery, flower shop, gift shop, landscaping service and tree farm, it takes everyone plus an employ of more than 20 other wonderful people to maintain their high standards of customer service.

You know, it’s something major to come across people who are so passionate about what they are doing that they exude enthusiasm. It’s a contagious excitement that is easy to fall for. You want to keep coming back just to get “a dose of happy.” That’s the kind of passion that everyone has at All Seasons Garden Center. Whether you’re a first-timer or a returning customer, you’ll get the same quality service and respect every time.

There are other ways that Georgia, Jan, Jill, Scott and Dieter help pass on their passion. They also host a lot of events that help further a love of flowers and nature in their community. How could you not be inspired to get dirty in the garden after attending things like “plant with the pros,” “kids day,” “gardening Saturday” and other cool events?

It’s time like these when I wish that I lived closer to Grand Forks so I could stop in regularly and watch their enthusiasm grow everyday!