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Gardenia Proclaims Joyous Surprise As Their Flower Meaning

Stuck Inside All Winter? Celebrate Spring With Gardenias!

It’s no secret that being inside all winter can be a bummer. Sometimes winter weather isn’t as fun as it could be. Well, good news! Spring is in full affect now. I’m sure you’re dying to know how I plan on celebrating it. I know I would be if I were you. (Just kidding.) I’m celebrating with gardenias.

Why gardenias you ask? The flower meaning of gardenias is “joy.” Pure and simple. Joy is one of the most wonderful feelings ever. Anyone who has ever felt a second of joy knows that it’s a feeling to be craved and sought. I want to surround myself with joy and joyous people. Now that winter has gone into hibernation and spring has sprung, it’s time to kick off my joyful shoes so I’m buying potted gardenias from my local florist!

Flowering plants are well and good (I love them!!) but sometimes it’s more fun to send flowers to put a spring in the step of a friend. When you want to celebrate spring with your buddies, consider sending flowers such as casablanca lilies. This the meaning of this premium flower is “celebration.” Perfect!! Perhaps you’re wanting something more festive. Believe it or not, “festivity” abounds with baby’s breath. There are many arrangements that incorporate these flowers. It’s easy to get the party started for Spring with arrangements like these from a local florist.

Know the meaning of your favorite flower? Share it below along with why this flower is your favorite. Not really sure what the flower meaning is? Ask away! Simply log in and comment below.

The Beauty Of Flowers And Flower Pictures

About a month ago I came across a blog called Garden Muse. Cindy Dyer writes this blog which revolves around the wonders of the garden with amazing pictures of flowers, vegetables, insects – basically anything that occurs in a garden. I was instantly an admirer of this site. After all, it contained two things that I am very passionate about gardening and photography. Flowers have a depth and richness of color along with a textural quality making them exceptional subjects for pictures. I love to take pictures of the flowers in my garden. Unfortunately my passion for photography doesn’t translate to skill. My flower pictures are often a pale comparison to the beauty of the flower in which I am photographing. Cindy, however, is a spectacular photographer and her flower pictures are breath taking. After seeing the lily photos on Garden Muse, I was inspired to take a picture of my new Salmon Star lily. I planted it this spring and it smells almost as good as my Stargazer lilies.

Salmon Star Lily

Salmon Star Oriental Lily

In case your interested in pictures of flowers, here are a few more from my garden.

Casablanca Lily

Above is a Casa Blanca Lily

Casa Blanca Lilies With Baptisia This arrangement has Casa Blanca Lilies, Platycodon (balloon flower) and eucalyptus all from my garden.

Calla Lily Photo of a Calla Lily from my garden.

My flower pictures may not measure up to the ones on Garden Muse but I think I’ll keep trying. After all, the pictures will remind me of the flower memories and beauty that occurred in my garden during the growing season. This winter when things are cold and dreary, I’ll be able to pull these pictures out and enjoy their beauty once again.

Premature Bud Drop On Casa Blanca Lilies

Ask the Expert: Why aren’t my Casablanca lilies blooming?

I have Casablanca lilies in my garden, they are about four feet high and are staked
in full sunlight all day. Last year it seems that they were in bloom by now. About a month ago they did develop the buds and looked like they were going to start growing but they never got more than and inch or inch and a half big. Now they look like they are drooping. This is their second year. Any ideas??? Brenda

LA Hybrid, Asiatic and Oriental Lilies Used By Florists & 3 Lily Buying Tips

Today I finally had a chance to catch up on all of the blogs I read. Since it was discussing one of my favorite flowers, lilies, one particular blog caught my eye. As a cut flower, lilies are simply wonderful and I absolutely adore them in my garden. I grow Asiatic, Oriental, Trumpet and Tiger lilies in my home garden and at our garden center. But the difference between lily types is often confusing to many; especially which are used in flower shops and which are grown in the garden.

Kenji at Flower Insolita gives a great outline as to which lilies are used by florists as cut flowers and the vase life expected of each kind. According to Kenji there are three types of lilies used: Asiatic, LA-hybrids and Oriental. Asiatic lilies are very colorful and my favorite is one called Lollypop. This lily has a snow-white center with vibrant pink edges. It adds a pop of color to any mixed flower arrangement. But as Kenji mentions, Asiatic lilies tend to be the smallest of the three with the shortest shelf life 5-7 days. On the plus side, Asiatic lilies tend to be the least expensive with a wider range of colors available.

Oriental lilies have two of my favorite flowers Stargazer and Casa Blanca. Most people are familiar with Stargazer lilies and Casa Blanca lilies. Stargazer lily bouquets have become a popular Valentine’s Day flower and Casa Blanca lilies are often used in funeral flower sprays because of their pure white color. Stargazer and Casa Blanc lilies are fantastic as, both, cut flowers and garden flowers. I have both in my garden and when they bloom the air is filled with an incredible aroma and the eyes are immediately drawn to the massive blooms. In fact, Oriental lilies display the biggest blooms and are all very fragrant. This premium flower is available in white, pink, pale yellow and a “red” (more of a dark pink) and has the longest shelf life, 10-14 days. According to Kenji, there is a dark purple oriental lily that is sometimes available called Sumatra. I am not familiar with Sumarta and would love to see a picture of it used in a mixed flower arrangement.

LA Hybrids are a cross between Asiatic and Trumpet lilies. Non-fragrant like Asiatic, but with bigger and stronger blooms and a shelf life of 7-10 days. These lilies have an abundance of bright color options. As a premier Huntington New York Florists Flower Insolita uses LA hybrids instead of Asiatic lilies.

I often cut the lilies in my garden and place them in a vase to enjoy them in the house. During the off-season, I purchase stems from my local florist. But, I never really though about what to look for when buying lilies. Kenji pointed out three great tips for buying lilies.

  1. Count the number of buds rather than the number of stems. Cheap stem price doesn’t equate to quality lilies.
  2. Look for thick study stems. Lilies are top heavy and need a good support system.
  3. Look for healthy leaves. Yellow leaves could mean ethylene damage.

Subconsciously, I always look for thick stems and healthy leaves; but bud count isn’t something I paid attention to. But the more blooms the better presentation in the vase, so it make sense to look for a good bud count when selecting lilies.

Asiatic, Oriental and LA hybrid lilies are used by florists to create a multitude of flower arrangements. Maybe some of the confusion surrounding florist lilies has been removed and we can all just sit back and enjoy these wonderful flowers. Remember, there is more to the florist’s lily world than Stargazers and Casa Blanca lilies.

I hope you enjoyed this discussion on lilies, as much as I enjoyed Kenji discussion on lilies. I thought I’d share some pictures of flower arrangements containing lilies. If you have any flower arrangement pictures with lilies send to me and I’ll post them here.

Easter Flower Basket with Lilies Easter Flower Basket

Mother Day Flower ArrangementMothers Day arrangement with pink Asiatic lilies

Secretarys Day Flower Arrangement Secretaries Day vase arrangement with yellow lilies.

Orange Lilies For Anniversary Orange lilies in a vase great for an anniversary.

Celebrate the Casablanca Lily

Last week my senses were bombarded with the sights, sounds, tastes and feelings (emotional not physical) of the 4th of July. I know many people who delight in the smells associated with the 4th, however my olfactory system seems to ignore the acrid scent of the fireworks or the sweet smoky smell of barbecue. After a week of feeling ignored my sense of smell received a long awaited treat. With every breath, the intoxicating aroma coming from the Casablanca Lilies that were blooming in my garden captivated my nose.

With the delicate and fragile look of these substantial white blooms, many underestimate the powerful rich scent of the Casablanca lily. The heavenly aroma of this oriental lily has an inviting quality drawing you into any personal or public, small or large, casual or formal celebration. In fact, celebrate is the meaning of this flower. Alone or mixed with other flowers, the Casablanca Lily is a fantastic way to celebrate daily life or special occasions.

I cut the Casablanca Lilies in my garden taking them inside so the aroma can drift throughout my house. During the winter when everything is blah and I need a pick me up, my local florist supplies me with this wonderful flower. I encourage you to experience the beauty and enticing aroma of the Casablanca Lily.

Here are a few ideas:
During a stressful weak – entice co-workers to celebrate the workday by placing a vase of Casablanca Lilies on your desk or at Christmas include Casablanca Lilies in your centerpiece arrange.

Let me know how you celebrate with Casablanca Lilies.