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Mark September With An Aster-isks

My mother is a Virgo. I’m dating a Virgo. Oddly enough, their birthday is the same day. Suffice it to say that gift giving in the Jackson family becomes very difficult around September 15th. I’m quite taken with birth month flowers as unique birthday gifts because it blends the traditional with the creative. This is a very endearing quality after three years of finding a unique gift for a man and a charming birthday gift for a mother all on the same day!

My fellow is fairly easy to please when gift giving is involved. His birthday is a fairly major occasion but finding a way to make him feel completely special on that day is difficult when we also celebrate Mom’s birthday on that day. Not this year! The two birth month flowers of September are aster and morning glory. My sweet pleasant beloved makes a point to call me from work every morning just to say good morning. For this reason, the birthday gift for him becomes *drum roll* … the morning glory! Coupled with a few wish-list gifts, a packet of seeds of this birth month flower will add a dash of whimsy to the traditional gifts. I’m still learning to knit so that I can watch him fake excitement over an ugly multi-colored sweater for next year. For this year, flowers and game consoles will do.

My mother is amazing. She’s the most incredible woman in the world (except for your mother, of course) and that near grasp of perfection can grind away at the nerves when birthday gift shopping. My mother either has everything, wants nothing, or won’t specify. Well, she’s not getting an option this year. My mother is an avid vegetable gardener. She also landscapes her yard and my grandfather’s yard to give them immaculate appearances. I know that she loves flowers and loves decorating her home with the flowers from her garden. This year she’s getting a bouquet of aster for her home and, since morning glory is typically a garden flower rather than a cut flower, a few started morning glory to add to her collection of incredible garden flowers.

Wonderful. I’ve finally found a way to satisfy all of the people in my life with September birthdays just by incorporating the September birth month flowers into a unique birthday gift. Thankfully October is all about me. Just kidding.

Contact your local florist for a unique birthday gift for your September friend!

The Virtuous Virgo Zodiac Flowers

The love of my life is a Virgo. I find him charming and unique but often have trouble finding charming and unique birthday gifts. My love shares a birthday with my mother which makes finding two unique gifts even more of an adventure. Thankfully for all with multiple Virgo birthdays, I have discovered the solution.

A flower arrangement designed with forget-me-nots, gladiolus, and violets will make any woman feel incredibly special. When I explain to my mother that her chrysanthemum gift is actually in line with her astrological sign, she will appreciate the creativity it took to select an arrangement and enjoy having something beautiful to lighten up her home.

My sweetie’s gift is a bit trickier but I hope this will help all women needing a clever gift for men. Celebrating both our anniversary and his birthday during the Virgo period between August 22 and September 22, a unique gift will help make both occasions feel special and fun. Very few men expect to receive flowers on their birthdays, anniversaries, or at any other time. Adding a dash of whimsy to the day by having a zodiac flowers arrangement delivered is certain to spice up the conversation around the dinner table. Be careful! Make sure your fellow has an easy-going sense of humor because jovial jabs at work are just as likely to follow.

For Virgo men and women with children, selecting arrangements or small flowers with which to decorate a home are a fabulous treat for parents. Planting or decorating with flowers alongside a giggling child makes a birthday an even more special and enjoyable day. I know that our daughter will be thrilled to play in the dirt with her father. I can already hear her chipper laugh as he lifts her by her waist to hang a potted arrangement near our porch swing. I share these same memories with my grandmother and my heart melts with joy when I dream about those simple moments together. Besides, in his mind, it’s one less thing for him to mow.

Visit your local florist today and design the astrological flowers arrangement that is right for your Virgo!

africanviolets.jpb Violets for my Virgo

orangegladiolus.jpg Gladiolus are a beautiful and unique gift idea!

Gladiolus Add Sincerity and Character To The Meaning of Flowers

If pictures are worth a thousand words, how many words are flowers worth? Every individual attaches some special memory or memories to the many types of flowers in their lives. Whether it was the focal flower in the bouquet that he delivered with the engagement ring, the sympathy flowers that made mourning easier, or simply the creative gesture of a loved one who somehow just knew that a little boost would turn the day around, there are thousands of memories to delve into when we pass flowers in the grocery store, garden, or local flower shop.

Some flowers, though, have very particular flower meanings and can be sent to express a very specific feeling or message. The birth month flower of August is gladiolus so which better to share? This beautiful, tall blossoming flower represents some very pleasant flower meanings making a gladiolus arrangement the perfect gift to send a message to a guy or a girl!

Express sincerity with a gladiolus bouquet. Sometimes it takes just that little extra to push through the “yes” decisions in our minds. Being completely sure of the sincerity of the sender is the difference between “99% sure that you’re the one for me” and “I’d follow you to the ends of the earth.” Avoid any confusion by ensuring your sincerity with an arrangement of gladiolus.

Express strength of character with gladiolus flowers. Integrity, strong ethics and values, and high moral fiber are qualities that every person looks for in a partner. Make your best qualities shine through. Highlight those strong qualities in another person who needs reassurance of their wonderful self. Gladiolus are the perfect flowers for subtly expressing strength of character.

Sincerity and strength of character are wonderful character traits. Why not put them on display with the help of a fresh gladiolus arrangement from your local florist? The catalog of personal memories along with the flower meanings of gladiolus and many other flowers truly does beg the question…how many words are pictures of flowers worth?

So Glad It’s Summer Gladiolus Arrangement.jpg Gladiolus arrangements envigorate any summer day!

If Easter Flowers Could Talk…

Many of my fondest memories as a child with my mother and grandmother took place out of the window of a small, slowly creeping car as we drove by fields, stones, and structures of personal significance to the two older ladies. Few moments were as special as the first time we, along with my younger sister, stopped on the side of the road for our first view of the magnificent spring blooms. At that moment, neither my sister Shannon nor I could pronounce the name Narcissus for the beautiful daffodils (jonquils) lining the road ways. Neither did we know of the many stories that shroud these gentle blooms with popularity. What Shannon and I did know is that our mother and her mother seemed completely enamored by the sweeping flow of the delicate, pure white or yellow daffodil blooms. Both ladies meandered into the ditch to feel the petals for themselves and to pull one from the earth for each of us to hold. My sister and I, though then confounded at the sight of the women prodding through the dirt for a mere flower, now recall the story affectionately with each other and our friends.

Our grandmother, considering herself somewhat a story aficionado, regales us yearly with another story as we present her with the first blooms of the season. Sometimes new, sometimes not, Shannon and I never tire of the expression on her face as she first sees the brightly colored flowers and the smooth and gentle green stems. For just a moment our grandmother is a child again, as much a child as we ever were. The lines and age of her face fade and, even for just a split second, she’s a little girl standing with her sister and gazing in awe at the sight of her mother bending and stooping in a dirty ditch for just a simple Easter flower.

It was only when I began working for Flower Shop Network that I realized how many different flowers are called Easter flowers. Though I consider the dutch master daffodil my Easter flower, many other flowers herald the celebration of spring, purity, hope, and restoration and so are regarded as Easter flowers. Daisies, brightly colored tulips, hyacinths, crocus, potted azaleas, Easter lilies and a host of other flowers help welcome the new season.

Arguably the most popular Easter flower is the Lilium longiflorum or Easter lily. The graceful white blooms are spotted at Easter plays and spring celebrations across the nation and are widely accepted as the quintessential Easter flower. This is almost comical considering that this flower is naturally a June and July bloomer.

Easter flowers, whichever variety, probably hold a special story related to a beautiful occasion, cherished gift, or beloved friend or relative. As unique as each new spring day are the flowers that help celebrate birth in the new year, hope for a brighter morning, passing of the dreary gray season, the purity and miracle of life, and as many other beautiful emotions and memories as the pure white or yellow petals on along the roadside as viewed from a small, slowly creeping car.

Potted Daffodils (Narcissus) sometimes called jonquils Daffodils – My Grandmother’s Easter Flower.

Potted Easter Lily (Lilium longiflorum) Easter Lily know to many as the Easter flower.

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.

Calla Lily Can It Make Your Wife Happy?

Last week I was eating lunch with my husband, when one of his co-workers asked me if I knew what stage of pregnancy his wife was in. I said “about 7 months”. He shook his head no and replied, “I can do nothing right and she complaints that she’s fat and ugly”. I told him to be patient and that I wished I could help.

Sunday I was gazing at my garden when it came to me. Flowers! Flowers always make me happy. Then I had a real epiphany when I saw the Calla Lilies in my garden. He needed to send his wife Callas and the card could say “the flower of beauty for the beauty in my life.”

When you look up Calla Lily under flower meanings, it means beauty. Not only does Calla mean beauty; it is the essence of beauty with its velvety blossom and solid silhouette. In flower arrangements, it can be used to create a straight or curved line. Calla Lilies are also used to create form in a flower arrangement. Bloom size can range from 1″ to 6″ with stems 8″ to 30″ long. Calla Lillies are like a confident girl — standing proud and tall by themselves or mixing harmoniously with other flowers. Most people assume Callas are white only, however they come in shades of red, yellow, green, pink, purple and orange as well. The most appealing quality that a Calla Lily has as a cut flower is it’s long shelf life. Calla Lilies will last for a couple of weeks in a flower arrangement if taken care of properly.

The next time someone you know needs a little beauty in their life send them a Calla Lily bouquet. I’m having a bad hair day … hmm… maybe I need a Calla Lily flower arrangement.
callasm.jpg calla lily calla1.jpg Calla lilies from my garden

What Is The Meaning of Phoenix Branch?

Nicole Asks:

Do you know if there is a meaning for the Phoenix Branch?

Brock’s Reply: I’m not familiar with a “Phoenix Branch”.  There is a group of palms, the Date Palms,  which belong to the genus Phoenix. For example, Phoenix roebelenii , the Pymgy Date Palm, is often grown as a landscape specimen in warm climates (the correspondent is in Florida).  Phoenix dactylifera is the commercial Date Palm, native to North Africa.While I can find no specific reference to a meaning for Phoenix palms, palm fronds in general have traditionally symbolized victory and success. This idea stems from the story of the mythological bird, the Phoenix, which rose again from the ashes of its own firey destruction.