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Bluebells – Choosing a flower for a business

April 30, 2010 By 4 Comments
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It’s bluebell time!!!!

Can you tell I’m excited! Well I am, because I look forward to seeing this stunning flower every year!

In a mini series we looked at various businesses to see what flower would best describe them.

We looked at -  A flower for Arrow light Haulage

In order to choose an appropriate flower for a business we need to look at the business objectives.

Arrow Light Haulage -

  • Is a professional Essex Same Day Courier and Van Delivery company.
  • Their objective is to collect and deliver time critical goods and deliver them anywhere in the UK.
  • Their drivers are polite and well trained; they know that your reputation is in their hands.
  • They do the job right the first time, – a professional courier.

I have chosen the beautiful bluebell (Hyacinthoides non-scripta) to describe Arrow Light Haulage.

In the language of flowers the bluebell stands for 3 key aims and objectives for their business.

A flower - the bluebell for Arrow Light Haulage

  • Constancy
  • Reliability
  • Dependability


The bluebell is a favourite of mine, as soon as the New Year begins I look for snowdrops, then I count the days until bluebell season. I have a favourite wood near by that I simply must visit every year.

Bluebells grow and grow searching for any dappled sunlight, as the leaf coverage on trees are not at their full capacity. When the trees finally catch up, bluebells finally begin to drift off back to sleep to regain their strength for another year.

In Britain we have three types –

  • Native (which can also include the white bluebell)
  • Spanish
  • Hybrid ( a mix of the above 2)

Bluebells flower from April – June.

The English bluebell is a delight to see, but due to the spread of the Spanish bluebell, true English bluebells are becoming quite rare.

If you would like to learn how to identify a native bluebell, the Natural History museum has provided a description and drawings to help you – identifying bluebells.

For some recommended places to see this beauty –

Do you have a favourite place to see bluebells?

Please share with us so that our blog readers know the best places to visit.


I am sure there are many other wonderful gardens to see the magnificent bluebell, check the RHS or the National Trust to see some suggestions in your area.

The Good gifts catalogue has a great gift available for someone who loves bluebells. You can help protect a bluebell wood for £50 through the Tree council.

If you want to fill your garden with bluebells, the process from seed can take a couple of years to flower; here is a video by Gardener’s World on how to grow bluebells from seed. Bulbs are available through most garden centres. Please make sure that you buy native bluebells, and that they haven’t been taken from woodland as they are a protected species.

So plan a trip to your local bluebell woods and enjoy the stunning colour and smell of the gorgeous bluebell.

Enjoy!

Note: if you would like us to look at a flower for your business please contact us, we can provide a package of choosing a flower that best describes your business and a framed print of your flower that you can display in your office.

Please contact us for further information and we will let you know our package prices.

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Bespoke Floral Kitchen Splashbacks

April 27, 2010 By 3 Comments
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We have some more exciting news to share with you.

A previous blog post we talked about a new floral splashback we designed for the high quality kitchen fittings and accessories shop – My Kitchen Store.

We have been asked if we could provide a  bespoke, floral collection, for kitchen splashbacks.

We loved designing the oriental poppy and jumped at the chance to provide a special collection.

There are many ways that we can bring a touch of nature into our living spaces, such as house plants, vases filled with bouquets of flowers, floral greeting cards,  framed and canvas prints, as well as kitchen and bathroom splashbacks.

Working with My Kitchen Store, we are delighted to announce our brand new flower collection for kitchen splashbacks. I am sure that they could also be added in your bathroom if you wish.

Our collection has been designed baring in mind various styles and colour schemes, as well as providing a complementing floral framed and canvas prints to carry your chosen design into your sitting room or dining room.

We hope you like our collection -

Anemone De Caen Splashback © Bearded iris Splashback © Spring blossom kitchen Splashback © Orchid Kitchen Splashback ©

Germini Kitchen Splashback © Bluebell Kitchen Splashback © Orange and Yellow Tulip Splashback © Tulips in dappled sunlight Kitchen Splashback

Iris Media Luz Kitchen Splashback © Sunflower kitchen splashback © Hibiscus kitchen Splashback © Snowdrop Kitchen Splashback ©

Parisian style Tulips Kitchen Splashback © A glimpse of an anemone kitchen splashback © Red poppy Kitchen Splashback ©

For further information about this collection please visit my website – Bespoke Kitchen Splashbacks

They are made from 6 mm toughened glass and conforms to the BS 62606 and PREN 12000 standards.

If you would like any of the above designs on an eco friendly tote bag, please let us know.

Any enquires about kitchen splashbacks  and other fittings and accessories please contact My Kitchen Store

All images © Nita Joy Craft Design

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Tulips

April 25, 2010 By 6 Comments
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Today we are looking at the lovely tulip.

Words to describe tulips could be –

  • Cheerful
  • Elegant
  • Showy
  • Colourful

What words would you use to describe this flower?

In the language of flowers, the tulip means –

  • Beautiful eyes
  • Fame
  • Love

Interesting facts:

  • There are over 109 species, with approximately 3,000 different varieties in the tulip family the Liliaceae.
  • If you buy tulips as cut flowers, they will continue to grow in a vase.
  • The first tulips originated as a wildflower in Central Asia. It was in the 17th century that tulips was introduced to Europe. Tulips were so popular in Holland that some special varieties became very expensive to buy; it could quite easily cost the same as buying a house!
  • The Flower Design Institute have provided a useful video on how to care and arrange tulips. Please visit their website for further tips and hints for arranging beautiful displays of flowers.

There are 3 flowering times –

  • Early flowering – March – April
  • Mid season flowering – April -May
  • Late flowering – May
  • There are 12 viruses that can affect tulips, causing problems with the flowers and leaves, as well as problems with growth. The RHS provide a useful information page to help you notice symptoms and give advice on how you can help improve the health of your tulips – Tulips Viruses
  • This bulbous plant is lovely to see in spring, with its amazing range of colours and patterns at various heights from the tall and elegant, to the striking compact variety.
  • Tulips can often be seen in our local parks and roundabout displays as well as a garden favourite.

White and Green Tulips Greeting Card

I have been very fortunate to see the wonderful tulip farms and gardens  in Holland when I was a child. It is something I would like to return to and see again, as it left me speechless, admiring the fields of rich colour.

Daffodils and Tulips Holland Tulips Tulips in Holland

Above 3 images of Tulips and daffodils from Holland, are taken by my Dad from one of our trips.

I have been enjoying various gardens in Dorset and Hampshire admiring this beauty. There are so many different varieties it’s hard to choose a favourite, do you have a favourite?

Tulips can be grown successfully in containers and spring borders. They often provide a sense of structure to a garden border, and mixes well with other plants. I have particularly enjoyed gardens that have concentrated on a green and white colour scheme, with white tulips, daffodils and snowflakes dotted around green foliage. This provides a cool restful scene. An example of this can be seen at Apple Court Gardens in Hampshire, which we will be writing a blog post about our visit very soon.

If you would like to visit a garden to admire this lovely varied flower, the following is a small selection of gardens and farms recommended to see tulips.

  • Keukenhof in Holland has some 32 acres of Tulips!
  • Pashley Manor Gardens in Sussex have a tulips festival, running from the 23rd April –  3rd May. They have some 23,000 tulips to admire!

Spring colour at Kew Gardens

Where to buy Tulips

All garden centres sell tulips, but if you are looking for a specialist grower –

At Nita Joy Craft Design we have some special personalised tulip cards for a variety of occasions, or add your personal message.

We will also have some tulip designs available for kitchen splashbacks through My Kitchen Store, which we will be announcing soon!

Orange tulips and narcissus good luck cardWherever you live, there is sure to be a garden near you where you can enjoy the beautiful tulip.

Enjoy!

We would love to hear your recommended places to see Tulips so we can share them with our blog readers.

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A visit to the Royal Botanical Kew Gardens

April 20, 2010 By 2 Comments
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I visited Kew Gardens many years ago and it has been on my list of must see gardens to visit this year.

As spring is well and truly here, this is a great opportunity to visit this beautiful large garden to admire the spring bulbs, cherry blossom and magnolias.

I visited the 300 acre gardens last week, with my husband, best friend and her children, and had a fabulous day.

If you visit before the 31st April you can join a free guided walk – The darling buds of April to get the most from your visit. Pick up a guide and / or map when you enter the gardens as you will need this.

For children they have a special play area to help run off some steam, but the gardens are so large that there is plenty of space to run around in.

The children enjoyed looking at all the flowers, leaves and also the exquisite peacock!

Kew Gardens Peacock

My husband loved seeing the gardens, but particularly enjoyed the roast pork and apple roll for lunch!

There is plenty to see and do on a day visit, but in order to get the most out of your trip to the gardens, it’s best seen over a few days. It’s definitely a garden to see in each season, to truly benefit from their planting schemes.

I really wanted to visit the Treetop walk but unfortunately the lift wasn’t working, but hoping to visit another time as this looks wonderful.

Favourite areas:

One of the favourite parts of my daytrip was seeing the wonderful fritillary area which can be seen on the Princess walk. This area is fenced off to protect these wonderful delicate flowers, but you can still get a great view of them, as seen in our video clip.

You can also see these flowers alongside the river walk.

Dotted around the gardens are lovely areas of cherry blossom and magnolias. If you visit soon, you will receive a leaflet highlighting areas of the garden to see them. Japanese Garden kew Gardens

The Japanese Garden was a favourite of mine on a previous visit and I have to say I wasn’t disappointed this time. It’s a very peaceful area, with very thoughtful planting, a place to sit and contemplate.

Many of the specialist daffodils have finished for this year, but there is a wonderful area next to the palm house, full with narcissus, tulips etc… don’t miss this!

Planting outside the Palm House Kew Gardens

Due to the wide variety of planting you can see beautiful plants and be up close and personal with nature, keep an eye out for the parakeets! While we were there we had a wonderful sighting of a green woodpecker.

Because the gardens are so large, I wasn’t able to visit the  Palm House, Temperate House or Princess of Wales Conservatory , as I was focussing on spring colour. I hope to visit again soon so that I can see the areas missed.

The Temperate House is in need of funds to restore the beautiful building. If you would like to make a donation please visit -The Temperate House appeal

Kew Gardens Millennium Seed Bank also run an adopt a seed programme, helping to preserve and keep seeds that are becoming rarer. We can make a difference in raising funds for this very important inititive. If you would like to know more about their work please visit – Adopt a seed, save a species website

Have you visited Kew Gardens?  What are your favourite areas?


Prices:

Adult: £13.50

Concessions: £11:30

Children: Free.

Kew Garden offer a yearly or lifetime membership scheme

Accessibility:

Kew Gardens has a very helpful website to help you plan your visit.

If you have a disability / mobility issues, they have a fantastic service where you can hire an electric mobility scooter, which is free, but a donation would help keep this service available. The paths around the gardens are smooth and wide, so using a wheelchair should present no problems.

For more details – Kew Gardens visitor information

To help plan your visit:

Kew Gardens have an interactive map – Explore Kew , to help you decide which areas to concentrate on.

Parking:

Parking is limited, so travelling by public transport is a good idea, especially in busy holiday times.

Video taken by Matt Hunt

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New poppy design glass splashback

April 15, 2010 By 1 Comment
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We were asked by high quality kitchen accessories and fittings shop – My Kitchen Store, if we could provide them with a poppy from our flower image collection, suitable for a bespoke glass splashback.

Glass splashbacks provide a wonderful update to your kitchen, with minimal fuss and cost, and also brings the wow factor.

My Kitchen store has a wide range of floral glass splashbacks including -

And not forgetting the -

Creating a warm, inviting atmosphere in our home’s doesn’t need to be costly.

If you love flowers and are looking to update your kitchen, then choosing an amazing glass splashback could be the answer you are looking for.

The designs will help complete the look you are creating, and is sure to provide a wonderful backdrop to many conversations, as your friends and family admire your accessories when they next visit.

I often talk about bringing a touch of nature into your home, why stop at the living room or dining room … be inspired by the beauty of nature in the kitchen, as you create wonderful menus for your family and friends.

Please take a moment to see My Kitchen Store’s floral glass splashback collection.

Black glass splashback with red poppy design

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The Flowering Cherry Tree

April 9, 2010 By 3 Comments
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The Flowering Cherry Blossom Tree  is also known as Sukura in Japan.

Today we will be looking at the flowering cherry tree blossom.

I have been enjoying the blossom slowly coming into flower, throughout Dorset. The roads always look so much nicer with cherry trees dotted around. I even notice pedestrians stopping and admiring their beauty, with a smile on their faces! Oh I love Spring, don’t you?

The cherry tree typically flowers in April-May.

Tree blossom is just stunning! I love  the beauty of cherry and apple tree blossom.

In the language of flowers the cherry blossom stands for

  • Spiritual beauty
  • Beauty

cherry tree blossom

There are over 200 varieties of cherry trees growing in Asia, North America and Europe.

The cherry tree belongs to the rosaceae family.

If you need help in identifying a cherry tree, the Natural History Museum have a useful Cherry tree identification guide

In Japan the cherry tree blossom is associated with good fortune and a symbol of love. It is also the unofficial flower for Japan. They hold special cherry tree parties (Hanami) when they are in flower. They also have a special cherry tree festival with tea ceremonies and so on.

Cherry trees flower at different times from January – March in Japan. Nago for example has some 20,000 flowering cherry trees in their park! Here is a guide to cherry tree viewing.

This is on my list of special things Iwould love to see. I would absolutely love to see the cherry tree parties and tea ceremonies, enjoying the thousands of cherry trees in blossom!

In America, Washing DC, they have a national cherry tree festival.

This is to celebrate spring and to honour the cherry tree gifts that were given to them from Japan in 1912.

I have hade the privilege of visiting Batsford Arboretum in Gloucestershire, which holds the national collection of cherry trees.

If you have a small garden, there are smaller varieties of the flowering cherry trees, growing to around 2 meters in height.

The Prunus Triloba a double flowering almond cherry tree has beautiful flowers

I also love the Prunus Shizuka – fragrant cloud Japanese flowering cherry tree

Not only are the flowers beautiful, but some varieties have wonderful autumn colour like the bark pictured below.

cherry tree bark

To choose a suitable place to plant your flowering cherry tree, consider an area that receives a lot of sunshine, fairly protected and that has well drained, deep soil. It’s advisable not to plant a tree, where there was previously a tree with a disease. Take into account the expected height of growth of your tree, before you plant it. Some cherry trees require a pollinator, so check the details before you buy one.

The RHS have a guide to show you how to prune your trees.

The Cherry tree is susceptible to black fly, here’s some advice from the RHS.

The RHS have a Cherry Tree Fund as part of their ‘remember a loved one’ fund

Suggestions of where to buy cherry trees

The Ornamental Tree Nursery has some nice small trees

Trees online has some lovely varieties

Mail Order Trees

Gardens to see Cherry tree blossom

Exbury Gardens in Hampshire

Hiller Gardens in Hampshire

Hergest Croft Garden in Herefordshire has a wonderful collection

Lost Gardens of Heligan in Cornwall

Dudmaston Estate in Shropshire

The blossom trail at the Vale of Evesham has some 40 miles ablaze with cherry, apple and plum blossom from mid March- mid May

Many woodland gardens will have this pretty tree in their collection and can often be found growing in church yards.

So get out there and enjoy the lovely blossom!

Update: The National History Museum are running a Cherry Tree survey, if you would like to add the details of where you have seen these beautiful trees, please visit -

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Personalised birthday cards

April 9, 2010 By 2 Comments
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We have been enjoying the wonderful spring flowers that have been appearing everywhere.

With the cold winter, several flowers have been quite late this year. Some have suffered a little from the varying temperatures and weather conditions, other plants and flowers have thrived.

This year, one of my particular delights, has been the beautiful violets.

I have added a new violet birthday card to the collection. violet birthday card

As I have been enjoying the changing seasons, I have also been working on our personalised birthday card collection.

With so many cards on the market, I wanted to provide a service where you can add your special message and name of the intended recipient on the front of the card and / or inside the card if you wish.

Some of our cards are designed around names, which we have greatly enjoyed creating. We have a basic design and then change according to names added, which means each card is slightly different.    Special name birthday card

The reviews from customers have been wonderful, which always makes it even more worthwhile, as we spend a lot of time creating special cards.

Many have said how much their friend or family member has enjoyed having a birthday card with their name included in the design.

If you have a several birthdays coming up, we provide packs of 5 cards where each card can have a different name or message added for the total cost of £7.50 with free p&p.

We hope that you will enjoy looking through our collection, and look forward to making a special card for you.

Send a card, brighten someone’s day

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