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Other places to see snowdrops

March 8, 2010 By 2 Comments
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Last week, I went on my annual trip with my dad, looking for snowdrops.

Snowdrops in the Dorset and Hampshire region have flowered quite late this year and after all the cold windy weather we have been having, some snowdrops which are open to all the elements, have had a rough time holding their delicate heads held high.

In the language of flowers the snowdrop means – A friend in adversity and hope.

If you know someone who is having a hard time, a trip to see the lovely snowdrop is sure to life their spirit.

Now is the time to plant snowdrops ‘in the green.’ Planting them now will give you a fantatstic display next year.

On my day out we decided on visiting 2 areas that we knew would be excellent to see this lovely flower.

Damerham church has the wow factor of several thousand snowdrops planted together in the church grave yard. They often hold special snowdrops days to welcome visitors. It was lovely to see, and just how I remembered.

The snowdrops were beautiful, even though they were a little windswept. If you want to see snowdrops in their thousands, then this is a lovely place to visit next year.

We then moved on to Breamore church.

As we carefully moved around the wonderous display of snowdrops in the pretty church yard, I counted around 5 different varieties growing there. There was probably more, but this was the number I spotted. These snowdrops had a little more protection from the elements than the ones at Damerham, so there was plenty of opportunities to photograph them.

There was also a lovely area of winter aconites.

The yellow of the aconites and white and green of the snowdrops had a really fresh, spring feel.

I watched Countryfile the other week, and the presenter looking at snowdrops in Scotland said he thought snowdrops looked all the same. Well if you view them from a far, you may agree. It’s not really until you examine the detail of each of them, that you will see how different and special they can be. It’s epecially hard to see the differences, due to the fact that they are low to the ground, and the flower heads point downwards.

This particular snowdrop wanted the world to see her beauty, as this flower head was pointing outwards. I was so pleased to have spotted this one and capture the image. I have heard of some people using dental mirrors to see the insides of low growing flowers, and I can quite see how useful this would be.

If you like this snowdrop image, it is available to buy as a framed, mounted or canvas print

As I have said before you can see beautiful flowers all over the place. You don’t always need to go to a specific garden to see them, it’s often fun to look into alternative places, such as church yards, roundabouts etc…

Where are your favourite places to go?

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Crocuses

March 1, 2010 By 2 Comments
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In the language of flowers the Crocus stands for cheerfulness!

I think this has a wonderful meaning; can you not help but smile when you see their stunning display? I can’t.

I was looking for some new areas to find the crocus treat last year. Matt (my husband) came back one day from work and took me for a surprise trip to Kinson in Bournemouth. I must admit, I wondered why Kinson was the place to be that particular day, but I was told to shut my eyes as we came to a gradual stop in the car. All of a sudden he said ‘open your eyes’ and there before me was a purely blissful sight to see. It was like a sweetshop for crocuses, in shades of lilac, blue, yellow and white.  These beautiful flowers were planted in their hundreds around a couple of trees in a urban area. I don’t know if they were planted by the council gardeners, or if a gardener planted it as a surprise for their neighbours, for whatever reason it was gorgeous and I can’t wait to make a return visit.

crocuses

Here is some information about the crocus

Crocus – plural Crocuses or Croci is a perennial flowering plant

They grow in Europe, North Africa, Asia.

There are more than 100 species!

There are three types of Crocus – Early spring, late spring and autumn flowering

crocuses

Early spring flowering Crocus flowers from February and March.

Late spring flowering Crocus flowers from March to April (these tend to be Dutch Crocuses.) crocuses

This variety tends to be larger than the early spring and autumn varieties.

Autumn Flowering Crocus called the Colchicum is also referred to as Meadow Saffron, but don’t try adding this to your cooking as it is poisonous, just admire their beauty. These flower from September through to November and quite easy to grow.

There is a wonderful display of colours found in the Crocus family. Like the Snowdrop and Bluebell they are beautiful singly, but are also amazing in large numbers grouped together.

Crocuses are wonderful planted under and around trees, lawns, borders and in containers. When you visit the garden centre around spring time, you will often see lovely displays of this lovely flower grouped together with other spring bulbs such as daffodils.

You may have also spotted in various shops gift sets including this pretty flower; you can grow them inside for a little colour too – this could be an idea for a Christmas gift!

If you want to create a natural look when planting your crocuses, gardeners often advise that you drop them carefully onto the area you wish to plant them, and plant the bulbs where they land for a less formal look.

The good news is that the Crocus doesn’t usually fall foul to disease, but they are a tasty treat for squirrels and rabbits! If squirrels and / or rabbits are nibbling your crocus bulbs, try planting the bulbs deeper in the soil.

If you want to know what the weather will be like, you can usually spot the signs displayed by your flowers. On a bright sunny day you will see the crocus shining brightly for all to see. When it is a wet dull day, they tend to close their bowl shaped petals.

To see some lovely samples of crocuses that you can buy, then please visit  - Rare Plants

Where to see the Crocus?

  • Most towns will have an area for the popular crocus, so ask around and see if someone can share their favourite places to go.
  • As with snowdrops, old church grounds are often a good place to see Crocuses
  • Broadleigh Gardens in Somerset
  • The Garden House in Devon
  • Kew Gardens in Surrey. (Have a look and see their amazing crocus carpet)
  • Any of the RHS Gardens are a good place to visit. Wisley again has the national collection, and is a must visit garden!
  • National Trust Gardens such as Rufford Old Hall in Lancashire

Why not help raise money for the Breakthrough Cancer Charity, by participating in, or organising a crocus walk. For more details please see Crocus walk

Where is your favourite place to admire crocuses?

If you love crocuses we have a crocus greeting card and crocus totebag in our online shop.

We also have a crocus print available as a mounted, framed or canvas print.

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Thank you cards

January 4, 2010 By Leave a Comment
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Thank you cards are one of my favourite greeting cards to send.

In the language of flowers the beautiful Sweetpea  and the delicate  Camellia mean – ‘Thank you’

Here are a couple of examples of flower greeting cards available -

sweetpea thank you card

camellia thank you card

These cards can have other wording added.

We also have a selection of floral notelets and greeting cards for all occasions that are suitable for thank you cards.

Here is a sample of the cards available -

Small notelet pack1 Floral notelet pack 2

floral notelet pack 3 Floral notelet pack 4

We can also make bespoke greeting cards for you, using your photos and wording.

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Japanese Flower Cards

December 21, 2009 By 2 Comments
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The flower card game to play at New Year

I have been recently looking into the language of flowers as part of a series of blogs, looking at the aims and objectives of a selection of businesses and looking through the seasons of the year.

Through my research I discovered the delights of the Japanese culture and their love of the stunning cherry tree blossom.

When looking at the meaning behind certain flowers, it is important to note the differences between Eastern and Western Philosophies.

The cherry tree for example, signifies spiritual beauty and beauty in the West. In Japan the cherry tree is very important as part of their traditions, with associations of good fortune and a symbol of love.

I really enjoyed looking into the symbolism of the Eastern language of flowers and through my research I discovered a Japanese game called – Hanafuda which translated means ‘flower cards.’

The flower card game consists of 48 cards, including 12 distinct suits. The cards represents the 12 months of the year, with each suit showing a different flower. There are also a selection of animals and varying objects included in packs. There are points ranging from 0 through to 25, or the images are used as specific combinations. There are various games you can play with the cards including matching flowers. The number of players required for the game is from 2 to 6.

The history of the game came from gambling, which was illegal at the time around the 1700’s. So to avoid being in trouble the players changed the cards with various art work and symbology. This changed over time to stay one step ahead of the authorities.

Hanafuda – is a combination of Western playing cards with Japanese traditions.

The cards flower associations for particular months are –

To see the cards please visit – Hanafuda.com

How to play –

To play the dealer shuffles the cards and takes the top 8 cards from the pile, then places 8 cards face side up to each player. The idea is then to match your card from the original 8 cards placed at the centre of the table. If the player can’t find a match they place their card in the centre. The top card from the original pile of cards is then turned over and the player looks to see if they can use this card. If a match has been made that player keeps the cards, if there isn’t a match, the card from the original pile gets added to the selection of 8 cards in the centre of the table. The game ends when either there are no cards from the original pile left or a player has used all of his cards.

There are many versions of how to play the game.

The traditional time to play this game is at New Year. As it isn’t long before we greet a New Year, how about playing this game…

Nintendo sell the card game and is a part of the Club House Games for the Nintendo DS.

The Hanafuda card game is also available from Amazon.com

Play the game online – Hanafuda

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