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Roses And Their Color Meaning

3:27 pm by webmann in backyard garden, gardening

Image by ex.libris via FlickrRoses may be the traditional gift given on Valentines Day, but they are definitely well received any day of the year. Buyer beware before you buy roses, know what message you are sending in the color. Men as well as women, express that they love to get flowers and floral gifts.

Remember color talks! Although it is a common acceptance that all roses convey warmth and affection, the person receiving them may know and understand the meaning of roses colors and the symbolic message conveyed. It would be nice to assure that you are communicating the right message to that special person sharing a special language between the two of you.

The color of a rose can certainly be interpreted than the thought you intended. To ensure that your love (or friend) understands what the roses you are sending mean, follow the guide below so you can be sure of no misinterpreted gestures.

Orange - enthusiasm, desire and fascination

Lavender - love at first sight

Coral - desire

Pale Peach - modesty

Peach - appreciation, closing of the deal, lets get together, sincerity

Red and Yellow - jovial and happy feelings

Red and White - given together these signify unity

Yellow with Red Tip - friendship, falling in love

Yellow - Joy, gladness, friendship, delight, promise of a new beginning, welcome back, remember me, jealousy

Light Pink - admiration, sympathy, gentleness, grace, gladness, joy, sweetness
Dark Pink - appreciation, gratitude, thank-you

Pink - appreciation, thank-you, grace, perfect happiness, admiration, gentleness, please believe me

White (Bridal) - happy love

White - purity, innocence, silence, secrecy, reverance,humilty, youthfulness, I am worthy of you, Heavenly

Deep Burgundy - unconscious beauty

Red (single) - I love you

Red Dark - unconscious beauty

Red - love, beauty, courage and respect, romantic love, congratulations, I love you, job well done, sincere love, respect, courage and passion

Single in any Color - simplicity, gratitude

Red Rosebud - symbolic of purity and loveliness

White Rosebud - symbolic of girlhood

Thornless Rose - love at first sight

There is also significance and meaning to the number of roses you send which is interesting also to note.

1 Rose - Love at first sight!
2 Roses - Mutual feelings
3 Roses - I Love You!
7 Roses - I’m infatuated with you
9 Roses - Together as long as we live
10 Roses - You’re Perfect!
11 Roses - You’re my treasured one
12 Roses - Be my steady
13 Roses - Forever friends
15 Roses - I’m really sorry
20 Roses - I’m sincere towards you
21 Roses - I’m committed to you
36 Roses - I’ll remember our romantic moments
40 Roses - My love is genuine
99 Roses - I’ll love you till the day I die
100 Roses - I’m totally devoted to you
101 Roses - You’re my one and only
108 Roses - Will you marry me?
999 Roses - My love will last till the end of time
Leaves - In general they are a symbol of hope

Rose talk is the language and trend setting is the game. It does not matter whether you are shy, trying to convey a suttle message or shouting it from the stems, saying it with a rose sends a special message.

These “body language” blooms are the most popular of all cut flowers and nothing quite says it like a rose. Regardless of color, number or stage of growth, rose that are sent every month conveys “beauty ever new.”

Regardless if your rose recipient is not familiar with the shades meaning or number of, one message shouts out loud and clear. The person that sends roses is a romantic and is saying something very special!

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How to Use Non-Plant Natural Insecticide

8:52 am by webmann in backyard garden, garden pests

Often, a natural insecticide can be used rather than a man-made chemical solution for unwanted backyard garden pests. Many of these preparations are made by using plants and plant derivatives. However, there are some non-plant kinds of natural insecticide.

Oils are commonly used as a natural insecticide. Some of the common oils used are mineral oil and different cooking oils. If cooking oil is used, liquid soap is added to the mixture. Either way, the oil is diluted with water and sprayed on the plant as a natural insecticide. The insects and eggs will be suffocated or dehydrated.

It certainly isn’t pleasant to collect animal urine, but you can use it for a natural insecticide. You mix it with soil and let it set for a couple of weeks. Then, you dilute it with water and put it only on mature leaves. Never use this natural insecticide in full sun.

Chalk is an easy type of natural insecticide to use. You should soak it in water. The soaking time varies depending on what grade you use. Construction grade chalk soaks for twelve hours and natural chalk soaks for days. You can only use this preparation on mature leaves.

If you have a source of fresh, unpasteurized cow’s milk, it can be used to make a natural fertilizer. It is combined with flour and water and sprayed on the plant. It kills many insects and their eggs.

Boric acid is, of course, a good all-around natural insecticide. It is used as a powder, or in a solution as a spray. It kills roaches, silverfish, termites, and many other insects. It is not a danger in any way to people working with it.

One way to protect your plants from the ravages of destructive insects is to use lime around the base of the plant. This is a form of natural insecticide. The lime powder not only repels most insects, but it suffocates the ones that try to come through anyway.

You can use a spray made of glue for a natural insecticide. The glue used is just the common household glue kids use in elementary school. You mix it with water and spray it where mites are a problem. The sprayer will become clogged if you don’t wash it, so do that afterwards.

To get rid of ticks in your yard, you can use a CO2 trap. This is a natural insecticide that employs the use of dry ice to trap ticks. A piece of flannel is used under the dry ice for the insects to gather on. This method gets rid of ticks in a seventy-five square foot area of yard.

A natural insecticide called milky spore is used for grubs. It comes in the form of granules. It is said that one treatment lasts for decades. It kills only the grubs. It leaves beneficial insects alive.

There are many types of natural insecticide. Some of the non-plant kinds are often called remedies. However, they work to kill insects and they come directly from nature. It seems that they are indeed natural insecticides.

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Origin, Sentiment and Care of Red Roses

8:40 am by webmann in backyard gardening, gardening

Origin, sentiment and care of red roses. Through fossil evidence, roses have existed since prehistoric times.  In Asian gardens, more than 5,000 years ago, the first cultivated roses appeared. Roses were introduced to Europe during the Roman Empire where they were used for ornamental purposes. According to historians, Cleopatra is said to have scattered rose petals before Mark Anthony’s feet.  Nero released roses from the ceiling during extravagant feasts and banquets that were held.

The rose is the flower emblem of England. According to English folklore, if the petals fall from a fresh-cut red rose then bad luck was sure to ensue. The red rose is the badge of the House of Lancaster and the flower of Eros and Cupid.
Exquisite and radiant in every way, the red rose is the principal messenger of love. A single rose denotes perpetual love.

Two roses of any color taped or wired together signify a commitment or forthcoming marriage. Red Roses are the most popular flower in expressing love and have been the sentiment of young gents throughout the world.  Making your heartfelt red roses last the longest is not always easy.  After receiving your roses always remove any water vials that may have been shipped with your roses. These provide only a temporary water source during delivery and will not keep your roses but for a short period. However, is it not wise to remove floral wires that may have been attached to individual rose stems. These provide helpful support for some roses. Remove any leaves that will be below water, being careful not to scrape or cut through the green bark of the stems. Air can enter stems at such injuries blocking water uptake.

Leaves left under water will cause bacteria to develop and will significantly shorten the life of your roses not to mention the horrid odor that will come forth.  When preparing your vase, always use lukewarm water and be sure to use a clean container.  For best results, include floral preservative if at all possible. Mix the preservative with room temperature water, in the amount recommended on the package. Floral preservative provides sugars, balances pH, and limits bacterial growth.

When preparing your red roses for arrangement, fill a sink or wide container with several inches of warm water. While holding each stem under water, cut about one inch diagonally off the end with a sharp knife or shears. Make sure to place the roses in your container before the stems dry off. Gently remove any outermost petals that may have been bruised during shipping. Removing a few petals will not damage a blossom and will often help it open more fully. Just be careful not to force open or take off healthy petals.

Display your roses in a cool location, out of direct sunlight or drafts.  Check your arrangement daily to make sure it has plenty of clear, fresh water. If the water appears dirty after a couple of days be sure to replace it completely.
If some roses should start to droop their heads prematurely, it could be due to air trapped in the stems. Recut the stems underwater as described previously. Then let the roses float on the water surface with the stem ends below water and the rose heads in an upright position. In many cases, the roses will revive and harden within about an hour.  It is certainly worth a try to keep your roses lasting longer.  With care, your red roses will bloom quickly and should stay open anywhere from 5 to 10 days for your enjoyment.

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Using Soaps as a Natural Insecticide

9:56 am by webmann in backyard gardening, garden pests

Image from WikipediaSoap sounds harmless enough. We wash our bodies with it, clean our vehicles with it, wash our dishes with it, and blow bubbles with it. But if our children drink it, it will make them sick. Toddlers have innocent, strange ideas of what might be tasty! Our toddlers aren’t the only ones in our society that can become sick from soaps.

Soaps of different sorts are used as insecticides. A commercially sold soap called Neem oil soap is an oily solution which can work as both a repellent and as a fungicide. It can interfere with the good health of delicate plants, weak plants, new transplants, and drought stressed plants. The oil draws the sun to the leaf surface and can harm blossoms. It doesn’t work well with plants like the bleeding heart, gardenia, and lantana. So, be sure to test it on a small area and give it a full day to see if any wilting occurs before you apply it to larger areas.

Some people control wasps by spraying them with a dishwashing liquid solution. But dishwashing soap solutions can harm some of your plants. Any detergents that contain ingredients to dissolve grease can hurt the outer protective layers of plants that need these protective layers for survival. Insecticidal soaps are not your everyday soaps found in the kitchen, laundry room, or bathroom. You wouldn’t want to wash your baby with the same shampoo you use on your dog to control fleas.

There are many different types of soaps that we use in our homes for daily use that can be used to control insects, though. Controlling and repelling are not necessarily the same as destroying. Soaps also work to kill insects by penetrating the outer covering to cause cell leakage and dehydration.

If you need to protect your personal plants with your own homemade soap solutions, just make sure you know how to mix them properly and which plants won’t tolerate them well. Also, learn which soaps to use. Palmolive, Joy, Dawn, Ivory, Dove, Tide, and Murphy’s Oil Soap are some that are often used for insect control.

Soaps lose their effectiveness once they’re dry. Homemade recipes don’t have instructions. You should research before making them and be leery of buying any from someone else. Automatic dishwashing detergents are not recommended. If someone has used the wrong soap, it could harm your plants. You also don’t want to apply during the heat of the day or in sunlight since the use of soaps could burn your plants. It is possible to condition hard water to be able to mix it with insecticidal soaps. You may have to add a de-foaming agent as well.

Soaps are safe for ladybugs and predaceous wasps. These are beneficial insects that help your garden and plants thrive. Not all types of the same insect are harmful to us. Predaceous wasps don’t sting or bite. It’s important to know which insects to keep and which to remove or destroy.

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Delicate Rose Care Around Your Backyard Garden

10:02 am by webmann in backyard gardening

Image by :hMd: via FlickrWe’ve been very blessed with plant breeders who give us roses that grow well in adverse conditions and bloom basically from early summer to first frost. Proper rose nutrition is easy and simple to provide with the use of complete plant food.

Plant Food

Plant food supplies all the needed vital elements that is needed from the soil. Insect and disease problems with your rose care can be prevented easily with regular use of insecticide-fungicide that controls most chewing insects, sucking insects, and fungus diseases. Being a successful rose grower is attainable with these aids and a lot of determination.

Start With Good Plants

Buying good plants or better known as good stock is a must. Preferably No. 1, two years old, field grown and budded plants. Plants that are not pruned should have 3 or more heavy 18-inch canes and pruned plants should have canes with a diameter of at least 1/4 inch at the top. Plants potted in tar paper pots are preferred by many gardeners since they can be transplanted most any time of the year.

Rose Real Estate : Location, Location, Location

When planting, select a sunny, well-drained location. Trim off all broken and bruised roots, cut top growth back to 6 to 8 inches. Dig planting holes at least 6 inches deeper than needed for the plant roots and make the holes large enough so the roots will not crowd or bend. Be sure to place a handful of small rocks or pebbles in the bottom of holes for drainage. Mix 1 tablespoonful of fertilizer with the soil placed over the drainage material. Cover this mixture with plain soil, bringing the level to desired planting depth. Make a mound in the center to receive the plant. Set the plant roots over this mound and spread roots then fill in with the soil. Firm the soil by pressing tightly 2 or 3 times while filling the hole.

Rose care and feeding is very important.

The first feeding should come in early spring as soon as leaf buds begin to swell. Clear away the mulch and work plant food into soil the around the plant. Use 1 rounded tablespoon of fertilizer per plant unless tea roses in which you would cut that amount in half. Second feeding should be made at the same rate and immediately following the first heavy bloom. Third feeding is also at same rate and should be made in late summer with the exceptions of northern areas not later than August 15. In the southern areas where blooming extends into October and November, a fourth feeding is advised about the first of October. Many growers incorporate a regular monthly feeding in their rose care program during the growing season with good results. Controlling diseases and insects is easy with the regular use of chemicals. Chemicals control most fungus diseases and chewing insects. Regular dusting every week to ten days will make these problems easier to handle.

Water and Mulch

When watering, soak the soil to a depth of 6-8 inches. Cultivation is a definite must to eliminate weeds and keep the soil loose. Mulching during the summer months will eliminate weeds, reduce moisture evaporation and the necessity of cultivation. Every two to three weeks mulches should be applied before roses come into bloom.
When pruning, the bush types should be pruned during the early spring when the leaf buds begin to swell but before the growth starts.

As far as winter is concerned, it’s the alternating freezing and thawing that is destructive to your roses. Winter mulching with straw or peat moss is recommended with the exception of the extreme southern sections of the United States. Pull up the soil around each plant to basically 6 inches after the first frost. Once the ground is frozen, mulch again.

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