Return of the lily beetle

Guess who came back?  Yes, lily beetles in abundance.  This time I grabbed my camera.  They are so mean looking.

The Language of flowers - ABC

I love how sentimental the victorians were, decorating their jewelery with hidden messages.  Here are what some flowers mean:

Alstromeria - Devotion, Friendship

Bluebell - Humility, Constancy

Calendula - Joy

Asiatic Lilies

Asiatic lilies give great impact and are really easy to grow.  They may not be fragrant like their oriental hybrid relatives but they come in more colours and flower earlier.  I grow mine in containers on the patio.  They are really simple to grow from bulbs and it works out a lot cheaper than buying them in bud from a garden centre.  They're simple to look after too, I just stake mine if they are getting to big to stand up straight by themselves.  Just watch out for lily beetles.  When I was watering my plants a few nights ago there were about eight of these little critters on my lilies.  They are red with black bodies, and make lots of holes in the foliage.  I have to admit the horticultural part of my brain kicked in before the photographer part, because they were all dead before I had chance to take a photo of them.  I prefer to be organic and knock them off the plant and stand on them rather than spraying them.  If you need to use chemicals to get rid of them, use one with contains thiacloprid or imidacloprid.

To view full picture:

http://www.flower-pictures.co.uk/p381546101/h3ff67e96#h3ff67e96

Dicentra spectabilis

Dicentra is one of those plants that you either love or hate.  I don't think that there is an inbetween option with this plant because it is so different.  Common names for this plant include bleeding heart and Dutchman's trousers.  I may not have been to the Netherlands, but I have met a few Dutch people, and their trousers, I'm glad to say, are not comparable to these flowers.  I would love to know who makes plant names up, because they must have a great imagination.

http://www.flower-pictures.co.uk/flowers/h112c5613#h112c5613

Dicentra spectabilis should really be called Lamprocapnos spectabilis but I still call it by it's old name, and garden centres still sell it under the Dicentra name too.  It grows in Eastern Asia in the wild, but in cultivation it can also be white . 

http://www.flower-pictures.co.uk/flowers/h112c5613#h112c5613

If growing this lovely plant keep it in partial sun, and make sure that it is not in acidic soil.  Then you will be guaranteed a lovely display from spring to summer.

Spring flowers

 

After the cold winter weather and relative scarcity flowering plants spring flowers are a welcome sight into any garden.  Snowdrops are one of the first to arrive.  It is almost surprising to believe that rare snowdrop bulbs can sell for hundreds of pounds, like the snowdrop bulb in Scotland which sold for £725.

Hundreds of years earlier in the seventeenth century tulips were all the rage for collectors.  Large numbers of bulbs became infected by tulip fire which caused striped flowers to occur.  In the Netherlands these rare specimens sold for as much as the price of a house in Amsterdam.

Daffodils are always popular.  Who can resist a vase brimming full of yellow daffodils?

Cherry blossoms flower in abundance, and provide a really stunning sight.  The only downside of this wonderful tree is the almost infinite amount of petals that fall to the ground after a windy day.  One of my favourite spring flowers I have seen this year has got to be the Japanese quince.  I was mesmorised by the beauty of Chaenomeles speciosa 'moerloosei'.

There are so many other spring favourites like bluebells, bleeding heart, magnolia and hyacinth.  The list could just go on and on...

Moving water with camera tv setting

To make water appear frozen or as droplets you can use the tv setting on your camera.  With tv mode you can control the shutter speed. I use a tripod and a remote so you don't get camera shake with longer exposures.

f/40, 1 second exposure (ISO 100) makes the water look more like steam in this shot.

f/11, 1/15 second exposure, ISO 100

f/2.8, 1/400 second, ISO 500

f/11, 1/1600 second, ISO 800 

You can see from the above settings, as the shutter speed gets faster the ISO increases which may increase noise in the image.  The best way to learn is to experiment with the tv mode, so go out and have fun.



Orchid aftercare

I often get asked about what you should do when your orchid has stopped flowering.  Well, this depends on what type of orchid it is.  For most orchids you cut the stem at the base.  Phalaenopsis, the most common available kind in shops are different.  You cut the stem at a node below where the last flower came from.  This should allow the Phalaenopsis orchid to flower much sooner than if you had cut it from the base.

Watering is also a common question.  For Phalaenopsis orchids I go by the colour of the roots.  If the roots are looking nice and green then they don't need water (this is why you should keep your orchid in a clear pot).  If your orchid's roots are looking a creamy colour and are shrivelling then water is needed.  You probably need to water every 10-14 days.  Either water by dunking in a bucket of water or place the pot in a sink and water from the top.  Make sure that you don't get water in the leaf rosette because this could encourage rot.  Also don't let your orchid sit in excess water because they don't appreciate this.

http://www.flower-pictures.co.uk/cut-flowers/h46e3ad3#h46e3ad3