Make Merry with M

Moving on to M.

The deadline is March 7, 2007. The email address is flowerfestival[at]gmail[dot]com.

Looking forward to seeing you all at the next round-up!

Round up for L

L

Folks at Flower Fest have come up with some gorgeous blooms to celebrate the fever of love which is still in the air.

Lotus from Prashanth:


(Medium: Photography)

Prashanth debuts his participation in the Flower Fest with a glorious picture of the Lotus on Pookoot Lake. Please welcome Prashanth! And we hope to have more beauties from him for subsequent letters!

Lenten Rose from Shilpa:


(Medium: Photography)

Shilpa was surprised to see this beautiful blook in the middle of winter, with such bright green leaves when everything around it was bare and brown! It was the Lenten Rose. But is it a rose? Find out on Shilpa's new blog, An Eye on Nature.

Lily from Mythreyee:


(Medium: Photography)

Lily belongs to the genus Lilium. There are about 100 species in the lily family, Liliaceae. They are important as showy and large flowered garden plants, and in literature. Lilies are native to the northern temperate regions. Their range in the Old World extends across much of Europe, the north Mediterranean, across most of Asia to Japan, south to the Nilgiri mountains in India, and south to the Philippines. In the New World they extend from southern Canada through much of the United States. A few species formerly included within this genus have now been placed in other genera. Lilies are usually erect leafy stemmed herbs. The majority of species form naked or tunic-less scaly underground bulbs from which they overwinter. The large flowers have three petals along with three petal-like sepals, often fragrant, and come in a range of colours ranging through whites, yellows, oranges, pinks, reds, purples, bronze and even nearly black. Markings include spots, brush strokes and picotees. The plants are summer flowering. For more on the lily, visit Mythreyee's blog.

Lagerstroemia Indica from Shilpa:


(Medium: Photography)

Also from Shilpa, the Lagerstroemia Indica or the Crepe Myrtle have striking flowers in summer, brilliant foliage in fall and the stark, attractively gnarled look of the tree in winter provide year-round beauty to gardens and parks. REad more on Shilpa's new blog!

Lily of the Valley from Sree:

(Medium: Oil on canvas)

The National flower of Finland has an interesting tale. Also called 'Our Lady's tears', legend has it that the tears Mary shed at the cross turned to Lilies of the Valley. These sweet scented spring flowers are native to Asia, Europe and North America. Very occasionally they also grow in a shade of pink. Flowers are hardly bigger than a centimeter. Leaves used in the right quantity are medicinal and otherwise poisonous. These blooms belong to the species - Convallaria majalis.

Lantana Camara from Priya :

(Medium: Watercolor, size 4 by 4.5 in)

Teeny-tiny in size and colorful in appearance, Lantana Camara is a native of America and Africa. These are small clusters of red, orange, yellow, white, pink and violet blooms which attracts birds and bees. The berries of this plant are posionous. It is easy to grow, requires very little water and adapts itself to most soil conditions.

Lomatium from Manisha :


(Medium: Photography)

These bright yellow tiny flowers are Lomatium, also known as the Biscuitroot for their starchy edible roots. It belongs to the Apiaceae family or the parsley family. And while some species are eaten as food, others used to make herbal medicines, some are highly toxic.


If you would like to participate in the Flower Festival, send in your photographs, doodles, paintings or sketches to flowerfestival[at]gmail[dot]com. Our next halt will be at "M".

Love is in the Air...L

Just in time for Valentine's Day. The letter is L.

You know what to do!

The deadline is February 21, 2007. The email address is flowerfestival[at]gmail[dot]com.

Round up for K

K

The entries for this round of K are:

Sree's entry is an oil painting of King's Mantle or Bush Clock Vine. This shrub/vine ( can be grown as either!) bears very pretty violet ( or white ) blossoms. It's botanical name is Thunbergia/Meyenia erecta/ Family: Acanthaceae (ruellia family).


Priya's entry is a watercolor painting of Kingfisher Daisy or Felicia Bergerana. This is an evergreen plant that has its origins in South Africa. This blue bloom requires a lot of sunshine and thrives under hot dry conditions. Kingfisher daisies can be ideally grown in rock gardens and container gardens. A single daisy measures upto a three-fourth of an inch.

Manisha's entry is a watercolor painting of Klamath Weed, popularly known as St John's Wort. Klamath weed or Hypericum perforatum, is a perennial plant found in almost all the US states at low elevations and in dry places. It is classified as a noxious and poisonous weed. It exudes oily secretions from its stems and these can cause a rash on people with sensitive skin. Ingesting large quantities of this weed can result in convulsions, palpitation and high heart rate, increased body temperature, and even blindness in both humans and animals. This weed is used in herbal medication, and was recently identified as an effective treatment against some forms of depression.

Mythreyee's entry is an oil pastel sketch of King's Spear. King's spear has leafy stem and fragrant yellow flowers. It has its origin in the Mediterranean region and belongs to the genera Asphodeline and Asphodelus having linear leaves and racemes of white or pink or yellow flowers. These plants are perennial or biennial herbs.

If you would like to contribute to this round, please send in your entries to flowerfestival[at]gmail[dot]com. We will soon be moving to "L".

Tags:Flower Fest , Flower Fest Round Up , Round Up K