Queue it up for Q

The deadline is April 28 May 2, 2007. The email address is flowerfestival[at]gmail[dot]com.

So get with it and start submitting your flowers that start with Q.

This round's Nifty Title is courtesy of Pooja Aggarwal.

Do you alliterate? Do you write strong headlines? If you have an idea for a title for R, write to flowerfestival[at]gmail[dot]com and let us know!

RoundUp for P

P

We are down to the 16th letter in the Alphabet! Its wonderful to have a huge bouquet of flowers for this round of the flowerfestival. We have two paintings and numerous photographs of a variety of flowers. Here they are!

Plumeria from Bee


Medium - Photography

Bee sends in her first entry for the Flower Fest with plumeria which she says is fragrant and gorgeous. This picture taken at the Singapore Botanical Garden.

Primula from Mythreyee


Medium - Photography
Primula is a genus of 400-500 species of low-growing herbs in the family Primulaceae. They include primrose, auricula, cowslip and oxslip. Many species are grown for their ornamental flowers. They are native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere, south into high altitude tropical mountains in Ethiopia, Indonesia and New Guinea, and are also found in temperate southern South America.

Perennial primulas bloom mostly during the spring; their flowers can be purple, yellow, red, pink, or white. Generally, they prefer filtered sunlight. Many species are adapted to high alpine climates.

Both the common name and scientific name refer to it being the first (prime) "rose" to open in spring. Primroses are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including Large Yellow Underwing, Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing, Setaceous Hebrew Character and Silver-ground Carpet.

Some species of Primula are commonly known as polyanthus. (Source: Wikipedia)

Pansy from Priya

Medium - Watercolor

Pansies withstand all seasons even the harshest of winters in the Southern part of US. They bloom in a lot of colors - red, yellow, lavender, blue, violet, yellow, pink, white etc.
They are named after the French word pensee which means thought. And that is because they look like they are in deep thought. (Source: Wikipedia, Pansies are edible and used in salads. Some breeds have a delicate fragrance too.



Poppy from Sree



Medium- Oil on Canvas Board

Poppy or Papaversomniferum, known for the notorious Opium is found is a variety of colors, red and white being the most common. Seeds also called KhusKhus are used in cooking.

Polyanthus and Periwinkle from Mythili



Medium - Photography

The Polyanthus is a member of the primula family and flower from early winter to late spring. They come in so many colors and combinations.



Medium - Photography

Vinca Major or the Periwinkle, cute little bundle of joy in violet is a very common flowering shrub.

Phlox from Shilpa



Medium - Photography

Phlox subulata is a low growing plant with tiny needle like leaves that stay green throughout the year. In spring, during the bloom period, the flowers take over and form a spectacular colorful carpet. It spreads wild if allowed space, thus earning the name creeping phlox. The plant comes in a few different colors and when planted next to each other it makes an attractive sight. They are native to the eastern United States.

PurpleWreath and Plumeria from Anita



Medium - Photography

The beautiful Purple Wreath is amongst the first spring blooms in Delhi. The twisting bark of this deciduous creeper has an interesting texture. The leaves are very rough and sandpaper-like. In Delhi it blooms between March and April. The whole creeper gets covered with lilac-purple bunches of flowers. The blue-purple flowers fall off as the sun rises, but the lilac bracts give a burst of lasting colour.



Medium - Photography

The second entry is the Plumeria or Frangipani which is commonly called the temple tree.


Plumeria from Pooja



Medium - Photography

Plumerias are so commonly seen at Kauai that they might be considered as the Stateflower!


PowderPuff and Plumeria from Prashanth



Medium - Photography

The first entry by Prashanth is the cute PowderPuff, aptly named so!



Medium - Photography

And again, what seems to be the favourite in this round of the FlowerFest is
"Plumeria acutifolia" from the "Apocynaceae" family. aka Temple tree.

Pansy , Poinsettia and Petunia from Sigma



Medium - Photography

Grown in pots, troughs, or as mass plantings, pansies have never gone out of fashion. These lightly scented flowers are available in a huge range of colors. The dark centers in some flowers are thought to resemble little faces. They grow only six to ten inches high and can spread up to ten to twelve inches across. They grow well in sun or semi-shade, and can tolerate cool weather.





Medium - Photography

The poinsettia's species name pulcherrima means "most beautiful"! Euphorbia pulcherrima is named after Dr. J.R. Poinsett, and was introduced to gardeners in the early 19th century. The species is a tall, rangy shrub that grows to a height of 10 ft. It has large, dark green, oval leaves that are "toothed" on the sides and pointed at the tips. They emerge from smooth green erect stems. Flowers are borne at the stem tips in winter. The actual flowers are quite small (they are the yellow structures at the center of the brilliantly colored "bracts") The bracts are actually modified leaves - in the species there usually are 8 to 10 bracts that are 4-7 in long.



Medium - Photography

Petunias are one of the best summer flowering annuals for massed display. They are available in every color except orange. Bloom throughout the summer and into autumn if faded flowers are removed regularly. Plants quickly grow to a height of 10-16 inches. The basic petunia flower is funnel shape, but hybridizers have created many variations including singles and doubles with petals that have wavy or fringed margins. Many patterns are available in stripes, speckles and borders in an extensive color palette that includes purple, mauve, lavender, pink, red, white and yellow. Leaves and stems are sticky to the touch and have a distinctive odor.


Prairie Coneflower from Manisha



Medium - Photography

Also known as the Mexican Hat, the prairie coneflower is a wildflower found almost all over the US. It is a perennial, native to the US, that grows to about 3 feet in height. It is often cultivated along the roadsides as it is drought tolerant and easy to grow. So it wasn't a surprise when I found it on one of my walks last fall. It blooms in summer and lingering blooms can be found through early fall in the foothills. The Great Plains Indians brewed a tea from the leaves and flowers of this plant. They used a decoction of leaves and stems to treat poison ivy and rattlesnake bites and took an infusion of the plant tops to treat headaches and stomach aches.

Tags:Flower Fest , Flower Fest Round Up

Posy picking with P

P for plants and posies with personality. Let's have 'em!

The deadline is April 18, 2007. The email address is flowerfestival[at]gmail[dot]com.

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


Nifty Title and alliteration within this post courtesy of Pel.

Do you alliterate? Do you write strong headlines? If you have an idea for a title for Q, write to flowerfestival[at]gmail[dot]com and let us know!

Round up for O

O

It’s round-up time! Here are the entries for O.

Oleander from Sree

Medium: Oil on canvas
Sree sends us Oleander. Oleander is an evergreen shrub, it grows into a small tree and blossoms (clusters or bunches at the end of each branch or shoot) can be various shades of pink, white, cream etc. They have a mild fragrance. The flower is from the genus Nerium.

Orchids from Pooja

Medium: Photography
Pooja, a new participant at Flower Fest, has two pictures of Orchids to share with us. Here’s what she has to say about the flowers, “I think this particular variety is referred to as dendrodium orchids or popularly known as "Singapore" orchids. They are often used in Zen arrangements, but more commonly are used as bouquets for graduation days in United States (maybe at other places too, I have most commonly seen them at graduation ceremonies in US). Many times each stem-tip is individually packaged in a small test-tube shaped container which contains the necessary water and nutrients for the flower. Most likely this is done because the flower and the plant itself is very sensitive to the amount of water given to it.”

Oxalis from Priya

Medium: Watercolor on paper
Priya's entry this time is Oxalis. Oxalis belongs to the Wood Sorrel family. These white, pink or yellow flowers have clover shaped leaves. The flowers are around 2 cms and bloom from June to September. It grows abundantly in the California Redwood Forests. It is a native of South America. These are showy plants and will look good as potted plants.

Oxalis Stricta from Shilpa

Medium: Photography
Shilpa also has Oxalis. Oxalis stricta have tiny yellow flowers that occur in spring and are described as an invasive yard weed. The leaves of the plant are divided into three heart shaped leaflets which close at night and reopen in the morning. The leaves are edible and taste sour as they contain oxalic acid. It is fine when eaten in small quantities but can be harmful when ingested in large quantities. It has a number of common names of which the popular names are Yellow Wood Sorrel and Sour Grass.

Oxeye Daisy from Mythreyee

Medium: Photography
Mythreyee's entry is from the Daisy family.The Oxeye Daisy is a typical meadow flower, growing in a variety of plant communities such as dry fields, meadows, but also under scrubs, open-canopy forests and waste places. It thrives in a wide range of conditions and prefers heavy and damp soils. It was introduced in parts of North America, Australia and New Zealand, where it is now a common weed displacing native plant species in some areas. It is difficult to control or eradicate, since a new plant can regenerate from rhizome fragments.


I hope you have enjoyed this round-up. If you have entries you would like to send in for O, please do so and we will update the post. We will be moving on to the next letter P soon and hope to see many more contributors. Please refer to the Guidelines mentioned here if you are interested in participating.

Tags:Flower Fest , Flower Fest Round Up