Wild, woodsy, wonderful W!

Thank you, LR Ramaswamy for a title for W!

The email address is flowerfestival[at]gmail[dot]com. The deadline is August 8, 2007. If you don't have a blog, please include a brief description about the flower you are submitting. The rest of the guidelines are here!

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

V are ready with the Round-Up!

V

Here's the round up for V

Verbascum Thapsus from Manisha Manisha sends us this weed she found on a camping trip on a cold day. Known as common mullein or great mullein, this weed can grow over 7 feet tall. A wet spring can result in leaves that are as long as 20 inches.

Wikipedia says that it has been used since ancient times as a remedy for skin, throat and breathing ailments. It has long had a medicinal reputation, especially as an astringent and emollient. It contains mucilage, several saponins, coumarin and glycosides. Dioscorides recommended it for diseases of the lung and it is nowadays widely available in health and herbal stores. Non-medical uses have included dyeing and making torches.

Vicia satvia from Shilpa
Shilpa found these growing on the sidewalk outside her home. Common vetch, as Vicia sativa is commonly called, is a weed that grows on roadsides and fields. It is a small plant with attractive purple-pink flowers from the pea family. The leaves are a lovely shade of green growing on stems that taper off into tendrils. The flowers bloom from April to August and are very attractive to bees and butterflies.

Vinca from Priya
Vinca, commonly known as Periwinkle or Madagascar Periwinkle is an ornamental plant. Vinca is a Latin word meaning "to bind". These flowers are annuals and their flowering time is from June to September. They love the sun and are drought resistant. The foliage is evergreen and glossy. They are ideal for borders and as container plants. The commonly found colors are white, pink, lavender and red. They are native to North America, China and India. Vinca has medicinal uses too and are used for lowering blood pressure and sugar levels.

Vinca Minor from Mythreyee
We have another picture of Vinca sent in by Mythreyee. She says, "This is a picture of a Periwinkle, popularly called Vinca Minor. I found these pretty flowers in my Apartment Complex."

Viola by Sree Sree sends this oil painiting of Viola. Violets or Viola from the Violaceae family also come in shades of cream, yellow or mix of blue and yellow.Some are sweet scented and others have a substance that can desensitize the nasal receptors. They grow well in wet and shaded regions and are common in the Northern Hemisphere. Some of these are called Pansies.

Violets by Mamatha

Mamatha, a first time participant at Flower Fest, sends us two pictures of Violets that she found in the Smoky Mountains. The first picture is that of a Sweet White Violet and the second one is called Canada Violet.

Venture forth with V

The next letter is V.

The email address is flowerfestival[at]gmail[dot]com. The deadline is July 25, 2007.

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

Round up for U

U

Ursinia from Priya

Medium- Soft pastels and pen

Ursinia anthemoides belongs to the daisy family. This is a native of South Africa and is also called as the South African Marigold or Common Parachute Daisy. Bright and sunny, these flowers bloom in spring and summer. A place called Namaqualand in South Africa has fields of these yellow beauties during Spring. In Afrikaans it is called glansoogbergmagriet which means glossy-eyed-mountain-daisy.



Ulex Europa from Sree





Medium- Oil on Canvas

This evergreen shrub that has yellow blossoms resembling pea flowers, is mostly found in parts of Europe, Scotland and Portugal. Leaves are modified to spines. Its considered a weed in many parts of America, NewZealand and Australia. Also called the Common Gorse (from the family Fabaceae), its grows up to a maximum of 3 metres in height.