White as Snow!

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Yes, we have snow here in Colorado! And that's all I can see or think of right now so I figured white would be very appropriate for the next color! No grays, please!

Hex triplet: #FFFFFF
RGB(r, g, b): (255, 255, 255)
HSV(h, s, v): (-°, 0%, 100%)

Color: White
Entries per blog: 2
Deadline: October 31, 2009
Directions:
  1. Write a post on your blog with a picture of your white flower and link to this announcement in your post.
  2. Your white flower must be identified using its botanical name or common name. Either will do. Both is terrific! If you need help identifying your flowers, upload a picture to your Flickr account and send it to the group ID Please asking for help.
  3. Paint, sketch, doodle, photograph. The choice is yours.
  4. Please include the Flower Fest logo in your post. You can download it by clicking here. (We also have a .gif with a transparent background, if you would prefer to use that. This does not render well on dark backgrounds.)
  5. Then, drop us an email at flowerfestival [at] gmail [dot] com with the following information:
    • Your name / nickname / blogger handle
    • A permanent link to your post with a picture of the flower
    • Do this before October 31, 2009.

  6. A round-up will be posted within a couple of days after the deadline.
  7. Not a blogger? No worries. Send an email with your picture to flowerfestival[at]gmail[dot]com. Don't forget to include the name of your flower, botanical or common, and we'll include it in the round-up.
Looking forward to your white flowers!

Orange-y Flowery Goodness

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Orange is such a warm color - just the right one to set the mood for fall in the northern hemisphere. Thanks to everyone for sending in their orange flowers! Here's what we have for you!

Asha, an avid gardener in Bangalore, India, sent pictures of her luscious container garden.


Ixora

There are about 400 species spread from Africa to India to Southern Asia!


 Stictocardia tiliifolia

This uncommon species is a tropical vine related to the Ipomoea or Morning glory. Its beautiful funnel-form flowers are large and brightly colored in reddish orange with some yellow stripes in the throat.

Soma found these orange beauties on her jaunts:


Jointvetches
The above orange flower is Aeschynomene genus of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae (Legumes/Pea/Bean). They are known commonly as Jointvetches. These legumes are most common in warm regions and many species are aquatic.  These were growing wild in the Dinosaur Valley Park, Glen Rose, Texas. There are over 100 species found of the Aeschynomene.


Orange poppy

Soma saw this deep orange poppy at the Dallas Arboretum.

Sailu sends in this lovely flower with some cultural tidbits:


 Firecracker

Kanakambaram is a tropical shrub that is usually grown in pots. It has small fragile orange flowers also known as Firecracker. With no fragrance, these tiny flowers are often strung together into strands, sometimes along with white jasmine flowers. In most cities in Southern India, especially near temples and street corners, you will find flower vendors, busy stringing together these flowers into garlands that are offered to temple deities as well as adorn women’s hair.

Botanical Name: Crossandra infundibuliformis

Shilpa sends in the view from her window - what a lucky girl!


Gulmohar

Gulmohar is from the Fabaceae family and flowers from April to July. It is grown as a street tree mainly for its ornamental properties. An Indian summer is incomplete without the flamboyant flowers.

Manisha found an orange flower when she traipsed through the Utah desert:

Globe mallow

She came across these bright flowers in Utah's Arches National Park last year. They are called Desert Globe Mallow and belong to the Malvaceae family. The botanical name for this globe mallow is Sphaeralcea coccinea. It can be found in semi-desert and arid regions.

Raji goes on hikes in search of flowers!

California Poppies


She times her hikes so that she can catch them in full bloom. She often sees a bed poppies on either side as she hikes! 
Botanical name: Eschscholzia californica


Orange lantana

Sometimes she finds them on her walks during her lunch hour.
Botanical name: Lantana camara
  
Thanks to everyone for sending in their orange flowers and I hope you stay tuned for the next color, the announcement will be coming up soon!


Orange you glad it's a new color?

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The colour orange is named after the orange fruit, introduced to Europe via the Sanskrit word nāranja. Before this was introduced to the English-speaking world, the colour was referred to (in Old English) as geoluhread, which translates into Modern English as yellow-red.

Color: Orange (no browns)
Entries per blog: 2
Deadline: September 25, 2009
Directions:
  1. Write a post on your blog with a picture of your orange flower and link to this announcement in your post.
  2. Your orange flower must be identified using its botanical name or common name. Either will do. Both is terrific! If you need help identifying your flowers, upload a picture to your Flickr account and send it to the group ID Please asking for help.
  3. Paint, sketch, doodle, photograph. The choice is yours.
  4. Please include the Flower Fest logo in your post. You can download it by clicking here. (We also have a .gif with a transparent background, if you would prefer to use that. This does not render well on dark backgrounds.)
  5. Then, drop us an email at flowerfestival [at] gmail [dot] com with the following information:
    • Your name / nickname / blogger handle
    • A permanent link to your post with a picture of the flower
    • Do this before September 25, 2009.
  6. A round-up will be posted within a couple of days after the deadline.
  7. Not a blogger? No worries. Send an email with your picture to flowerfestival[at]gmail[dot]com. Don't forget to include the name of your flower, botanical or common, and we'll include it in the round-up.
Looking forward to your orange entries!

Round-up for Purple

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Do you know what time it is? Yes! It’s time to round-up all those purplicious flowers we have received! Thanks folks for coming up with these beauties to kick-start this new season at Flower Festival.

Here’s the round up for the color purple:

Orchid from Gini

Gini sends us this delicate Orchid (Spathoglottis Plicata) from her mother’s garden in Kerala.


Aster from Aparna

Aparna from My Diverse Kitchen sends us these pretty Aster flowers that were a gift for her husband.

She also sends in Purple Shamrock (Oxalis regnellii) as her second entry.


Verbena from TBC

Budding Cook, TBC sends us this lovely Moss Verbena (Verbena tenuisecta) that she found in Hershey Gardens in PA


Wild Brinjal and Milkweed from Shilpa

Shilpa has the star shaped flowers of the Wild Brinjal or Purple Fruited Pea Eggplant as her first contribution.

She also sends us Milkweed (Calotropis gigantea), a common Indian wildflower, that she found on her morning walk.


Butterfly Bush from Cherry Blossoms

Our blogger over at Cherry Blossoms sends us a picture of this gorgeous Butterfly Bush (Buddleja davidii)


Hydrangea and Iris from Soma

Soma from eCurry has contributed two gorgeous purple flowers for us. She sends us this Hydrangea variety from her front yard.

And as her second entry she sends us this purple Iris that she found at the Dallas Arboretum.


Chicory from Ashwini

Konkani Foodie, Ashwini has this edible beauty, Chicory, that she found on one of her trips.


Purple Tedra and Lotus from Madhuli


Madhuli at My Food Court pitches in with these two beautiful pictures of Purple Tedra (Impatiens lawji) and Purple Lotus (Nelumbo Nucifera)


Hibiscus and Orchid from Asha

Asha has these two pretty flowers for us from her garden, Hibiscus and Orchid Dendrobium.


Wild Bergamot or Purple Bee Balm from Manisha

Manisha has these beautiful Wild Bergamot or Purple Bee Balm that she found on a hike in Boulder Mountain Park.


Verbena from Anita

Mad Tea Party's Anita sends us these beautiful Verbena from her terrace garden.


Salvia and Potato Flowers

Bee and Jai from Jugalbandi send us the perfectly purple Salvia and Potato flowers from their garden.

This brings us to the end of this round up for purple. Thank You once again everyone for your help in reviving Flower Fest. Stay tuned to find out which color is up next.

If you would like to participate in the Flower Festival, send in your photographs, doodles, paintings or sketches to flowerfestival[at]gmail[dot]com. Check this post for more information.

Purplicious

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Purple is a general term used in English for the range of shades of color occurring between red and blue. In additive light combinations it occurs by mixing the primary colors red and blue in varying proportions.


Color: Purple
Entries per blog: 2
Deadline: August 25, 2009
Directions:
  1. Write a post on your blog with a picture of your purple flower and link to this announcement in your post.
  2. Your purple flower must be identified using its botanical name or common name. Either will do. Both is terrific! If you need help identifying your flowers, upload a picture to your Flickr account and send it to the group ID Please asking for help.
  3. Paint, sketch, doodle, photograph. The choice is yours.
  4. Please include the Flower Fest logo in your post. You can download it by clicking here. (We also have a .gif with a transparent background, if you would prefer to use that. This does not render well on dark backgrounds.)
  5. Then, drop us an email at flowerfestival [at] gmail [dot] com with the following information:
    • Your name / nickname / blogger handle
    • A permanent link to your post with a picture of the flower
    • Do this before the deadline. The first deadline is August 25, 2009.
  6. A round-up will be posted within a couple of days after the deadline.
  7. Not a blogger? No worries. Send an email with your picture to flowerfestival[at]gmail[dot]com. Don't forget to include the name of your fower, botanical or common, and we'll include it in the round-up.
Looking forward to your purplicious entries!

Reviving Flower Fest

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It's been almost 2 years since we last had a fest here. I would like to revive Flower Fest, with a slight difference: Flower Fest by color.

Who's in?