Round up for Z

We are the end of the Flower Festival. An event that brought people of varied interests together. Artists, photographers, gardeners, bloggers and non-bloggers joined in to show case their talent. In nature's world, the festival of flowers will go on. As Clare Ansberry said in The Women of Troy Hill - "Gardens and flowers have a way of bringing people together, drawing them from their homes."


Zinnia from Sree



Medium: Oil on Canvas

Named after the German botanist Johann Gottfried Zinn, these flowers come in a multitude of flowers. Long stemmed and solitary blooms attract butterflies. They favour strong sunlight and are a very popular garden plant. Zinnia's belong to the family - Asteraceae.


Zephyr Lily from Priya



Medium: Watercolor on paper

Z is for Zephyranthes aka Rain Lily, Zephyr Lily and Fairy Lily. These flowers belong to the Amarylis family. These are funnel shaped yellow, white or pink flowers. They bloom profusely during the rainy season, hence the name Rain Lily. Another version of the story behind the name Zephyr Lily is that Zephyr is the Greek God who ushers in the West Wind and it is the West Wind which brings in rain. Natives of the American Continent, these lily's are popular in Indonesia and Thailand too. They can be grow as potted plants.


Zinnia from Mythreyee



Medium: Photography

Mythreyee's Zinnia comes from her patio garden. These are bright colored flowers and looks very catchy and beautiful.Zinnias are true American natives that originated from the Southwest US, Mexico and Central America. The original was a purplish wildflower that grew in the Mexican deserts. Hybridizers have turned it into one of the most popular bedding plants.

Zinnias grow to between 6 and 40 inches in height with single and double blossoms varying in diameter from less than an inch to 7 inches. The petals can be any of a wide range of colors or multicolored.

Round up for Y

Y

Yellow Day Lily from Mythreyee



Medium:Photography

Mythreyee's contribution for this round is the Yellow Day Lily. The leaves of the Yellow Day Lily Flowering Bulb grow vigorously to over two feet long, arching like grass. Blooms of the Yellow Daylily Flowering Bulb begin from mid-May and continue forward. The Yellow Day Lily Flowering Bulb measure six inches across with petals that reflex backwards gracefully.

Yucca from Sree



Medium: Oil on canvas

Another Lily family member is the Yucca. The spineless yucca originates in Guatemala and southeast Mexico. Its a popular indoor plant. Roots of related species are used for making soaps, shampoos etc. Some parts are also used in food.

Ylang-Ylang from Priya



Medium: Watercolor on paper

Ylang Ylang is well known for its fragrance which has the flavors of pineapple, custard and jasmine. It is enough for a single yellow flower to bloom and fill your yard with its fragrance. The essential oil of Ylang Ylang is used in aromatheraphy where it is considered to have calming effects. Believed to be a native of South East Asia, it grows widely in the Pacific Islands. The plant thrives in moist, warm and humid temperatures. Tagalog is a Philippine language where the word Ylang Ylang means "flower of flowers". (Source: Britannica)

Round-up for W

W

W seems to be a very easy letter in the flower kingdom. There is a lot of diverse florals in this round.

White Silene from Manisha



Medium:Photography

Manisha found these teeny white campions on a cold late summer morning in Tiny Town, Colorado, which is at about 8500 ft in altitude. These flowers are originally a native of Europe. It can be an invasive weed, depending on where it is found.

White campion or silene latifolia has male and female plants. The picture featured above is a female plant with female flowers.

White campion contains saponins which are toxic but since they are poorly absorbed by our body, they don't cause much harm. When the root is simmered in hot water, it can be used as a soap substitute for washing clothes.

The plant grows up to 3ft in height and the flowers are between 1/2 inch to 1 inch in diameter. It flowers between June and September.

The plant to the left in the picture below is a male plant with flowers.





Wisteria from Shilpa:



Medium:Photography

Wisteria is a climbing vine with purple-blue flowers that hangs down like a bunch of grapes. It flowers in the beginning of spring. This plant is not very popular as it is invasive and suffocates other native plants, which in turn affects wildlife who depend on these native plants for food.

Shilpa found these flowers at the Japanese Tea Garden in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park.

Wiegla from Jugalbandi



Medium:Photography



Wood Sorrel and Woody Nightshade from Mamatha:



Medium:Photography

Common Wood Sorrel (Oxalis acetosella) is a plant from the Oxalis family. It flowers for a few months in spring, with small white flowers with pink streaks. The leaflets are made up by three heart-shaped leaves, folded through the middle. It is sometimes referred to as a shamrock (due to its three-leaf clover-like motif) and given as as gift on St. Patrick's Day. Mamatha clicked this picture at Smoky's.

(source: http://www.wikipedia.org)



Medium:Photography

Woody Nightshade (Solanum dulcamara) is a member of the Nightshade family (Solanaceae) - the family that supplies us with vegetables like potato, tomato, green and red peppers, eggplant. The leaves are always arranged to face the light and the flower clusters invariably face a different direction from the leaves. The plant bears tiny egg-shaped green fruits that finally mature into shiny red berries.

Mamatha found this flower along a trail by the Monongahela River in Pittsburgh.

(source: http://ww.the-tree.org.uk/EnchantedForest/WoodlandFlowers/woodynightshade.htm)

Wishbone from Sree



Medium: Oil on Canvasboard

A common annual that loves shade along with hot and humid weather. It resembles an open snap dragon. Purple, rose, light blue and white and most common colors.

Scientific Name:Torenia fournieri

Wildrose from Mythreyee



Medium:Photography

Each year, in the early part of June, these small white wild roses begin to bloom, bringing a contrast to the green background. These roses are a climbing variety, and they utilize other trees and shrubs for their support. A few of these roses are in single bushes, but most are seen cascading down from the branches of other vegetation.

These are wild growing, massively fragrant multifloras that bloom buckets of five petaled white flowers in late spring and early summer.


Waterlily from Priya



Medium: Watercolor on paper

Water Lily also known as Nymphaea belongs to a family that has around 50 species. Some of these are day blooming one's and some are night bloomers. Colors include white, pink, purple and blue. There is often a confusion between Water Lily and Lotus - the former belongs to the Nymphaea family, while the latter belongs to the Nelumbo family. The name Nelumbo is from Sinhala.

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.

Round up for T

T

Round Up for T:
Trifolium pratense and Trifolium repens from Shilpa

Shilpa's entry for this round are white and purple/pink clovers. Clovers are native to Europe and introduced in the US as a pasture crop. They can be found throughout the US in warm weather. Clovers have three oval leaflets with V shaped markings on them. The ball-shaped flower head is made up with many small flowers, and is very attractive to bees. Some flowers are edible and used in salads and to make tea.

The pink or the purple clover is Trifolium pratense and is considered nutritious food for livestock. The flowers and leaves are slightly bigger than the white clover.
The white clovers are called Trifolium repens. The flowers look like a little white ball and once a bee or other pollinating insect has visited it, the petals droop and reveal the red center indicating that it does not have to be visited again.


Tulips from Sree

Medium: Oil on Canvas

The national flower of Holland is a favorite of many flower lovers for the sheer variety in color and uniformity of shape. They are bulbous plants and belong to the species Liliaceae. Some have petals which are striped and feathered.

Thyme from Gini

Medium: Photography

Gini's entry is Thyme - an herb that doesn’t need a lot of water. The flowers of thyme are white and as tiny and delicate as the leaves. Thyme leaves are very fragrant and goes well with veggies, rice, seafood and meat.

Tulip from Priya

Medium: Photography

Tulips and Holland are inseperable. But Tulips trace their name to the Turkey where they were thought to resemble turbans. Tulip Festivals take place in Holland, England and North America during Spring.

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