It’s sad but true that romance is probably one of the last things on our mind, unless of course you are newlyweds or in a new relationship. Traditionally Valentine’s Day is filled with chocolates, roses, and rather revolting boxer shorts. But how about we put some real thought and meaning to a day that is all about celebrating your loved one. For me it is still all about flowers, as having flowers bought for you do make you feel special.  What makes it even more special is when someone finds out what is your favourite flower, or your favourite coloured flower if your favourite is not in season.  There is real scientific research behind flowers as a gift, apparently the colours, and scent, if your flowers have some, bring on those feel good endorphins. What is best about these is that this feeling lasts for as long as your flowers do, so every time your partner glances around to see the stunning flowers you have bought them that feeling is renewed. Who wouldn’t want to do this for their partner.  So come on everyone put some thought into making your Valentine feel special this year. I think we all deserve a good year.  Remember girls it is also a Leap year this year!

 I was lucky enough to be able to go out to a Dahlia grower in Auckland and was amazed at the variety and amazing range of colours
that they come in. So thank you very much to Linda and Robert for their time showing me about these vibrant flowers.

 The most interesting thing I learnt is that with some dahlias its just a matter of genetics.  Most of the commercially grown Dahlias come in ball, pompoms, decorative, cactus and fimbriated varieties.  The main difference between these varieties is how the petals are rolled. Sort of like
being a human you can either roll your tongue, or you can’t.  Cactus variety dahlias the petals roll outwards creating the separated spiky look. Pompoms, balls and some of the decorative ones the petals roll inwards to create the fuller look, and the fimbriated varieties are outward rollers with a fork at the end to create an amazing spiky messy look. This is of course a bit simplified as there are many other types of dahlias as well, but most of the commercially grown varieties
fall into these categories.

What gets me though is the staggering colours, they range from pure whites, through to lemons, pinks, reds, oranges, dark reds, and the
variation of colours within one Dahlia is astounding. A lot of them have a variation of colour, and as they open the colours can change and darken.  

Dahlias are one of the few flower varieties that are picked when the flower is in full bloom, so they are stunning immediately. The
main thing to remember is they are hollow stemmed which means they need water and lots of it, try and get them into water as quickly as you can once you have purchased them, and don’t leave them hanging in the car in the heat for to long as you will shorten their vase life.

If you want to go for seasonal flowers, you can check out our seasonal calendar to see when they are available in New Zealand, if they aren’t there ask us on Facebook and we will find out for you.  If you are going to go with your favourite coloured flower, have a look at the galleries, and copy and paste the flowers
that appeal to you so you can show the florist. If you are going this way make sure you take a picture or sample of your dress to help the florist choose the right shades of colour.

If you are still looking around at different ideas, on Facebook we have a wedding album with some of the work from Florists around New
Zealand to give you ideas.

Once you have decided a great way to work out exactly what you want is to create a wedding board, have a picture of the bouquet that you
want for your big day, then photos of each of the flowers that you would like in it. This way you have created the starting board to discuss with your florist.
Then they can go through each of your choices, and work out what is seasonal, what is not and offer alternatives.  

Check out these two wedding boards that I have quickly done, I have just cut and pasted the bouquet of choice from our Facebook page, and then the varieties from our photo galleries on the website. weddingboard1, weddingboard2

So have fun choosing your flowers and have a fabulous wedding day.

Floriade is a world horticultural expo, and its sheer scale is amazing.

Floriade is held only once every 10 years and has been since 1960. It runs from early April through till early October. To give you an idea of the scale of Floriade, the expo covers 66 hectares in Venlo which is two hours south from Amsterdam, and it takes pretty
much 10 years to construct. So once one  Floriade is finished  the next one with planning and preparation starts.

In fact there is even a roadshow this year which runs through the Netherlands and Germany to promote the event, and showcases the
building of Floriade 2012.

In previous events they have built hills, trams, and landmarks and in fact the 185 metre tall Euromast in Rotterdam was built for the
first Floriade in 1960, and remains a monument in Rotterdam to this day.

This Floriade is based around 5 themes, environment, education and innovation, green engine, relax and heal, and the world show
stage. Each theme has its own area, and some of the features include a jazz bar by the beach, a candy tree for children, numerous gardens, an outdoor theatre and even a jungle. If you are thinking how on earth can you get around, well there is also a gondola.

Floriade is a one in 10 year opportunity to experience the future 10 years, if you are in the area, it has to be a must see.

The photos are of some of the features that are currently being built, so check out their website for yourself. http://www.floriade.com/

The best thing about these is you only need two or three
stems to make an impressive display in a vase, as there are between 2 to 5
flowers per stem. So for the price of two stems you will end up with a gorgeous
simple display that will last.

Available in whites, pinks and reds, all of them are
stunning, but the ones I love the most are the variegated whites. There are
heaps of these around at the moment in both cut flowers and plants.

 Although these are native to South Central America, and some of the pacific islands we have one grower in New Zealand that has mastered the art of growing gorgeous tropical flowers. These are grown up north, and are best in late spring, summer. We were able to take photo’s of these growing up north, and they really do look like a lush tropical oasis.

 So if you are looking for a modern look for your home, you can’t really go past the Heliconia to make you feel like you are in the tropics.

Poppies start off as a rather ugly bud, but the colours that emerge are so vivid and bright. They come in shades of white, yellow,
coral, orange and red. These have to be some of the easiest flowers to have in the house, a simple bunch of these doesn’t need any special arranging they make a gorgeous bright bouquet on their own. They also look fabulous in posies as well. 

As they don’t have leaves on the stems all they need is a simple recut of the stem to ensure a fresh cut to get the best water uptake, a vase of fresh water and that’s it. You will have a vase of some of the most beautiful bright flowers you can find. These are a summer flower and have about another six weeks of being at their prime. So do what I am going to do and go buy yourself a bunch today.

 We will keep you updated on all the varieties as they come into season on our Facebook page as well, so make sure you keep an eye on
this.

I went along to see Martin who is a ruscus grower, to see how it grew and take some photos of it, as I always think greenery and flowers growing on a large scale look amazing. After talking to him, and a few of the florists who swear by it, I became an even bigger follower of this gorgeous green stuff. Ruscus is grown in New Zealand purely for the flower industry, particularly because it is hardy and long lasting. There are a couple of different types but the one that is grown here is the Israel Ruscus, which is the ruscus that can last for at least 6 weeks. What I didn’t realise was that it is also a member of the lily family, but looking at it you would never know. The other great thing about it is because it is an evergreen shrub it is grown year round.

I might just start keeping a bunch of this in a vase at home, I can add flowers week to week to the vase, and if I forget to top up the water I’m not going to kill it anytime soon. In fact it’s the perfect greenery for someone like me that has been known to kill a cactus.

Anemone – March till September

Ranunculus – May till October

Dahlias – January till March 

All of these flowers have one thing in common.  Their uniqueness is that when they are in season they are still not available in huge quantities, but well worth looking out for.  Generally flowers like this are snapped up by the florists at auction, so a Florist shop should be your first port of call. Or check out our retail locator for someone in your area and you can call and check if they have any.

Lily of the Valley

Since the royal wedding this flower has soared in popularity. However in New Zealand they are generally hard to come by, and have a very short growing season. They should start appearing in our florist shops generally around the end of July, early August, but if you blink you will miss the season as they really are only around for a month and a half at the most. Definitely worth looking out for just for the gorgeous scent.

Anemones

These are a flower that Alasdair Thompson probably recommends to all his female staff, as they were traditionally used for medicinal purposes for that monthly sickness. These are currently in season, and come in gorgeous strong colours such as purples and reds. They have a number of different species, one of them called the poppy anemone, and you can see why, as they do bear a resemblance to the poppy. For such a simple looking flower they can be stunning especially a mixed bunch of these in a simple glass jar or vase..

Ranunculus

These although being out at present, are still in limited supply, so again look to your florists first for these.  They are fantastic for lasting for a while as they come in bud, and then open slowly so you get your money’s worth. Again the colours of these are amazing, reds, oranges, yellows, but they also come in soft pinks and white.  The colours make them amazingly versatile, I have seen these make an amazing soft romantic bridal bouquet, but also make an outstanding cheerful bouquet for a sick friend.

Dahlias

These gorgeous specimens generally are only around for three months at the most.  Unfortunately their season for this year is pretty much over, although if you are lucky there may be some around at the end of the year. There is a couple of varieties of these that pop up in late December, depending on the weather. I love these they are full, bright and gorgeous. Well worth keeping an eye out for when in season, just for the fabulous jewel like colours that they are known for.