Handmade greeting cards

Roses always come at the top of the list in literature and various gardening shows. The sheer abundance of varieties, colour and smell makes it a truly inspiring plant. Whatever garden you have, there will be a rose variety to suit whether you have a balcony, small patio or city or county garden, you can enjoy this flower.

One of the best times to truly appreciate the scent of roses, is just as the sun comes down on a warm summers evening, is absolutely heavenly.

Roses are always popular with weddings, anniversaries and valentines.

Every survey that asks the nation – what our favourite flower is, the answer is always the same – the rose.

The english country garden is not complete without one or two of these delightful flowers.

Last year, there was a survey to find out the worlds favourite rose, impossible you would think! Well the results showed that it is indeed the David Austin rosa ‘Graham Thomas’ do you agree?

In the language of flowers the rose stands for –

- Love

- The Yellow rose can mean  – jealousy

The rose is a perennial flower and has over 100 different species within the family Rosaceae. Every year the collection grows, with new varieties being introduced all the time.

David Austin has over 800 varieties!

The huge variety of roses means that if you want to grow a rose, there will be a variety for you; from the shrub, floribunda, tea, climbing, patio etc…

The RHS have provided a guide to how to plant roses

To ensure greater success with growing your chosen rose, the advice is that bare root roses are the best to buy, from a reputable grower. As roses are available everywhere, including the local petrol station and high street DIY store, you can never be sure of where the roses have come from, and how long they have been there.  Buying quality roses can be costly, but this is where cutting corners doesn’t usually save in the long run.

The problems associated with roses are – rust, rose black spot and powder mildew, greenfly / aphids and ants that seem to be attracted to container roses.

Greenfly can often be got rid of by using a water spray with water and a bit of washing up liquid, sprayed directly on the leaves. You could also ladybirds into your garden to munch them up – purchase a ladybird breeding kit.

In reference to ladybirds there is currently running a UK ladybird survey, you can help them by recording any sightings.

Roses will bloom with a good feed such as a general feed or specialised rose feed, mulching, and careful watering.

It’s also best not to plant a new rose where other roses have been, particularly if they were diseased

If you love roses, then a visit to the Chelsea Flower Show is an absolute must! Hampton Court Flower show is also a great show to see this beauty.

Last year I had the opportunity to visit the Hampton Court Flower show, and their special Tudor Rose Marquee was breath taking. The crowds were horrendous and trying to get close to the displays was hard, but the display of toses were gorgeous. I wouldn’t have missed it! To see a 3D video presentation of the marquee take a look at the RHS video – Tudor Rose Festival.

Not sure which rose to choose?

David Austin has helpfully provided a guide to help you choose the perfect rose for you!

Some of the best roses for cut flowers are –

William Shakespeare 2000

Graham Thomas

Winchester Cathedral

Gertrude Jekyll

Evelyn

I also love the Albert Bell, with stunning yellow flowers and lovely scent.

Want to learn how to make a beautiful display of flowers?

Sarah Raven has an excellent website and also provides flower arranging courses

Sarah did a wonderful programme on supporting UK cut flower growers, if we can support our local growers, not only will have gorgeous flowers, but also help specialist nurseries stay in business.

More information about the beloved rose -

• The World Federation of rose societies

Where to buy roses –

Apuldram Roses

Country roses

David Austin

Peter Beales

The Country Garden Plant Centre

The Real Flower Company

Gardens to admire roses –

Each of the RHS Gardens – Rosemoor, Harlow Car, Hyde Hall, and Wisley have wonderful display of roses. Wisley are currently developing a new rose garden. If I had to pick one for roses then it would be Hyde Hall in Essex! One word – AMAZING! You will overdose on this beauty, if it’s possible to.

From the 19th -20th June RHS Rosemoor are holding a special weekend in honour of the beautiful rose -Scents of Summer

National Trust gardens tend to have a great show of the wonderful rose

Mottisfont house and gardens in Hampshire, have special events when the rose is in bloom, Check if there is a garden near you that has similar events.

Garden of the Rose in Hertfordshire

Coughton Court Gardens in Warwickshire

Castle Howard in Yorkshire

Any cottage gardens will have a host of wonderful roses added to their design. Check with your local National Garden Scheme , support a charity and see wonderful gardens!

We have a collection of rose cards  and gifts suitable for all occasions, including -

Engagements, Weddings, Valentine’s Day or just simply because you or the intended recipient of the card loves roses!

Add your special message for a truly special card!

www.sendaflowercard.com

Related articles by Zemanta

• Best roses for the garden (telegraph.co.uk)
• Gardening week ahead: Semi-evergreen roses (telegraph.co.uk)

Today we are looking at the lovely tulip.

Words to describe tulips could be –

• Cheerful
• Elegant
• Showy
• Colourful

What words would you use to describe this flower?

In the language of flowers, the tulip means –

• Beautiful eyes
• Fame
• Love

Interesting facts:

• There are over 109 species, with approximately 3,000 different varieties in the tulip family the Liliaceae.

• If you buy tulips as cut flowers, they will continue to grow in a vase.

• The first tulips originated as a wildflower in Central Asia. It was in the 17^th century that tulips was introduced to Europe. Tulips were so popular in Holland that some special varieties became very expensive to buy; it could quite easily cost the same as buying a house!

• The Flower Design Institute have provided a useful video on how to care and arrange tulips. Please visit their website for further tips and hints for arranging beautiful displays of flowers.

There are 3 flowering times –

• Early flowering – March – April
• Mid season flowering – April -May
• Late flowering – May

• There are 12 viruses that can affect tulips, causing problems with the flowers and leaves, as well as problems with growth. The RHS provide a useful information page to help you notice symptoms and give advice on how you can help improve the health of your tulips – Tulips Viruses

• This bulbous plant is lovely to see in spring, with its amazing range of colours and patterns at various heights from the tall and elegant, to the striking compact variety.

• Tulips can often be seen in our local parks and roundabout displays as well as a garden favourite.

I have been very fortunate to see the wonderful tulip farms and gardens  in Holland when I was a child. It is something I would like to return to and see again, as it left me speechless, admiring the fields of rich colour.

Above 3 images of Tulips and daffodils from Holland, are taken by my Dad from one of our trips.

I have been enjoying various gardens in Dorset and Hampshire admiring this beauty. There are so many different varieties it’s hard to choose a favourite, do you have a favourite?

Tulips can be grown successfully in containers and spring borders. They often provide a sense of structure to a garden border, and mixes well with other plants. I have particularly enjoyed gardens that have concentrated on a green and white colour scheme, with white tulips, daffodils and snowflakes dotted around green foliage. This provides a cool restful scene. An example of this can be seen at Apple Court Gardens in Hampshire, which we will be writing a blog post about our visit very soon.

If you would like to visit a garden to admire this lovely varied flower, the following is a small selection of gardens and farms recommended to see tulips.

• Keukenhof in Holland has some 32 acres of Tulips!

• Skagit Valley Tulip Festival near Seattle in the US

• Woodburn Tulip Festival Oregon US

• Springfield Festival Gardens in Spalding UK

• Pashley Manor Gardens in Sussex have a tulips festival, running from the 23^rd April –  3^rd May. They have some 23,000 tulips to admire!

• Kew Gardens in Surrey

• The NGS (National Garden Scheme) has a very helpful website detailing gardens under this scheme throughout the UK who grow tulips. To find gardens in your area please visit – Tiptoe through the Tulips

Where to buy Tulips

All garden centres sell tulips, but if you are looking for a specialist grower –

• Blom Bulbs have won 59 gold medals at the prestigious Chelsea flower show.
• Avon Bulbs who have also been awarded 21 gold medals at Chelsea Flower Show.
• Rose Cottage Plants for detailed information on the 80 tulip varieties that they offer, please visit their website

At Nita Joy Craft Design we have some special personalised tulip cards for a variety of occasions, or add your personal message.

We will also have some tulip designs available for kitchen splashbacks through My Kitchen Store, which we will be announcing soon!

Wherever you live, there is sure to be a garden near you where you can enjoy the beautiful tulip.

Enjoy!

We would love to hear your recommended places to see Tulips so we can share them with our blog readers.

We have been enjoying the wonderful spring flowers that have been appearing everywhere.

With the cold winter, several flowers have been quite late this year. Some have suffered a little from the varying temperatures and weather conditions, other plants and flowers have thrived.

This year, one of my particular delights, has been the beautiful violets.

I have added a new violet birthday card to the collection.

As I have been enjoying the changing seasons, I have also been working on our personalised birthday card collection.

With so many cards on the market, I wanted to provide a service where you can add your special message and name of the intended recipient on the front of the card and / or inside the card if you wish.

Some of our cards are designed around names, which we have greatly enjoyed creating. We have a basic design and then change according to names added, which means each card is slightly different.   

The reviews from customers have been wonderful, which always makes it even more worthwhile, as we spend a lot of time creating special cards.

Many have said how much their friend or family member has enjoyed having a birthday card with their name included in the design.

If you have a several birthdays coming up, we provide packs of 5 cards where each card can have a different name or message added for the total cost of £7.50 with free p&p.

We hope that you will enjoy looking through our collection, and look forward to making a special card for you.

Send a card, brighten someone’s day

The Daffodil

Daffodils are known as the flower for March birthdays, so would be a great idea for a gift and personalised birthday card.

In the language of flowers the daffodil means–

• Regard
• Respect

This greeting cards is available through our online shop – Easter Cards

I think this flower would be most appropriate for use in business, as well as for a personal message.

Business strive to be respected in their given profession, and want to show respect to their customers /clients.

It could also be a great gift to give someone as a thank you.

Various cultures and religions have various associated meanings with this flower –

• The Greeks have a rather sad mythology associated with this flower, involving a punishment from God for our human failures, such as the story of Adonis. There was also a man named Narcissus who thought of himself better than anyone else. He died staring into his own reflection in a pool of water. A flower grew where he died and was named the narcissus.
• Psychologists use the term ‘narcissist’ to describe those who are obsessed with themselves, excluding all others.
• The Egyptians used the daffodil bulb skins as part of their burial ceremony.
• Christians associate the daffodil with re birth and resurrection; the daffodil is used as a symbol of Jesus’ death and resurrection. We use the daffodil as a part of our Easter card collection for this reason.
• On ‘Mothering Sunday’ or ‘Mother’s Day’ – it’s traditional to give your mum daffodils. The tradition goes back to when those who were in service (maids and servants), were allowed the day off from work to visit their families. As a gift to their mums they would pick wildflowers, including the daffodil. In church services, it’s common for Mums to be given daffodils as part of the service celebrating this day.
• The Daffodil is the emblem for Wales – also worn with pride on St David’s day (Welsh - Dydd Gŵyl Dewi Sant) St David is the patron saint of Wales and the celebration takes place on the 1st of March.
• William Wordsworth in 1804 wrote a poem called Daffodils. To hear Jeremy Irons read it beautifully -  Daffodils
• The Marie Curie Cancer Charity has the daffodil as their emblem.

Here is some information about the lovely daffodil

• The Latin name for the daffodil is narcissus.
• There are thousands of different types of daffodil.
• Due to the huge number of varieties, they have been divided into 13 specific groups to help narrow them down to particular styles, shape, growing conditions and so on…
• Plant them from September onwards to flower in the following spring.
• Need help with growing daffodils? -  Then The RHS have provided a helpful guide – Daffodils
• Daffodil Bulbs are a tasty treat to snails and slugs, and squirrels have been known to dig them up. They are also prone to diseases such as bulb rot.
• You can grow them indoors as well as outdoors. The indoor varieties brighten up your living space and often have a wonderful smell.
• Advice from Gardener’s world suggest that the best varieties to grow indoors are -

-          Grand Soleil d’Or an early flowering narcissus

-          Minnow

• J Parker have a lovely Narcissus indoor bulb collection
• Fentongallon Flower Farm in Cornwall has an amazing array of Daffodil bulbs and cut flowers They donate £1.00 to the Marie Curie Cancer care from each cut flower purchase.
• Scilly Flowers – offer daffodil cut flowers

Gardens to admire the beauty of the daffodil

Daffodils tend to be a park favourite, and you may also see them planted alongside roads and roundabouts.

• Exbury Gardens in Hampshire
• Docton Mill in Devon – they have also been awarded best tearooms!
• Hartland Abbey and Gardens in Devon – they have a daffodil day on 21^st March
• Easton Walled Gardens in Lincolnshire
• RHS Wisley in Surrey
• The National Trust – Grasmere

– Daffodils at Glencoyne Bay, Ullswater

-  ‘Doras Field’

We have daffodil cards and a daffodil tote bag.

Please see our online shop for further details – www.sendaflowercard.com

Where are your favourite gardens to see daffodils?

Mother’s Day or Mothering Sunday is on the 14th of March 2010.

I love creating cards for this occasion, as flowers are strongly linked with this special day, celebrating mums  everywhere.

The traditional gift for this day are daffodils, and often if you go to church, mums will be presented with a daffodil.

In the language of flowers the daffodil means respect, a great flower to show your love and respect for your mum.

I have 6 designs to choose from, which can have your special message added at no extra cost – Mother’s Day greeting cards

I also have a bespoke Mother’s Day card option, where I can make a special card for you from your photo. Maybe you have a special photo of the two of you celebrating a special day, or a special memory.

Our last order date for Mother’s Day cards in the UK is the 11th of March.

Cards delivered in the UK have free p&p.

Please take a moment to look through our collection.

We look forward to making a special card for you.

Send a Mother’s Day Card, brighten their day

www.sendaflowercard.com

Please get in touch if you would like to use my images, you can buy them from me and then you can legally use them, thank you

All images © Send a flower card

E-card verses the greeting card

Usually around our annual holidays / celebrations there is a discussion about greeting cards.

On the 9^th of February the BBC reported that hospitals in Cambridgeshire are now providing a new e-greeting card service. The e-cards can be sent to patients through an online scheme, which will then be printed by the Patient and Liaison Service, and then be delivered to the intended recipient.

I had to read the article a few times, thinking I had misread it. I always thought that the point of sending an e-card was that it was an online card. If you print it, you might as well send a card through the post.

I had a discussion last November about another article posted by the BBC that said that the tradition of sending greeting cards ‘wasn’t really a 21 century thing to do.’ I didn’t really agree with the article and through discussions with many people they felt the same as I did.

One of the main reasons I started my greeting card design business was that I have truly loved any greeting cards that I have received over the years, particularly if I haven’t been well. The cards and handwritten messages really brightened my day.

I worked in a hospital a few years ago on a head injury ward, and if you are unwell and haven’t been able to go outside for a while, with the same 4 walls keeping you company for weeks on end, a greeting card can really make a difference. I saw how patients were over the moon when they received post, and I also saw the effects when a patient had very little or no post.

Letters are also a great way to communicate with someone, but what I love about greeting cards is the sheer variety of them, there is a design for everyone, whether you like nature, humour, elegance etc…

I know that we live in a time poor society, and finding a moment to do anything can be hard when our lives are scheduled to the latest second, but how long would it take to remember someone who needs a little encouragement. I am sure we would love it if someone was able to show a little bit of kindness to us.

With this new service that the Cambridgeshire Hospitals have started, if it means that more patients will receive a note / card letting them know that they are loved, and that they have friends and family who can offer support at their time of need, then I’m all for it! But isn’t the NHS busy enough without us adding to the millions of things they have to do each day?

If you know someone who is having a hard time, who is unwell … how about spending a few minutes to help brighten their day by sending a letter or a card.

I would just like to encourage each and every one of us to consider sending a note or a card to someone we know, who would appreciate this in their time of need, whether short or long term.

Send a card, brighten someone’s day

Notes:

Story from BBC NEWS 9th February 2010:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/england/cambridgeshire/8507217.stm

The Cambridgeshire Hospital e-greeting card service appears to be free service sponsored by a hospital drama society.

A handmade Valentine gift

I thought I would share a handmade Valentine’s gift suggestion with you.

Flower bouquets can be very expensive for Valentine’s Day and I thought this lovely gift could be given to your loved one, handmade by you at a great price!

The above image is the finished image that I designed for one of my Valentine Greeting Cards

Here is what I did -

I bought a heart shaped oasis from eBay (size 9″), (you could buy a square one and cut a heart shape out, if a heart is not available.)

I then went to Tesco’s and bought several bunches of roses in various pink shades. (I used 40 roses in total)

Complementing colours and shades work best.

Are there particular roses, colours that your valentine likes?

I soaked the rose stems in a bucket of water with flower food added, as well as soaking the oasis in water overnight.

The following day I cut the roses and placed them in a pattern into the oasis.

Last but not least, you can buy some waterproof ribbon in a matching or complementing colour to add around the edge of the oasis.

To present your gift to your valentine, buy a gift box, place the oasis inside on some tissue paper and close. To finish add a pretty ribbon to tie around the box with a gift tag.

The cost of the oasis, roses, waterproof ribbon came to around £15.00

Finished Valentine gift as above.

The following image is our Valentine’s card for this year using the above method.

I hope you like the suggestion and that it will inspire you to give a handmade gift this year.

The above Valentine’s card is available through our website -

www.sendaflowercard.com and our BT Tradespace for £1.75 free P&P.

We can personalise the card with your message on the front and / or inside the card for free.

All images © Send a flower card – Anita Hunt

Valentine’s Day can be a controversial topic.

Sensitivity is required when talking about the matters of the heart and Valentine’s Day can be the subject of a much heated debate.

It can be a day of pain for many people, for those who are single and those who have been through a divorce, or widowed for example.

Some feel that this day is far too comercialised and that they don’t appreciate the pressure of being told they ‘must buy’ a gift to tell their loved ones how much they love them, when love should be shown everyday.

Whatever your view on Valentine’s Day, my suggestion for this valentine’s day is to perhaps visit a garden, maybe one filled with snowdrops with some friends or a loved one. (I have provided some suggestions of where to visit some glorious snowdrop displays in an earlier post) it would make a lovely day out and wonderful memories of our lovely countryside. Let’s hope the weather improves by then.

I have designed some Valentine’s cards for those who wish to buy them and hope you will like my collection.

This year I have introduced a new size of card into the collection – 19.8 x 21cm

Here are a few examples of the cards available  -

To see more of our collection please visit our online shop – Send a flower card – Valentine’s greeting cards

Tomorrow I will be adding a ‘how to make a special flower display for your loved one’.

All images © Send a flower card -  Anita Hunt

Thank you cards are one of my favourite greeting cards to send.

In the language of flowers the beautiful Sweetpea  and the delicate  Camellia mean – ‘Thank you’

Here are a couple of examples of flower greeting cards available -

These cards can have other wording added.

We also have a selection of floral notelets and greeting cards for all occasions that are suitable for thank you cards.

Here is a sample of the cards available -

We can also make bespoke greeting cards for you, using your photos and wording.

Through the seasons of the year – The Snowdrop

One of my favourite flowers is the snowdrop, associated with the month of January.  It used to be that snowdrops grew in early January – March, but it’s not uncommon to spot them pre Christmas. I can’t begin to tell you how excited I get, as I look forward to seeing this beauty.

My birthday is in February and I often request a visit to see the snowdrops, alongside a trip to a lovely English tearoom of course!

In the language of flowers the snowdrop stands for –

* A friend in adversity

* Hope

Snowdrops are also a good flower for condolence and thank you cards.

Want to know more about this fantastic flower?

• Snowdrops are known as Galanthus
• There are more than 100 species – you have to get up close and personal with these lovely flowers to spot the difference.
• Snowdrops grow best in dappled sunlight/shade under trees or shrubs, particularly deciduous.
• They can be grown in containers, so if you live in a flat with a little balcony or small patio there is no need to miss out on this beauty.
• They prefer a well drained soil.
• Even though they flower at the beginning of the year, it’s important to care for them through the warmer months, making sure they don’t dry out.
• You can buy snowdrops as bulbs or ‘in the green.’ I have tried both and have to say we have been more successful planting snowdrops in the green. The term ‘in the green’ is snowdrops just after flowering.
• Over time snowdrops will spread naturally.

Gardens to visit to see the splendour of the snowdrop

Check the following websites for special snowdrop days.

• Aberglasney in Llangathen Wales
• Brandy Mount House in Hampshire – they hold the national collection.
• Cambro Estate in Fife Scotland – largest snowdrop collection in Scotland
• Colesbourne Park in Cheltenham
• East Lambrook Gardens in Somerset
• Finlaystone Country Estate – in Renfrewshire Scotland
• Heale House in Wiltshire – (they have a nice café too)
• Hodstock Priory Garden in Nottinghamshire
• RHS Gardens –  Wisley holds the national collection,
• Stourton Gardens in Wilshire
• The National Trust – Kingston Lacey in Dorset
• Welford Park in Berkshire
• Check out old church grounds – they are a perfect habitat for them

Fancy adding the glorious snowdrop to your garden or patio?

Here are some nurseries –

• Ashwood Nurseries in South Staffordshire. On the 7^th of February they have a special snowdrop day!

• Orchard Nurseries

• J Parker

• Maynell Cottage Plants

Flower cards and gifts

Nita Joy Craft Design – have snowdrop cards and gifts available.

The snowdrop greeting cards can be with or without words, and can also have your special message included at no extra cost.

We also have a tote bag and small cotton gift bag with snowdrops.

Our calendar includes the lovely snowdrop for the month of January,

Our plum leaves notebook has a photo of snowdrops added to the cover.

Anita