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

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Well, have you been enjoying the wonderful Chelsea flower show? I have! I look forward to this time every year, when we see the best in garden design and displays that can tempt and enthuse us to get into our gardens.

Unfortunately I am unable to go to the show this year, so I have been enjoying the coverage on the television. The BBC coverage is very useful, and  because the crowds are so large at this highly popular flower show, you can often miss the detail, so watching the BBC shows on BBC1 and BBC2 and their red button programmes, can help enormously. I love learning from the amazing Carol Klein whose plant knowledge is just amazing!

The colour schemes at this years show are so fresh and calming. With the weather that we have been having over the last week, the cool planting schemes of the M&G garden designed by Roger Platts and The Children’s Society Garden designed by Mark Gregory provides a restful scene.

I love the detail of The Victorian Aviary Garden designed by Phillipa Pearson and Jonathan Denby, with the wonderful Peacock mosaic path! (I want one of those LOL)

My favourite areas have always been the floral pavillion and the small courtyard gardens, and I always make a beeline for them when I go. I do admit that I spend most of my time admiring the stunning floral displays in the pavilion. So if you are going, please make sure you don’t miss these areas as you won’t be disappointed!

The key planting schemes that I have noticed this year, are the pretty aquilegia, the varied foxgloves, scented lavenders, the delicate grasses and of course beautiful roses.

Gardens with a message

In the Show Gardens category - The Stephen Hawking Garden for Motor Neurone Disease is a very thoughtful garden. I love the fact that not only can you design a wonderful garden for sight, smell and touch, but also by including a meaning into the design – it can be the best kind of advert there can be! I do hope that the visitors will take on the message behind this garden, understanding the wonderful work that the MND Association do.

In the Small Urban Gardens category there is the garden called Dyslexia – A Barrier to Education? Designed by Tim Fowler, which also seeks to provide a message in the design of the garden, looking at how the brain analyses various information.

In the Small Courtyard Gardens -  Green & Blacks Rainforest Garden designed by Jane Owen and Ann-Marie Powell, is thoughtlfully detailed to make us think about the Cameroon Rainforest and the people who live there.

Admiration

I have enormous admiration for the designers and growers who have had such a hard time this year getting their plants ready for the show, as the weather has really tested them. I am also amazed at how plants that have been brought over from various countries have survived the long journeys that they have travelled to be included in the designs, and with the ash cloud situation, it has been even more difficult for them this year.

I think that all the people who have been / are involved in the show should be awarded a medal, for their talent, patience, hard work etc… in bringing us an extraordinary, wonderful flower show for us to admire.

Language of flowers

Today the lunchtime show looked briefly at the interesting subject of Floriography – The Language of Flowers. The BBC website has further information on the significance of flowers, but if you would like to know more, please visit my website, where I look at the history of floriography and give examples of popular flowers. I have also used this as a basis to look at particular businesses by choosing flowers that best describe their business.

Going to Chelsea?

If you are going to the Chelsea Flower show this year, I hope you have a wonderful time. If you write a blog post about your visit, please share the link to your post in the comments section for others to read and enjoy!

Don’t Miss

The Real Flower Company who specialise in the most wonderful English rose bouquets, have just been awarded an RHS Certificate of Merit for outstanding presentation. We send our congratulations to them! You can find them at stand MW5. They are also running a very special competition to win 6 months of English scented roses more details can be found on their website.

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It’s bluebell time!!!!

Can you tell I’m excited! Well I am, because I look forward to seeing this stunning flower every year!

In a mini series we looked at various businesses to see what flower would best describe them.

We looked at -  A flower for Arrow light Haulage

In order to choose an appropriate flower for a business we need to look at the business objectives.

Arrow Light Haulage -

• Is a professional Essex Same Day Courier and Van Delivery company.
• Their objective is to collect and deliver time critical goods and deliver them anywhere in the UK.
• Their drivers are polite and well trained; they know that your reputation is in their hands.
• They do the job right the first time, – a professional courier.

I have chosen the beautiful bluebell (Hyacinthoides non-scripta) to describe Arrow Light Haulage.

In the language of flowers the bluebell stands for 3 key aims and objectives for their business.

• Constancy
• Reliability
• Dependability

The bluebell is a favourite of mine, as soon as the New Year begins I look for snowdrops, then I count the days until bluebell season. I have a favourite wood near by that I simply must visit every year.

Bluebells grow and grow searching for any dappled sunlight, as the leaf coverage on trees are not at their full capacity. When the trees finally catch up, bluebells finally begin to drift off back to sleep to regain their strength for another year.

In Britain we have three types –

• Native (which can also include the white bluebell)
• Spanish
• Hybrid ( a mix of the above 2)

Bluebells flower from April – June.

The English bluebell is a delight to see, but due to the spread of the Spanish bluebell, true English bluebells are becoming quite rare.

If you would like to learn how to identify a native bluebell, the Natural History museum has provided a description and drawings to help you – identifying bluebells.

For some recommended places to see this beauty –

• Milton Abbas and Delcombe woods and surrounding area in Dorset
• Badbury rings and Kinsgston Lacey in Dorset
• Emmets Garden (National Trust) Kent
• Royal Botanic gardens Kew London
• Royal Botanic Gardens Wakehurst Place Sussex
• Arlington Bluebell walk and farm trail East Sussex
• Coton Manor Gardens in Northamptonshire
• Trevarno gardens in Cornwall

Do you have a favourite place to see bluebells?

Please share with us so that our blog readers know the best places to visit.

I am sure there are many other wonderful gardens to see the magnificent bluebell, check the RHS or the National Trust to see some suggestions in your area.

The Good gifts catalogue has a great gift available for someone who loves bluebells. You can help protect a bluebell wood for £50 through the Tree council.

If you want to fill your garden with bluebells, the process from seed can take a couple of years to flower; here is a video by Gardener’s World on how to grow bluebells from seed. Bulbs are available through most garden centres. Please make sure that you buy native bluebells, and that they haven’t been taken from woodland as they are a protected species.

So plan a trip to your local bluebell woods and enjoy the stunning colour and smell of the gorgeous bluebell.

Enjoy!

Note: if you would like us to look at a flower for your business please contact us, we can provide a package of choosing a flower that best describes your business and a framed print of your flower that you can display in your office.

Please contact us for further information and we will let you know our package prices.

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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.

The Flowering Cherry Blossom Tree  is also known as Sukura in Japan.

Today we will be looking at the flowering cherry tree blossom.

I have been enjoying the blossom slowly coming into flower, throughout Dorset. The roads always look so much nicer with cherry trees dotted around. I even notice pedestrians stopping and admiring their beauty, with a smile on their faces! Oh I love Spring, don’t you?

The cherry tree typically flowers in April-May.

Tree blossom is just stunning! I love  the beauty of cherry and apple tree blossom.

In the language of flowers the cherry blossom stands for

• Spiritual beauty
• Beauty

There are over 200 varieties of cherry trees growing in Asia, North America and Europe.

The cherry tree belongs to the rosaceae family.

If you need help in identifying a cherry tree, the Natural History Museum have a useful Cherry tree identification guide

In Japan the cherry tree blossom is associated with good fortune and a symbol of love. It is also the unofficial flower for Japan. They hold special cherry tree parties (Hanami) when they are in flower. They also have a special cherry tree festival with tea ceremonies and so on.

Cherry trees flower at different times from January – March in Japan. Nago for example has some 20,000 flowering cherry trees in their park! Here is a guide to cherry tree viewing.

This is on my list of special things Iwould love to see. I would absolutely love to see the cherry tree parties and tea ceremonies, enjoying the thousands of cherry trees in blossom!

In America, Washing DC, they have a national cherry tree festival.

This is to celebrate spring and to honour the cherry tree gifts that were given to them from Japan in 1912.

I have hade the privilege of visiting Batsford Arboretum in Gloucestershire, which holds the national collection of cherry trees.

If you have a small garden, there are smaller varieties of the flowering cherry trees, growing to around 2 meters in height.

The Prunus Triloba a double flowering almond cherry tree has beautiful flowers

I also love the Prunus Shizuka – fragrant cloud Japanese flowering cherry tree

Not only are the flowers beautiful, but some varieties have wonderful autumn colour like the bark pictured below.

To choose a suitable place to plant your flowering cherry tree, consider an area that receives a lot of sunshine, fairly protected and that has well drained, deep soil. It’s advisable not to plant a tree, where there was previously a tree with a disease. Take into account the expected height of growth of your tree, before you plant it. Some cherry trees require a pollinator, so check the details before you buy one.

The RHS have a guide to show you how to prune your trees.

The Cherry tree is susceptible to black fly, here’s some advice from the RHS.

The RHS have a Cherry Tree Fund as part of their ‘remember a loved one’ fund

Suggestions of where to buy cherry trees

The Ornamental Tree Nursery has some nice small trees

Trees online has some lovely varieties

Mail Order Trees

Gardens to see Cherry tree blossom

Exbury Gardens in Hampshire

Hiller Gardens in Hampshire

Hergest Croft Garden in Herefordshire has a wonderful collection

Lost Gardens of Heligan in Cornwall

Dudmaston Estate in Shropshire

The blossom trail at the Vale of Evesham has some 40 miles ablaze with cherry, apple and plum blossom from mid March- mid May

Many woodland gardens will have this pretty tree in their collection and can often be found growing in church yards.

So get out there and enjoy the lovely blossom!

Update: The National History Museum are running a Cherry Tree survey, if you would like to add the details of where you have seen these beautiful trees, please visit -

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?

Last week, I went on my annual trip with my dad, looking for snowdrops.

Snowdrops in the Dorset and Hampshire region have flowered quite late this year and after all the cold windy weather we have been having, some snowdrops which are open to all the elements, have had a rough time holding their delicate heads held high.

In the language of flowers the snowdrop means – A friend in adversity and hope.

If you know someone who is having a hard time, a trip to see the lovely snowdrop is sure to life their spirit.

Now is the time to plant snowdrops ‘in the green.’ Planting them now will give you a fantatstic display next year.

On my day out we decided on visiting 2 areas that we knew would be excellent to see this lovely flower.

• Damerham Church (Hampshire)
• Breamore church (Hampshire)

Damerham church has the wow factor of several thousand snowdrops planted together in the church grave yard. They often hold special snowdrops days to welcome visitors. It was lovely to see, and just how I remembered.

The snowdrops were beautiful, even though they were a little windswept. If you want to see snowdrops in their thousands, then this is a lovely place to visit next year.

We then moved on to Breamore church.

As we carefully moved around the wonderous display of snowdrops in the pretty church yard, I counted around 5 different varieties growing there. There was probably more, but this was the number I spotted. These snowdrops had a little more protection from the elements than the ones at Damerham, so there was plenty of opportunities to photograph them.

There was also a lovely area of winter aconites.

The yellow of the aconites and white and green of the snowdrops had a really fresh, spring feel.

I watched Countryfile the other week, and the presenter looking at snowdrops in Scotland said he thought snowdrops looked all the same. Well if you view them from a far, you may agree. It’s not really until you examine the detail of each of them, that you will see how different and special they can be. It’s epecially hard to see the differences, due to the fact that they are low to the ground, and the flower heads point downwards.

This particular snowdrop wanted the world to see her beauty, as this flower head was pointing outwards. I was so pleased to have spotted this one and capture the image. I have heard of some people using dental mirrors to see the insides of low growing flowers, and I can quite see how useful this would be.

If you like this snowdrop image, it is available to buy as a framed, mounted or canvas print

As I have said before you can see beautiful flowers all over the place. You don’t always need to go to a specific garden to see them, it’s often fun to look into alternative places, such as church yards, roundabouts etc…

Where are your favourite places to go?

In the language of flowers the Crocus stands for cheerfulness!

I think this has a wonderful meaning; can you not help but smile when you see their stunning display? I can’t.

I was looking for some new areas to find the crocus treat last year. Matt (my husband) came back one day from work and took me for a surprise trip to Kinson in Bournemouth. I must admit, I wondered why Kinson was the place to be that particular day, but I was told to shut my eyes as we came to a gradual stop in the car. All of a sudden he said ‘open your eyes’ and there before me was a purely blissful sight to see. It was like a sweetshop for crocuses, in shades of lilac, blue, yellow and white.  These beautiful flowers were planted in their hundreds around a couple of trees in a urban area. I don’t know if they were planted by the council gardeners, or if a gardener planted it as a surprise for their neighbours, for whatever reason it was gorgeous and I can’t wait to make a return visit.

Here is some information about the crocus

Crocus – plural Crocuses or Croci is a perennial flowering plant

They grow in Europe, North Africa, Asia.

There are more than 100 species!

There are three types of Crocus – Early spring, late spring and autumn flowering

Early spring flowering Crocus flowers from February and March.

Late spring flowering Crocus flowers from March to April (these tend to be Dutch Crocuses.)

This variety tends to be larger than the early spring and autumn varieties.

Autumn Flowering Crocus called the Colchicum is also referred to as Meadow Saffron, but don’t try adding this to your cooking as it is poisonous, just admire their beauty. These flower from September through to November and quite easy to grow.

There is a wonderful display of colours found in the Crocus family. Like the Snowdrop and Bluebell they are beautiful singly, but are also amazing in large numbers grouped together.

Crocuses are wonderful planted under and around trees, lawns, borders and in containers. When you visit the garden centre around spring time, you will often see lovely displays of this lovely flower grouped together with other spring bulbs such as daffodils.

You may have also spotted in various shops gift sets including this pretty flower; you can grow them inside for a little colour too – this could be an idea for a Christmas gift!

If you want to create a natural look when planting your crocuses, gardeners often advise that you drop them carefully onto the area you wish to plant them, and plant the bulbs where they land for a less formal look.

The good news is that the Crocus doesn’t usually fall foul to disease, but they are a tasty treat for squirrels and rabbits! If squirrels and / or rabbits are nibbling your crocus bulbs, try planting the bulbs deeper in the soil.

If you want to know what the weather will be like, you can usually spot the signs displayed by your flowers. On a bright sunny day you will see the crocus shining brightly for all to see. When it is a wet dull day, they tend to close their bowl shaped petals.

To see some lovely samples of crocuses that you can buy, then please visit  - Rare Plants

Where to see the Crocus?

• Most towns will have an area for the popular crocus, so ask around and see if someone can share their favourite places to go.
• As with snowdrops, old church grounds are often a good place to see Crocuses
• Broadleigh Gardens in Somerset
• The Garden House in Devon
• Kew Gardens in Surrey. (Have a look and see their amazing crocus carpet)
• Any of the RHS Gardens are a good place to visit. Wisley again has the national collection, and is a must visit garden!
• National Trust Gardens such as Rufford Old Hall in Lancashire

Why not help raise money for the Breakthrough Cancer Charity, by participating in, or organising a crocus walk. For more details please see Crocus walk

Where is your favourite place to admire crocuses?

If you love crocuses we have a crocus greeting card and crocus totebag in our online shop.

We also have a crocus print available as a mounted, framed or canvas print.

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.

The flower card game to play at New Year

I have been recently looking into the language of flowers as part of a series of blogs, looking at the aims and objectives of a selection of businesses and looking through the seasons of the year.

Through my research I discovered the delights of the Japanese culture and their love of the stunning cherry tree blossom.

When looking at the meaning behind certain flowers, it is important to note the differences between Eastern and Western Philosophies.

The cherry tree for example, signifies spiritual beauty and beauty in the West. In Japan the cherry tree is very important as part of their traditions, with associations of good fortune and a symbol of love.

I really enjoyed looking into the symbolism of the Eastern language of flowers and through my research I discovered a Japanese game called – Hanafuda which translated means ‘flower cards.’

The flower card game consists of 48 cards, including 12 distinct suits. The cards represents the 12 months of the year, with each suit showing a different flower. There are also a selection of animals and varying objects included in packs. There are points ranging from 0 through to 25, or the images are used as specific combinations. There are various games you can play with the cards including matching flowers. The number of players required for the game is from 2 to 6.

The history of the game came from gambling, which was illegal at the time around the 1700’s. So to avoid being in trouble the players changed the cards with various art work and symbology. This changed over time to stay one step ahead of the authorities.

Hanafuda – is a combination of Western playing cards with Japanese traditions.

The cards flower associations for particular months are –

• January – Pine
• February –  Plum Blossom
• March –  Cherry Blossom
• April –  Wisteria
• May –  Iris
• June –  Peony
• July –  Bush Clover also known as Japanese Clover
• August –  Chinese Silver Grass
• September –  Chrysanthemum
• October –  Maple
• November –  Willow
• December – Paulownia (The Foxglove Tree)

To see the cards please visit – Hanafuda.com

How to play –

To play the dealer shuffles the cards and takes the top 8 cards from the pile, then places 8 cards face side up to each player. The idea is then to match your card from the original 8 cards placed at the centre of the table. If the player can’t find a match they place their card in the centre. The top card from the original pile of cards is then turned over and the player looks to see if they can use this card. If a match has been made that player keeps the cards, if there isn’t a match, the card from the original pile gets added to the selection of 8 cards in the centre of the table. The game ends when either there are no cards from the original pile left or a player has used all of his cards.

There are many versions of how to play the game.

The traditional time to play this game is at New Year. As it isn’t long before we greet a New Year, how about playing this game…

Nintendo sell the card game and is a part of the Club House Games for the Nintendo DS.

The Hanafuda card game is also available from Amazon.com

Play the game online – Hanafuda