School’s out and so is the sun: summer rocks! Along with vaca, beach days and BBQs, flowers are just waiting to delight our senses. Flowers in the garden, flowers for brides, flowers in every room of my beach cottage … Rats! There goes that fantasy life of mine again. But you know what I mean. Besides boasting an abundance of blooms, summer is the one time of the year when naturally blue flowers come to the fore.
Savor the season with our list of the top 10 summer flowers:
My favorite floral-splurge bouquet, Teleflora's Distinguished Delphinium.
10. Rose: The choice of so many brides, the rose is the U.S. national flower as well as several state flowers, June’s birth flower and the 15th wedding anniversary flower. Also, June is National Rose Month. To send a free e-card celebrating rose month, visit www1.americangreetings.com/ecards/category.pd/occasions/celebrate-the-month/june--national-rose-month.
9. Gladioli: The August birth flower has a prestigious history. A little known fact is that this is one of the longest lasting of flowers.
8. Asters: Its name comes from the Greek word for “star” and it's definitely a star of summer, available in a range of colors: white, red, pink, purple, lavender and blue.
7. Zinnias: A favorite flower of butterflies, bright and beautiful zinnias add a festive touch to any bouquet.
6. Sweet Pea: In the language of flowers, this fragrant bloom represents blissful pleasure. That pretty much sums up summer.
5. Daisies: Simple and sweet, who doesn’t love a daisy?
4. Gardenias: A romantic blossom that thrives in humid climates, the gardenia is perhaps best known for its powerful scent.
3. Sunflowers: The 3rd wedding anniversary flower and the state flower of Kansas, these brilliant yellow blooms turn to follow the sun. Nuff said. :)
2. Hydrangea: The A-list flower in oh so many gardens. That’s because it’s a shrub that flowers all summer. And hydrangeas are easy to grow as long as they have partial sun and regular water. For more tips, visit: features.csmonitor.com/gardening/2008/06/11/hydrangeas-that-bloom-all-summer.
1. Delphinium (aka Larkspur): Enjoy their gorgeous hues while you can! Part of the buttercup family, this richly colored blue/purple flower was used by Native Americans and European settlers to make blue dye. Also the July birth flower.
Flower Fact of the Day: The Philly Flower Show 2009 theflowershow.com will be held March 1-8, 2009. Next year’s theme is “Bella Italia.” The formal gardens of ancient Rome will be showcased in the entrance of the show. For the full report, see: courierpostonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080612/NEWS01/80612058.
