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Native to Asia, camellias (Camellia japonica, Camellia sasanqua) have been associated with royalty for hundreds of years. Specimens planted at the Japanese emperor's palace are more than 500 years old. Queen Victoria had a fondness for these elegant plants and they were grown extensively throughout Europe during the 1800s. Today, camellias are common in gardens in warm climates here, as well. The plants bloom prolifically, and need regular care, including removing old blooms.
The cactus family, Cactaceae, is diverse. Most cactuses have spines and succulent stems that retain moisture during hot, dry weather. Cactuses can grow well as indoor or outdoor plants in warmer climates, and most varieties can grow new plants from a removed pad or stem segment. These pad cuttings usually root within one or two months if properly cut, prepared and potted.
Tall vases represent a number of great decoration opportunities that shouldn't be overlooked. Decorate a tall vase with help from a world renowned floral designer in this free video clip.
Decorating a long stem rose in a vase is something you can do in a couple of distinct ways depending on the situation. Decorate a long stem rose in a vase with help from a world renowned floral designer in this free video clip.
Silk flower arrangements are a great, creative project for you to take on right at home. Learn about do it yourself silk flower arrangements with help from a world renowned floral designer in this free video clip.
Keeping cut strawberries from browning is a lot easier if you make good use of a few important tips. Find out how to keep cut strawberries from browning with help from an experienced culinary professional in this free video clip.
Silk flower arrangements are a really great way to put a wonderful stamp on a special day. Partake in silk flower arrangement projects with help from the go-to color and floral expert for political powerhouses, leading fashion and home designers in this free video clip.
Traditional rose arrangements all tend to share a few common characteristics. Learn about traditional rose arrangements with help from the go-to color and floral expert for political powerhouses, leading fashion and home designers in this free video clip.
Flower planters can make great additions to any home garden or landscape design. Get flower planter tips with help from a gardening professional in this free video clip.
Dahlia flowers need to be stored in a very particular way, especially if you're trying to store them over the winter. Store Dahlia flowers in the winter with help from a bulb and garden expert in this free video clip.
Unused flower vases can be turned into a wide variety of different crafts projects. Find out what you can do with your unused flower vases with help from an accomplished designer, organizer, party planner, and shopper in this free video clip.
Putting flower stems in lukewarm water is a great way to harden them off. Learn how to put flower stems in lukewarm water to harden them off with help from a respected and highly accredited florist in this free video clip.
Just because flowers are freshly cut doesn't mean they can't still die. Keep fresh cut flowers alive with help from a respected and highly accredited florist in this free video clip.
Just because lilacs are freshly cut doesn't mean they can't wilt right away. Learn why your fresh cut lilacs wilted right away with help from a respected and highly accredited florist in this free video clip.
Lilac and white rose floral arrangements can really make an impression on people. Learn about lilac and white rose floral arrangements with help from a respected and highly accredited florist in this free video clip.
Roses need to be arranged in a very particular way in order to look their best. Get instructions on arranging roses in a vase with help from a respected and highly accredited florist in this free video clip.
Making a chic carnation arrangement requires you to keep a few key things in mind. Find out how to make a chic carnation arrangement with help from a boutique and event decor professional in this free video clip.
Certain types of grasses look absolutely lovely inside specifically designed floral arrangements. Learn about grasses for floral arrangements with help from a boutique and event decor professional in this free video clip.
Fresh cut flowers, whether from the garden or purchased from a retailer, add color and cheer to any room. Keeping flower arrangements looking fresh and beautiful takes a little work. Commercial flower preservatives or homemade preservatives such as aspirin can be added to the water, but unless the flower stems can absorb the fluid in the vase, they will die quickly. Scoring (cutting) allows the flower stems to take up water and preservative and send it to the flowers to maintain freshness longer.
Traditional rose arrangements typically all share the same basic characteristics. Find out about traditional rose arrangements with help from a professional floral designer in this free video clip.
A carnation vase arrangement is a great way to decorate a number of different events and situations. Make a carnation vase arrangement with help from a floral design industry professional in this free video clip.
Telling if pale pink roses are fresh is not quite as simple as you might assume. Learn how to tell if pale pink roses are fresh with help from a floral design industry professional in this free video clip.
A number of different materials can help with droopy cut flowers if they're used properly. Learn what can help with droopy cut flowers with help from a floral design industry professional in this free video clip.
The stamen of a flower is made up of a few basic materials. Find out what the stamen of a flower is made up of with help from a floral design industry professional in this free video clip.
Flowers need to be submerged for centerpieces in a very specific way for the best possible outcome. Submerge flowers the proper way with help from a floral design industry professional in this free video clip.
Viburnum trilobum, also known as Viburnum opulus var. americanum, is a deciduous shrub native to the cool, wet regions of the United States. Commonly called the American cranberry bush and the highbush cranberry, this shrub features showy white flowers that give way to edible, bright red berries. The dark green leaves turn vibrant red shades in the fall. This colorful shrub is ideal for landscape plantings, but needs the occasional pruning to help control its dense, sprawling nature.
The VOB video file format is an MPEG-2 file format used to author DVDs. If you have a clip of VOB video that you want to cut down, you'll need to extract the clip from your DVD file using a file converter. If there are captions in the video, they'll be "burned in" to the video, meaning you won't be able to remove them from the portions of the video that you're using. On the positive side, if you want to keep the captions when you cut your clip, you'll only need to extract those portions of the video that…
Kale is a form of cabbage and is usually green or purple. Cut kale stems with help from a culinary school graduate in this free video clip on cutting vegetables.
Fresh okra can make a wonderful addition to any dish that you're cooking. Cut fresh okra with help from a culinary school graduate in this free video clip on cutting vegetables.
When using silk flowers in arrangements meant to adorn cemetery markers, the same rules apply as to any other silk arrangement. The only notable difference is the quality of the flowers. Medium-grade silk flowers can be used for outdoor arrangements, but cannot be expected to last more than a season or two, possibly nine months if weather is mild. For best results, choose flowers made for outdoor and landscaping purposes. The style of the arrangement you make depends on your tastes in terms of shape, size, and the types and colors of flowers used.
Mums, also known as chrysanthemums, have lush, showy blooms ideal for home decorating. Hardy mums are often the stars of autumn gardens, but they also make charming container plants. The flowers are available in a wide range of warm, autumnal colors, such as orange, creamy white, red and gold, so work them into your fall decor display as a fresh, vibrant touch. Mums look right at home next to pumpkins, pinecones and other natural items.
The full-flowering clusters of hydrangea provide long-lasting color and a sweet aroma when used for a cut flower arrangement. Wilting and drooping, however, occurs when the flowers aren't cut properly. Improperly cut flowers can't absorb the water they need to keep their stems erect and petals open. Disease and bacteria also can cause hydrangeas to wilt and droop. Cutting your own hydrangeas or purchasing only cut hydrangeas flowers that look healthy and don't exhibit brown spots helps to ensure their long vase life.
Chinese bamboo has a distinctive look that is well liked for its simple, natural beauty, and can be found in a variety of settings, from an Asian garden to a small pot inside a home. Bamboo plants grow in reed-like stalks -- or culms -- that shoot up from the ground. Bamboo owners must periodically prune or cut their bamboo plants to maintain the plants' aesthetics and keep them healthy. Whether you'd like to trim back a tree or collect fresh bamboo for an indoor decoration, it is easy to cut Chinese bamboo.
Orchids have an exotic appeal and can be any color from pink, ruby red, creamy white, to purple. Some blooms also feature stripes or speckles in contrasting colors. Showcase these flowers by arranging them in cylindrical vases that allow you to see the soft petals and deep green foliage through all sides of the vase. Create cylindrical orchid centerpieces for weddings, birthdays or any other special event.
Plumerias are tropical trees that produce fragrant flowers in shades from white to deep maroon. The first plumeria was introduced to Hawaii from its native Central America in the mid-1800s. Although it’s not native to Hawaii, the flowers of this tree have long been made into leis. At the time of publication, the University of Hawaii lists 40 cultivars of this plant. Plumerias are very sensitive to frost and require a moderately high humidity, making them difficult to grow in climate zones outside of the tropics. It’s easy to remove the flowers from the stems to use as decorations.
Favored for their clove-like aroma and long-lasting blooms, white carnations are common at weddings, holiday celebrations and other special events, as well as in sympathy arrangements at memorial services. Like all flowers, white carnations require special care before and after they are plucked from the ground. Properly trimming a carnation’s stem is essential to allowing water into the stem’s water ducts and extending the carnation’s life span. Cut the stem of a white carnation during later afternoon or evening to prevent the flower from wilting too quickly.
An apple and rose arrangement makes a festive autumn-inspired centerpiece for Halloween parties, Thanksgiving dinners and wedding receptions, among other special events. Creating the fruit and floral arrangement in a tall, eye-catching vase will make the table decor the focal point of the party. Since apples are in season and affordable during the fall months, the vibrant arrangement won't break your event budget. If you don't want to use the arrangement as a centerpiece, display it anywhere else in the celebration space.
Arranging fresh or faux fruit in a vase is a simple way to create a centerpiece or home decoration. The bright greens, reds and yellows of apple skins will shine through a clear vase, creating a natural focal point for any dining table, mantle or bookshelf. Use faux fruit to create a long-lasting arrangement, or fresh fruit for a temporary decoration.
Snapdragons, or Antirrhinum majus, are pretty summer flowers that bloom from June through October and make attractive cut flowers. Children of all ages enjoy playing with the flowers and making believe they are small dragon-like creatures with big mouths. Many varieties of snapdragons exist, with a height ranging from 6 to 48 inches. Colors include lavender, pink, white, purple and bi-colored. To encourage continuous blooming, trim your snapdragon flowers back on a regular basis.
Phalaenopsis, commonly called moth orchids, display a cluster of blooms branching from a single stem. Each bloom perches on the stem like a delicate moth with wings spread. Moth orchids are epiphytic, meaning they grow on trees, taking in nutrients and moisture from the air and surrounding environment instead of from soil. Real moth orchid blossoms stay open for up to two months or longer, according to the Minnesota University Extension. Arranging artificial red Phalaenopsis stems requires learning a trick to make the display appear natural. Quality silk orchids mimic fresh flowers. By copying the shapes found in nature, you…
Cylinders help decorators create tall floral focal points. Flowers placed on top of the cylinder must somehow be balanced. This can be accomplished by placing an oval bowl on top of the cylinder, which hides the floral foam that holds the flowers in place.
Arranging flowers can be an art form that brings beauty into your home environment. Fresh flowers are commonly used in floral design, but they don't last very long. Using artificial flowers such as ones made from silk ensures that your arrangement will last a long time and only require periodic dusting. Creating an arrangement is quite simple, especially if you trust your instincts for your own concept of beauty and what appeals to you. Vases with narrow openings don't have to limit you in design options.
Makeup is a great way to brighten up your face and highlight your beauty. However, a common pitfall of most makeup products is their inability to stay on for very long, leaving you with a near-naked face in a matter of hours. Lipstick and lip liner in particular are often quick to disappear due to weather conditions, talking, eating or kissing. Keep lipstick and lipliner on longer by selecting certain products in addition to basic beauty tips.
Dealing with an overgrown landscape can feel overwhelming. Trying to figure out where to start is a big decision, especially if you have several different types of plants to tackle. For most plants, the best time to begin trimming is in the late fall, after the plants have gone dormant for the winter. However, if your landscaping is severely overgrown you may need to prune earlier in the season. As long as the plants are generally in good health, if you trim conservatively and don’t cut the plants back too far they should pull through.
If you want to create a long-lasting floral arrangement for home or party decor, consider using dried flowers. Dried blooms can look just as charming as their fresh counterparts, but you can enjoy them for several years rather than just a few days. Enhance a large floor vase with a selection of colorful dried flowers.
Radishes are an excellent addition to various dishes such as salads, but after they are picked they have a tendency to wilt quickly. A wilted radish loses both visual appeal and taste. To ensure that your radishes don't wilt after you pick them, practice precautions such as keeping them in cold water.
You want your skin to look clear, sharp and fresh throughout the day. Determining the right foundation regimen for your skin is the best way to achieve the look you crave. Whether you are applying foundation for the office or for a night on the town after a long day at the beach, you want your foundation to look fresh and stand up to the test of the day's challenges.
Fresh cut flowers add a touch of color to any situation. The bright yellow hue of daffodils in bloom is simply a touch of sunshine -- when they bloom. Fresh flowers can be precarious in that they have a biological structure that responds to the environment. Knowing how to manage that basic plant biology is easy and it can have your cut daffodils blooming and your room all aglow.
Many gardeners grow beautiful flowers to showcase in their homes. Unfortunately, a few days after being plucked from the garden, flowers wilt and die. Daises and carnations are two popular flower types many people choose to accent their homes with. Caring for these flowers after they are cut requires no extra effort or time-consuming techniques, only a pair of shears and some fresh water.
Exotic orchids are fascinating to watch and make a fulfilling hobby for the avid collector; but, you don't have to be a collector to enjoy an orchid plant. Orchids are easy to grow, if you know the ins and outs of how to care for them. Repotting an orchid when it's outgrown it's original pot, or planting a cut orchid stem requires a little knowledge of how orchids grow.
