Camellia

The camellias, is a genus of flowering plants in the family Theaceae. They are native to eastern and southern Asia, from the Himalaya east to Japan and Indonesia. There are 100–250 described species, with some controversy over the exact number. The genus was named by Linnaeus after the Jesuit botanist Georg Joseph Kamel from Brno, who worked on the Philippines. This genus is famous throughout East Asia.
The most famous member – though often not recognized as a camellia – is certainly the tea plant. Among the ornamental species, the Japanese Camellia is perhaps the most widely-known, though most camellias grown for their flowers are cultivars or hybrids.

They are evergreen shrubs and small trees 2–20 m tall. The leaves are alternately arranged, simple, thick, serrated, usually glossy, and 3–17 cm long. The flowers are large and conspicuous, 1–12 cm diameter, with 5–9 petals; colour varies from white to pink and red, and yellow in a few species. The fruit is a dry capsule, sometimes subdivided into up to 5 compartments, each compartment containing up to 8 seeds.
The genus is generally adapted to acidic soils, and most species do not grow well on chalky or other calcium-rich soils. Most species also have a high rainfall requirement and will not tolerate drought, but some of the more unusual camellias – typically species from karst in Vietnam – can grow without much rainfall.

Camellias have a slow growth rate. Typically they will grow about 30 centimetres a year until mature although this varies depending on variety and location.
Camellia species are used as food plants by the larvae of a number of Lepidoptera species; see List of Lepidoptera that feed on Camellia. Leaves of the Japanese Camellia are parasitized by the fungus Mycelia sterile.

Jasmine Flowers

Jasmine is a genus of shrubs and vines in the olive family,with about 200 species, native to tropical and warm temperate regions of the Old World. The majority of species grow as climbers on other plants or on structures such as chicken wire, gates or fences. The leaves can be either evergreen or deciduous.

Cultivation and uses
Jasmine is widely cultivated for its flowers, enjoyed in the garden, as house plants, and as cut flowers. The flowers are worn by women in their hair in southern and southeast Asia. Many species also yield an absolute, which is used in the production of perfumes and incense.
Jasmine tisane is consumed in China, where it is called Jasmine flower tea.Jasminum sambac flowers are also used to make tea, which often has a base of green tea, but sometimes an Oolong base is used. The delicate Jasmine flower opens only at night during the full moon and is plucked in the morning when the tiny petals are tightly closed. They are then stored in a cool place until night. Between six and eight in the evening, as the temperature cools, the petals begin to open. Flowers and tea are "mated" in machines that control temperature and humidity. It takes four hours or so for the tea to absorb the fragrance and flavour of the Jasmine blossoms, and for the highest grades, this process may be repeated as many as seven times. Because the tea has absorbed moisture from the flowers, it must be refired to prevent spoilage. The spent flowers may or may not be removed from the final product, as the flowers are completely dry and contain no aroma. Giant fans are used to blow away and remove the petals from the denser tea leaves. If present, they simply add visual appeal and are no indication of the quality of the tea.

Canna Flowers

The name canna comes from the Greek word for "reed," referring to the stems. The parentage of garden hybrids is very mixed, but breeders have provided many sturdy and colorful kinds.

Description of canna: Cannas grow from fleshy roots with erect stalks from which broad, long leaves emerge. Flower stalks rising in the center bear large flowers. Foliage may be green, bronze, or purplish in hue.

Growing canna: Cannas need full sun and grow best in a deep, rich, moist but well-drained soil. Incorporate extra organic matter and a slow-release fertilizer in the soil before planting. For earliest bloom, start in pots indoors. Otherwise plant roots directly into the ground after soil is warm and all danger of frost has passed. Use pieces of rootstock with 2 or 3 large eyes and plant 2 inches deep. Space 11/2 to 2 feet apart. Remove spent flower heads for more prolific bloom. In fall after the first light frost, cut back stems to 6 inches, dig roots with soil attached, and store in a cool, frost-free place. While in storage, water sparingly.

Propagating canna: By seed or by division of roots. Seed propagation is slow; cut roots into pieces, each with 2 to 3 eyes, in the spring just prior to planting.

Uses for canna: Use cannas in the center of island beds, at the sides or back of brightly colored borders, or near pools and ponds. They also dominate large containers.

Canna related varieties: There are dozens of cultivars from which to choose, depending on a taste for flowers, foliage , or both. Australia has the darkest purple leaves and red flowers. Brandywine is deep red. Intrigue is tall with upright, smoky purple foliage and orange flowers. Lucifer is a red and yellow bicolor. Panache has sea green leaves and pale apricot flowers. President has scarlet flowers. Bengal Tiger, offers yellow striped leaves and orange flowers, Minerva has yellow stripes and flowers, Tropicana, with multicolored orange and pink, striped leaves and orange flowers. Wyoming has burgundy leaves and shocking orange blooms.

Sweet Pea

Sweet Pea is a flowering plant in the genus Lathyrus in the family Fabaceae, native to the

eastern Mediterranean region from Sicily east to Crete.

It is an annual climbing plant, growing to a height of 1-2 m where suitable support is available.

The leaves are pinnate with two leaflets and a terminal tendril, this twining round supporting

plants to help it climb. The flowers are purple, 2-3.5 cm broad, in the wild plant, larger and very

variable in colour in the many cultivars. Unlike most peas, the seeds of the sweet pea are

poisonous as they contain a neurotoxin, and should not be eaten. The illness caused by the

ingestion of sweet peas is known as odoratism, or sweet pea lathyrism.

Sweet peas have been cultivated since the 17th century and a vast number of cultivars are

commercially available. They are often grown by gardeners for their bright colours and the

sweet fragrance that gives them their name.

Oleander Flowers

Oleander is an evergreen shrub or small tree in the dogbane family Apocynaceae and is one of the most poisonous plants known. It is the only species currently classified in the genus Nerium.

It is native to a broad area from Morocco and Portugal eastward through the Mediterranean region and southern Asia to Yunnan in southern parts of China . It typically occurs around dry stream beds. It grows to 2-6 m tall, with spreading to erect branches. The leaves are in pairs or whorls of three, thick and leathery, dark green, narrow lanceolate, 5-21 cm long and 1-3.5 cm broad, and with an entire margin. The flowers grow in clusters at the end of each branch; they are white, pink, red or yellow, 2.5-5 cm diameter, with a deeply 5-lobed corolla with a fringe round the central corolla tube. They are often, but not always, sweetly scented. The fruit is a long narrow capsule 5-23 cm long, which splits open at maturity to release numerous downy seeds.
In the past, scented plants were sometimes treated as a distinct species N. odorum, but the character is not constant and it is no longer regarded as a separate taxon.

Michelia champaca

Michelia champaca is an evergreen tree, native to South Asia and Southeast Asia. It is best known and cultivated for its strongly fragrant yellow or white flowers. It is also cultivated for timber. Common names include champaca, champak or champac, champa, cempaka, sampige and shamba.
The flowers are used in Southeast Asia for several purposes. They are floated in bowls of water to scent the room, as a fragrant decoration for bridal beds, and for garlands and hair ointments.
The flower is the main scent present in the commercial "joy" perfume, and is sometimes commonly called the "joy perfume tree".

Crinum Lilies

Crinum Lilies are often called Spider Lilies, and some species have the spider-shaped white blooms. But not this one. This beautiful plant grows from a large bulb and forms a strong clump of strap-like leaves and beautiful pink lily-shaped flowers. Crinums are relatives of the amaryllis, and the growth is somewhat similar. All Crinums hail from tropical areas, and this popular pink one is a cross between two South African natives. It's one of the most popular lilies in the American south, but it can be successful everywhere, as long as the bulbs are lifted after frost in heavy winter areas. Crinum Lilies, also called Cape lilies, are often shared with neighbors due to their fast and easy growth. Planted around mailboxes, decorating borders, and generally adding great color wherever it grows, the Cape Lily is a beauty. (Another Crinum is called the "Milk and Wine Lily" with striped blooms.)

Medlars

Medlar (Mespilus) is a genus of two species of flowering plants in the subfamily Maloideae of the family Rosaceae. One, Common Medlar Mespilus germanica, is a long-known native of southwest Asia and possibly also southeastern Europe, and the other, Stern's Medlar Mespilus canescens, was recently discovered in North America.
They feature an unusual fruit, which requires bletting to eat, and was historically very common, though it is now rare.

Allamanda

Allamanda, also known as Yellow Bell, Golden Trumpet or Buttercup Flower, is a genus of tropical shrubs or vines belonging to the dogbane family.

The genus Alamanda is native to South and Central America. Their year-round production of large, bright flowers have made the Allamanda popular ornamentals.

A woody, evergreen shrub with vigorous growth, Allamanda may reach a free-standing height of 2 metres or more. The leathery leaves are lancelike, pointed, and may either be opposite or in whorls of three or four. The yellow, trumpet-shaped flowers are 5-7.5 centimetres in diameter; cultivated forms tend towards larger blooms which may also be white, purple, pink or orange in colour. Their scent may be described as delicate and fruity.

In the wild, Allamanda grow along riverbanks and other open, sunny areas with adequate rainfall and perpetually moist substrate. The plants do not tolerate shade, salty or alkaline soils; they are highly sensitive to frost. Allamanda are otherwise undemanding and with appropriate conditions will grow rapidly, from 1-3 metres annually. The seed capsules are oval and prickly; cultivated forms rarely produce seeds, but Allamanda are easily propagated from cuttings. Discarded cuttings are quick to take root.

Allamanda have become naturalized throughout the tropics; they may be seen in roadside ditches, abandoned yards and dumps. As a controlling measure, cutting is ineffecive with Allamanda and will lead to vigorous coppicing. Owing to its fast growth, Allamanda has been introduced widely where it is used as a groundcover or for hedges and screens. In some areas Allamanda are an invasive species, notably Allamanda cathartica in Queensland, Australia.
Allamanda cathartica is also notable for its medicinal properties: all parts of the plant contain allamandin, a toxic iridoid lactone. The leaves, roots and flowers may be used in the preparation of a powerful cathartic (hence the name); the milky sap is also known to possess antibacterial and possibly anticancer properties. Gardeners exposed to the sap will develop rashes, itch, and blisters.

The genus name Allamanda derives from Dr. Frederich Allamanda (1735-1803), a Swiss botanist of the late 18th century.

Zinnia flowers

Zinnia is a genus of the annual and perennial plants of the family Asteraceae. Zinnias come in 20 species of composite flowers. The flowers are ideal for indoor arrangements. Zinnias bloom in a wide variety of colors with large, mixed blooms

Facts About Zinnias
The name of the genus derives from the German botanist Johann Gottfried Zinn's name

There are two species of zinnia that occasionally obtain attention as ornamental plants, the Zinnia grandiflora and Zinnia tenuifolia.

The common Zinnia of gardens, Zinnia elegans, is also called youth-and-old-age.

The most popular bedding plants, Zinnias originally grew as wildflowers native to the southwest United States, Mexico and Central America.

Did you know? Zinnia was the state flower of Indiana during 1931 - 1957.

Cosmos Flowers

Cosmos is a genus of about 20-26 species of annual and perennial plants in the family Asteraceae, native to scrub and meadow areas in Mexico , the southern United States , Central America and northern South America south to Paraguay.
They are herbaceous perennial plants growing 0.3-2 m tall. The leaves are simple, pinnate, or bipinnate, and arranged in opposite pairs. The flowers are produced in a capitulum with a ring of broad ray florets and a center of disc florets; flower color is very variable between the different species.

Marigolds (common), Tagetes

Tagetes is a genus of 52 species of annual and perennial herbaceous plants in the daisy family. They are native to the area stretching from the southwestern United States into Mexico and south throughout South America. The different species vary in size from 0.05-2.2 m tall. They have pinnate green leaves, and white, golden, orange, yellow, to an almost red floral heads typically to 4-6 cm diameter, generally with both ray florets and disc florets.

Uses and Breeding
The foliage has a musky/pungent scent, though some later varieties have been bred to be scentless. It is said to deter some common insect pests (although it is recorded as a food plant for some Lepidoptera larvae including Dot Moth), as well as nematodes. Tagetes are hence often used in companion planting. T. minuta (Khakibush or Huacatay), originally from South America, has been used as a source of essential oil, known as tagette, for the perfume industry as well as a flavourant in the food and tobacco industries in South Africa, where the species is also a useful pioneer plant in the reclamation of disturbed land. Some of the perennial species are deer, rabbit, rodent and javalina resistant. The petals of Tagetes are rich in the orange-yellow carotenoid lutein and as such extracts of T. erecta are used as a food colour .

Petunias

Petunia is a trumpet shaped, widely-cultivated genus of flowering plants of South American origin, in the family Solanaceae. The popular flower got its name from French, which took the word petun 'tobacco' from a Tupi-Guarani language. Most of the varieties seen in gardens are hybrids.

The origin of P. x hybrida is thought to be by hybridization between P. axillaris (the large white or night-scented petunia) and P. integrifolia (the violet-flowered petunia). P. axillaris bears night-fragrant, buff-white blossoms with long, thin tubes and somewhat flattened openings. The species was first sent from South America to Paris in 1823. P. integrifolia has a somewhat weedy habit, spreading stems with upright tips, and small lavender to purple flowers. It was discovered in South America by the explorer James Tweedie, after whom the genus Tweedia is named, who sent specimens to the Glasgow Botanical Garden in 1831. Many open-pollinated species are also gaining popularity in the home garden. A wide range of flower colors, sizes, and plant architectures are available in both the hybrid and open-pollinated species.

Some botanists place the plants of the genus Calibrachoa in the genus Petunia. Botanically speaking, tobacco, tomato, potato, and petunia are all in the family Solanaceae.

Petunias are generally insect pollinated with the exception of P. exserta, which is a rare, red-flowered, hummingbird pollinated species. Most petunias are diploid with 14 chromosomes and are interfertile with other petunia species.

The foliage of Petunias is sometimes eaten by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including Dot Moth and Hummingbird hawk moth.

Lillies

Lilly flower is more diverse in many ways compared to the rose. It comes in a variety of colors, shapes and sizes. You probably know the common Lilly which probably grows in your garden as a normal flower which is known as Lilly of the valley and is also known by the French as the Muguet.
Known as one of the beautiful flowers in the world the Lilly is not confined to one particular look it. This delicate looking white flower produces a sweet smell and blooms in the early months of spring. The flower also comes in different types such as the Calla Lilly which is said to be a fragrant flower.
The Lilly flower which also comes as the lotus water Lilly is usually pale pink in color unlike the original which has a yellow center to its petals and the outside of the petals which curve around the stamen of the flower is a royal purple color. There is also the white water Lilly flower which also grows in mud filled lakes and comes in a variety of different shades.
Lillies are usually used to create beautiful fragrant for perfumes as well as table decor. They are also used for funeral flower arrangements in fact the flower is usually symbolically linked with death and several different varieties of Lillies are used for this very reason. You can find Lillies in different colors such as soft butter yellow and a snow white color. The flower is very good for different arrangements and can be used to design different flower arrangements and is usually a very fragrant flower.

Lotus

Nelumbo is a genus of aquatic plants with large, showy, water lily-like flowers commonly known as lotus or sacred lotus. The generic name is derived from the Sinhalese word Nelum. There are two species in the genus, the better known of which, N. nucifera, or "Sacred Lotus," is the well-known national flower of India and Vietnam.

There is residual disagreement over which family the genus should be placed in. Traditional classification systems recognized Nelumbo as part of the Nymphaeaceae family, but traditional taxonomists were likely misled by evolutionary convergences associated with an evolutionary shift from a terrestrial to an aquatic life style. In the older classification systems it was recognized under the biological order Nymphaeales or Nelumbonales. Nelumbo is currently recognized as its own family, Nelumbonaceae, as one of several distinctive families in the eudicot order Proteales. Its closest living relatives are shrubs or trees.
These plants are unrelated to the bird's-foot trefoils and deer-vetches of the genus Lotus.

Violets

Viola is a genus of flowering plants in the violet family Violaceae, with around 400–500 species distributed around the world. Most species are found in the temperate Northern Hemisphere, however viola species (commonly called violets, pansies or heartsease) are also found in widely divergent areas such as Hawaii, Australasia, and the Andes in South America.
Most Viola species are small perennial plants, some are annual plants, and a few are small shrubs. A number of species are grown for their ornamental flowers in borders and rock gardens; the garden pansy in particular is an extensively used spring and autumn/winter bedding and pot plant. Viola and violetta are terms used by gardeners and generally in horticulture for neat, small-flowered hybrid plants intermediate in size between pansies and violets.

Perfume
Viola odorata is used as a source for scents in the perfume industry.

Lavender

The Lavenders Lavandula are a genus of 39 species of flowering plants in the mint family, Lamiaceae, native to the Mediterranean region south to tropical Africa and to the southeast regions of India. The genus includes annuals, herbaceous plants, subshrubs, and small shrubs. The native range extends across the Canary Islands, North and East Africa, south Europe and the Mediterranean, Arabia, and India. Because the cultivated forms are planted in gardens world-wide, they are occasionally found growing wild, as garden escapees, well beyond their natural range.

Uses
The most common "true" species in cultivation is the Common Lavender Lavandula angustifolia. A wide range of cultivars can be found. Other commonly grown ornamental species are L. stoechas, L. dentata, and L. multifida.
"Lavandula intermedia" or "Lavendin" is the most cultivated species for commercial use, since its flowers are bigger and the plants are easier to harvest, but Lavendin oil is regarded to be of a lower quality.
Lavenders are widely grown in gardens. Flower spikes are used for dried flower arrangements. The fragrant, pale purple flowers and flower buds are used in potpourris. Dried and sealed in pouches, they are placed among stored items of clothing to give a fresh fragrance and as a deterrent to moths. The plant is also grown commercially for extraction of lavender oil from the flowers. This oil is used as an antiseptic and for aromatherapy

Orchids

Orchidaceae or Orchid family is the largest family of the flowering plants . Its name is derived from the genus Orchis.
The Royal Botanical Gardens of Kew list 880 genera and nearly 22,000 accepted species, but the exact number is unknown because of taxonomic disputes. The number of orchid species equals about four times the number of mammal species, or more than twice the number of bird species. It also encompasses about 6–11% of all seed plants. About 800 new orchid species are added each year. The largest genera are Bulbophyllum, Epidendrum , Dendrobium and Pleurothallis . The family also includes the Vanilla , Orchis and many commonly cultivated plants like some Phalaenopsis or Cattleya.
Moreover, since the introduction of tropical species in the 19th century, horticulturists have more than 100,000 hybrids and cultivars.

Cherry Blossom

Cherry blossom

Sakura or cherry blossom is the Japanese name for cherry trees, and their blossoms. In English, the word "sakura" is equivalent to the Japanese flowering cherry, and their blossoms are commonly called cherry blossoms. Cherry fruit (known in Japanese as sakuranbo) comes from another species of tree.

Natural history
Sakura is indigenous to many Asian states including: China, India, Japan, and Korea. Japan has a wide variety of sakura; well over 200 cultivars can be found there.

Cherry blossom in other countries

Philippines

A province in Western Philippines, Palawan, serves as home to an endemic Palawan Cherry Blossoms, which appears to resemble that of Japan's, thus the name.

Canada

Vancouver, BC is famous for its thousands of cherry blossom trees lining many streets and in many parks, including Queen Elizabeth Park and Stanley Park. Vancouver holds the annual Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival every year. High Park in Toronto, ON features many Somei-Yoshino cherry trees that were given to Toronto by Japan in 1959. Through the Sakura Project, the Japanese Embassy donated a further 34 cherry trees to High Park in 2001, plus cherry trees to various other locations like Exhibition Place, McMaster University and the University of Toronto's main and Scarborough campuses.

Flower viewing

During the Heian Period (794–1191), the Japanese nobility sought to emulate many practices from China including the social phenomenon of flower for viewing, where the imperial households, poets, singers, and other aristocrats would gather and celebrate under the blossoms. In Japan, cherry trees were planted and cultivated for their beauty, for the adornment of the grounds of the nobility of Kyoto, at least as early as 794. In China, the ume "plum" tree was held in highest regard, but by the middle of the ninth century, the sakura had replaced the plum as the favored species in Japan.