DESKTOP 3212 - AUTUMN BOUQUET

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme

DESKTOP 3094 - SUMMER BOUQUET

A Summer bouquet of Delphinium and Bouvardia. Our relatively mild Summer this year has extended the flowering time of many flowers.

 

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

DESKTOP 2982 - GONDWANA BOUQUET

The flora of South Africa and Australia is quite distinctive with quite a few rich botanical families that provide a diverse and amazing bouquet of flowers. The Proteaceae (banksias, grevilleas, waratahs) and Myrtaceae (eucalypts, bottlebrushes, titrees, lillipillis) especially are well represented. Australia and New Zealand once formed part of a huge southern land mass now referred to as Gondwanaland, whereas northern hemisphere continents were once aggregated into Laurasia. 

 

Gondwanaland and Laurasia began to disaggregate about 160 million years ago. Prior to this time, the southern hemisphere land masses and India were connected into Gondwanaland, while North America, Europe and much of Asia formed Laurasia. South Africa, Madagascar, India, South America, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Australia and various other fragments broke away and drifted northwards, leaving Antarctica behind. Australia and South America were the last major land masses to separate from Antarctica, Australia beginning slowly about 90 to 100 million years ago and establishing a deep ocean passage some 30 to 40 million years ago.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme

DESKTOP 2240 - SOUTHERN BOUQUET

 The flora of South Africa and Australia is very distinctive with quite a few rich botanical families that provide a diverse and amazing bouquet of flowers. The Proteaceae (banksias, grevilleas, waratahs) and Myrtaceae (eucalypts, bottlebrushes, titrees, lillipillis) especially are well represented.Australia and New Zealand once formed part of a huge southern land mass now referred to as Gondwanaland, whereas northern hemisphere continents were once aggregated into Laurasia. Gondwanaland and Laurasia began to disaggregate about 160 million years ago. Prior to this time, the southern hemisphere land masses and India were connected into Gondwanaland, while North America, Europe and much of Asia formed Laurasia.

South Africa, Madagascar, India, South America, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Australia and various other fragments broke away and drifted northwards, leaving Antarctica behind. Australia and South America were the last major land masses to separate from Antarctica, Australia beginning slowly about 90 to 100 million years ago and establishing a deep ocean passage some 30 to 40 million years ago.

Here is a bouquet of the Gondwanaland flowers, readily available in florists throughout the world because of extensive flower exports from both South Africa and Australia.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

DESKTOP 2142 - SOUTHERN BOUQUET

The flora of South Africa and Australia is very distinctive with quite a few rich botanical families that provide a diverse and amazing bouquet of flowers. The Proteaceae (banksias, grevilleas, waratahs) and Myrtaceae (eucalypts, bottlebrushes, titrees, lillipillis) especially are well represented.

Australia and New Zealand once formed part of a huge southern land mass now referred to as Gondwanaland, whereas northern hemisphere continents were once aggregated into Laurasia. Gondwanaland and Laurasia began to disaggregate about 160 million years ago. Prior to this time, the southern hemisphere land masses and India were connected into Gondwanaland, while North America, Europe and much of Asia formed Laurasia.

South Africa, Madagascar, India, South America, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Australia and various other fragments broke away and drifted northwards, leaving Antarctica behind. Australia and South America were the last major land masses to separate from Antarctica, Australia beginning slowly about 90 to 100 million years ago and establishing a deep ocean passage some 30 to 40 million years ago.

Here is a bouquet of the Gondwanaland flowers, readily available in florists throughout the world because of extensive flower exports from both South Africa and Australia.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

DESKTOP 1570 - ROSE BOUQUET

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme,
and also part of the Orange you Glad It's Friday meme.

DESKTOP 1549 - SWEET PEAS

Sweet pea (Lathyrus odoratus) is a flowering plant in the genus Lathyrus in the family Fabaceae (legumes), native to Sicily, Cyprus, southern Italy and the Aegean Islands. It is an annual climbing plant, growing to a height of 1–2 metres, where suitable support is available. The leaves are pinnate with two leaflets and a terminal tendril, which twines around supporting plants and structures, helping the sweet pea to climb. In the wild plant the flowers are purple, 2–3.5 centimetres broad; they are larger and very variable in colour in the many cultivars. The annual species, L. odoratus, may be confused with the everlasting pea, L. latifolius, a perennial.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

DESKTOP 1248 - LISIANTHUS

Eustoma, a genus of three species in the family Gentianaceae, grows natively in warm regions of the southern United States, Mexico, Caribbean and northern South America, mostly in grassland and in areas of disturbed ground. These flowers are commonly known as Lisianthus flowers.They are herbaceous annuals, growing to 15–60 cm tall, with bluish green, slightly succulent leaves and large funnel-shaped flowers growing on long straight stems: sometimes erect single stems, other times growing on branching stems that can rise to be a metre tall.

The flowers can grow up to 5-6 cm across and can be found in a variety of colours. They have been found in all shades of pink, purple, white, and blue. In addition, some are bicoloured and some are occasionally found in yellow or carmine-red. Lisianthus flowers are either single-flowered or double-flowered. Both types of flowers can be found in all ranges of the possible colours listed above.

Lisianthus flowers are tricky to grow and require some maintenance. They have tiny seeds that must be sown on the surface, not buried, and they must be planted in rich, well-drained soil and exposed to full sun. They must be kept moist but not overwatered: Overwatering may result in the growth and development of fungal diseases. Lisianthus flowers will begin to bloom in early summer and some will continue to bloom throughout the later months of the summer. When cut, Lisianthus flowers can last anywhere from two to three weeks in a vase.

Eustoma russellianum is particularly popular and has a number of cultivars that are grown for the cut-flower market. The cultivated flower is also often known as Lisianthus, Texas bluebell, prairie gentian, tulip gentian, or just gentian, although the last name can cause confusion with the related Gentiana plant genus. Eustoma is named after the Greek words eu, which means good, and stoma, which means mouth. Lisianthus on the other hand comes from the Greek words lissos, meaning smooth, and anthos, which means flower.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

DESKTOP 1234 - CHRISTMAS SPECIAL #4

Christmas lilies (so are the Northern Hemisphere "Easter lilies" called Downunder!) and poinsettias in a very festive arrangement.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

DESKTOP 765 - ORANGE ROSES

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

DESKTOP 709 - PINK ROSES

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.