Archive for the ‘General’ Category
Июнь
17
Posted under
General,
Uncategorized by ruola
Wandering on blogs about flowers today, the idea to write this article occured in my head. Gardening should not be a bore! Let’s forget about traditional ways of performing plants in our houses and apply a little bit of creativity and fantasy.
I’m sure that at least once you already thought of something interesting to do in your garden to present this or that plant in non-traditional way. You might have a desire to make your garden look different from all others so that it would delight your eyes every time you will look at it!
I tried to find pictures of different ways to do it smart or funny whatever you prefer and it should not be an expensive way.
Did you ever think of using old furniture (which you probably wanted to get rid of) in your garden? What can be easier than put chair legs into low boxes with tiny flowers? Or the pan which was probably used by your grandmother stands in the lumber-room with no use? It can be used as a vase somewhere outside, for example, on a garden table or a bench. But if you really want to plunge into this creative process try to think of some figure to wicker and decorate then with plants as it was done on the picture with a star. I also like a plant which is put into a cage - it can be hanged as inside the house as well as outside. It might also be a plant with long and narrow leaves than can look through the bars of the cage. And if you use a high enough cage you can put a lamp on the top (but mind a lamp voltage, it should not be too hot for the plant) and it will nicely serve as a chandelier.
For holidays like Easter you can put two-three types of plants into one glass container and decorate it with moss and figures of chiken or rabbit and eggs. What fun will it be for children!
Just give your fantasy some freedom and start to make your garden something special!
Июнь
15
Posted under
Blooming plants,
General,
Uncategorized by ruola
We are used to see flowers in composition - this is so “natural” today to make a garden look organized, to have some idea in it. We are getting used to admire mostly the composition and start making notes in the mind how to repeat it in our own garden. This sometimes can make us forget about the beauty of each flower separately.
At weekend i took my camera out to the garden of my friend. The garden is a place where you can find a great variety of flowers including wild flowers which are not cultivated on purpose. In my opinion the more colors in the garden the better - flowers should strike the eye and bring us joy wih all those unrealistical bright colors. On the photos i especially like a tiny flower by the fence that looks so touching and shy. Looking at this flower i start missing a simplicity in the life.
Март
29
Posted under
General by ruola
Keukenhof is a beautiful park in the western part of Netherlands close to Lisse city. This park is known for an enormous quantity of flowers on its huge territory (32 ha). They say it is the most photographed place in the world. The park is open from March till May and attracts thousands of visitors.
It was a little bit too early to visit this park in March because flowers just started to grow and those that were blooming already are mostly crocuses and narcissus. The advantages of this visiting time are less people and quietness. So if you’re lucky with the weather you will surely have most enjoyable walk around this park. At the same time you can see enough blooming plants inside the spacious green-houses.
Keukenhof has several green-houses which are:
- Oranje Nassau
- William Alexander
- Beatrix
- Wilhelmina
- Jualiana
Oranje Nassau, William Alexander and Beatrix are best places to see all types of flowers cultivated by highly skilled gardeners. Here you will find various plants like tulips, amaryllises, cyclamens and many others in all imaginable containers. You can buy any sample you like. Most prices are around 15-40 euros. Another remarkable thing about these green-houses is that it shows also plant compositions – it can be a column decorated with huge amaryllis flowers, lots of tulips and some fabulous leaves. Or it even can be a birdcage where instead of a bird you will see a nice composition of flowers. Isn’t it a nice idea for decoration in your garden or any room in the house? You will certainly see the modern trend – plants in high glass containers. A little bit of decoration in the container – a figure of a rabbit or small candles and it makes the plant look very special. After your eyes will be tired from diversity of all those colors go outside and enjoy a nice view of fountains which are numerous in the park. The largest is perhaps the one along the path from Oranje Nassau. For your comfort there are plenty of chairs in front of the fountain and it is a nice place for relaxation on a hot day.
Beatrix has a rich collection of orchids. Which color do you like better? Pink, orange, white, violet? They are all here!
Outside there’s also much too see – fields of flowers, all organized in a fanciful way. It is better to see them a little bit from the top and you can notice that a mass of yellow and pink flowers make a shape of a huge tulip from the top.
Keukenhof is also a good place to pip some design solutions for your garden. As you walk to Julian house you will see a small suspension bridge with a waterfall behind. Or you can enjoy the babble of the brook in a picturesque place. Certainly there are a lot of places to be admired.
So if you are fond of flowers and nature you will never regret your trip to Keukenhof – the most beautiful and unforgettable garden in Europe.
Окт
22
Posted under
General by ruola
Hardly there are many countries where people are so fond of plants and flowers as in Holland. 
I couldn’t but praise the talent and work of Dutch plant breeders who developed such a great variety of plants with all imaginable and unimaginable colors and forms.
I just don’t know any other country where people are so much fond of decorating their houses inside and outside with our green friends.
My first impression of Holland (I should notice I started not in big cities like Amsterdam or Hague but in small quite villages), is that there’s a secret competition between owners of these beautiful gardens: everyone tries to make his house and garden more special, more beautiful than others. The curious fact is that they also use vegetables for decoration. It is not rare when you can see vegetables like pumpkin somewhere close to the front door among pots with flowers. Knowing some methods of growing they manage to have a needed word like ‘welkom’ on the vegetable. See the picture.
You can buy plants almost everywhere – in numerous plant specialized shops and at any supermarket. The choice is really amazing. All plants are blooming and looking very healthy.
There I found another type of Cylamen: its leaves look very much the same as my cyclamen has but its flowers are more than twice bigger and their color is white. The plant looks so touching and nice.
Another interesting thing is chrysanthemum available in all possible colors: red, pink, orange, white and so on. It seems to me that chrysanthemum is one of the favorite plants among Dutch people because you can find almost in every garden.
Июль
07
Posted under
General by ruola
If you are planning to start your indoor garden the information below can be of use.
Let’s talk about pots. This is an important question if you don’t want to regret in vain wasted money and time. This is the question which raises for every gardener – what pot to choose – ceramic or a plastic one?
I suggest to look into the matter to find advantages and disadvantages and to make the best choice for your garden.
Let’s start with ceramics. There are two types of it: lacquered and non-lacquered. The main advantage of lacquered ceramics is that it gives you a variety of colors to match the colors of your rooms. All imaginable and unimaginable pictures on lacquered pots will decorate your place to advantage. You can easily take care of the lacquered pot thanks to its smooth surface – dust can be easily wiped off with a wet cloth. Another thing which is also true for non-lacquered pots is that you can single out your favorite, especially beautiful plant. For instance, choose a pot which color matches the color of plant flowers. And, of course, there is always a fly in the ointment. In lacquered pots plant roots cannot “breathe”. Besides ceramics is quite heavy and if it is a big pot you might have difficulties when transferring it into the bathroom for shower. Ceramics is fragile as well – you have to find a secure place for such pots.
The best thing about non-lacquered ceramics is that plant can breathe which is very important for some plants. Water and salts in that water easily escape through porous pot walls making plant’s life comfortable. At the same time salts coming out spoil the appearance of the pot. Be careful with pot in a form of a ball – because of the narrow throat you will most likely have problems when replanting. Anyway this kind of pot is most natural for pot plants.
Plastic is first of all a practical material: easy to clean, it won’t break into pieces if your cat or child drops pot by chance on the floor, and it is much cheaper than ceramics. Many people prefer plastic pots of one color (usually white or blue) thus they can move pots from one room to another and not to be afraid that one company stops production of specially designed ceramics and they have to buy pots of a different design and remain unhappy of disharmony. Plants in plastic pots require less water. Though there’s a danger of a plant decay. Some people think that a plant feels cooler in a plastic pot as well. Plastic is more comfortable when replanting. Due to a low price you can break the pot and not to regret money spent on it.
I tried to mention major advantages and disadvantages of ceramic and plastic pots. You’re welcome to share your experience.
Июнь
19
Posted under
General by ruola
For every person house plants have a specific meaning. For somebody house plants are an opportunity to be closer to nature, for others – they help to obtain harmony, physiological relaxation, etc. In any case you can make the plant composition so that they won’t just improve house environment but also satisfy the eye. Below there are few recommendations that will help you to choose and organize house plants.
1. Proportion between your house and your plants.
Nowadays thanks to the development of transport industry we have a great variety of indoor plants to choose – from ordinary plants which our grandmothers used to have to a big number of exotic plants available almost at every plants shop.
Plants composition can be very different. You can make a composition on small table somewhere in the living room or you can even make a kind of a ‘winter garden’. If you don’t possess a spacious house, give preference to vertical compositions. You can use columns or walls for that – fasten a decorative lattice with the help of brackets, or make a solid screen (e.g. of glass) and thus you can divide your place into zones. These kinds of organization are good for climbing plants due to the fact that a lattice and a screen will serve as a support which is necessary for these plants.
One more very effective composition is a ‘plant chandelier’ – a flat vase with plants hanged on the ceiling. Besides its highly decorative quality it has one more advantage – this composition doesn’t steal your space at home at the most common places – tables, window-ceilings, floor and so on. If your house is big enough you can afford big plants in big quantities. For spacious rooms you can use tree-like plants – dragon-tree, ficus and other plants with big leaves. This composition is good for big rooms with little furniture – halls, living-rooms.
2. Harmony
Plants should be in harmony with things around them. For instance, plants look nice on the plain background. If you have wallpapers with tiny figures on it, put there plants with big leaves and the other way around – wallpapers with sporty figures match plants with tiny leaves best of all. Do not place plants with variegated leaves close to walls decorated with photos and pictures.
Red and orange flowers of the plant such as Kalanchoe and Hibiscus should find their place in a dark corner/room. If the room has too much of ‘warm’ colors, decorate it with violets with white-blue flowers.
It is important to pay attention to the light angle. If you put plants near the wall where sun lights shine to, you will see an amusing pattern on the wall. If your plants have some specific intriguing shape put it against the light, e.g. on the window sill. You will also see a nice effect if the color of curtains, walls, furniture, etc, will match the color of your plants. If you have a design with a contrast of black and white it is strongly recommended to have plants to refresh the room.
For furniture of elegant and straight forms made of steel, glass, marble and lacquered wood - plants of distinct and well-defined forms will make it look gorgeous.
For furniture made of bamboo and rattan, for small cupboards and wicked shelves, low tables and chairs use plants like orchid, ivy, jasmine, etc. To make your room look Japanese decorate it with bamboo, Azalea and bonsai plants. If your room is done in a French or English style put there bushy and generously flourishing plants with a note of softness: Cyclamen, Camellia, palms and other tree-like plants.
The one thing you have to remember is that you don’t need to use a huge amount of plants to decorate your place. It is important to choose among the great variety of plants the most fitting ones to your interior which are in harmony with everything around.
Don’t forget about your own temper. If you are an active passionate person choose bright colors – yellow, orange. If you are a reserved person you would probably prefer violets, roses and lavenders.
3. Plant knowledge
The choice of plants for your house should not be restricted by pompous blooming or beautiful leaves. Correct way to find best plant combination is to study their requirements: lightening, temperature, air humidity,etc. And even that is not all!
Containers where you keep your plants also play a very important role. Thanks to a good choice of pot materials and shapes you can find the most agreeable for the room of any styel. Pots of bright colors will best fit in the children’s room. Expensive picturesque containers of elegant style can be put in the halls and living-rooms.
To sum up everything we have discussed: when decorating the house you should remember the following three rules: right choice of the plant, good position and proper care. Of course to make a big composition without skills and knowledge is difficult. That’s why start with small things, read more articles about plant decoration and one day people coming to your house will start paying compliments to you.
Июнь
18
Posted under
General by ruola
I am glad to welcome you at my blog FlowerWonders.
With the hectic run of life which is usual for big cities a human starts looking for harmony. Someone finds it in Joga, someone — in communication with animals and i find my harmony in the garden.
Though i would like to inform in advance that my blog is mostly about indoor garden since i live at the place where summer is too short. And i don’t regret it at all! I can change my garden anytime because pot plants are portable and i can easily arrange them the way i want but, of course, taking into consideration some rules.
I prefer blooming plants that’s why i want to call my blog FlowerWonders — blog with a lot of pictures of beautiful flowers made by myself. I’m not a professional photographer but i’d like to show plants the way i see them.
Garden is healthy both for your body and mind because it is natural as well as a human being.
I want to tell you about plants around me, also to share my experiance and joy which i receive from gardening. You are welcome to comment on my articles!
Flowers in the old pan
Making use of old housewares