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Across the world, since time immemorial the beauty and uniqueness of flowers has been glorified in many traditions, beliefs, poems as well as stories. Flowers have always blessed life on earth and have taken on an amazing variety of shapes, colors and scents in their efforts to attract the creatures they need to complete pollination and produce seeds for the next generation.

There are currently 235,000 known species of flowers in the world, and more are discovered every year. More than 60 percent of these grow in the warm, wet climate of tropical rainforests. Some tropical flowers go to extremes in size, odor and survival strategies. Most of these couldn’t survive in a suburban garden, and you probably wouldn’t want them to.

 Appealing to human sensibilities isn’t foremost in the reproductive struggle of these unique and intriguing flowers. You probably won’t be able to cultivate these species in your lawn but here’s a look at some of the world’s most unique and beautiful flowers across the globe.

 KING PROTEA

The King Protea is the National Flower of  South Africa and as such provides the name to the National Cricket team,  whose nickname is the ‘Proteas’. It also is the flagship of The Protea Atlas Project, run by the South African National Botanical Institute.  The King Protea has several color forms and horticulturists have recognized 81 garden varieties, some of which have carelessly been planted in its natural range. In some variants the pink of the flower and red borders of leaves are substituted by a creamy yellow. This unusual flower lasts for long and is used in decorative flower arrangements. It also makes for an excellent dried flower.

 

 

WARATAH

  The name Waratah comes from the Eora Aboriginal people, the original inhabitants of the Sydney area. It is native to the southeastern parts of Australia – New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania. The Waratah belongs to the Proteaceae, a family of flowering plants found in the Southern Hemisphere. They prefer sandy loam soils and are a pyrogenic flowering species, meaning that they rely on post-fire flowering followed by production and dispersal of non-dormant seeds to take advantage of favorable growing conditions in the altered environment following a fire. The most well-known species in this genus is Telopea speciosissima, which has bright red flowers and is the New South Wales state emblem.

PASSION VINE 

Passion vines, known also as the passion flowers, is a part of about 500 

species of flowering plants, the namesakes of the family Passifloraceae. Passion flowers have always been very popular, and many hybrids were created using the Winged-stem Passion Flower and the Blue Passion Flower and other tropical species during the Victorian era.  A number of species of Passiflora are cultivated outside their natural range because of their beautiful flowers and many cool-growing Passiflora from the Andes Mountains can be grown successfully for their beautiful flowers and fruit in cooler Mediterranean climates, such as the Monterey Bay and San Francisco in California.

 

INDIAN BEET

 Indian Beet also known as Sundial Lupine is part of the Fabaceae family. It is widespread in the USA (from Florida to Maine), Canada, and on the coasts of the Arctic Ocean, where it grows on sand hills. The flowers can range from blue to pink, but are most often blue or bluish purple. The Sundial Lupin is used as food plants by the caterpillars of several Lepidoptera. Among these are the Frosted Elfin and the rare and Karner Blue, whose caterpillars feed only on Sundial Lupine leaves. Sundial lupine has been declining in number and range since the Industrial Revolution due to habitat loss, habitat fragmentation, and poor management. Human development has eliminated a large portion of its viable habitat and the remaining habitat is often fragmented, which is problematic for the lupine because it limits the range over which it can reproduce.

 

 

 

 Links:

– Send Flowers to U.S.A.

– Send Flowers to U.K.

– Send Flowers to Philippines

– Send Flowers to Germany

– Send Flowers to China

– Send Flowers to Australia

 

In addition to being a symbol of love, the rose is also symbolic carrier of secrets or tacit understanding. The term “sub rosa” means under the rose and comes from the practice of Romans hanging roses above meeting tables. Here it was understood that anything said at this table, beneath the hanging roses, was forbidden to be repeated elsewhere.

In alchemical texts and art, a rose with seven petals is a symbol of inclusion, universal understanding and order, Presumably, because in Pythagorean numerology the number seven is iconic of the perfection in the specific unfolding of the universe as well as human understanding.

Seeking symbolic meaning of the rose from an esoteric perspective, we can look at the Tarot, in which the rose is considered a symbol of balance. Here the beauty of the rose expresses promise, new beginnings and hope. This beauty is contrasted with its thorns which represent defense, physicality, loss, thoughtlessness. The rose is seen in the major archana as: Magician, Strength, Death and Fool cards. All of these cards hold strong meanings of balance and equilibrium.

Different colored Roses also have different meanings, Such as:

• The Yellow Rose: Joy, Protection against envious lovers, Mature love
• The White Rose: Purity, Sanctity, Secret admirer, Mysticism
• The Red Rose: Sacrifice, Immortal love, Health, Memorial, Passion
• The Pink Rose: First love, Innocence, Healing

The use of the rose as a symbol of sovereignty and power has been given special use even in modern times. The rose, by virtue of its beauty, shape and scent, has become the most commonly used floral symbol. To gaze at the heart of a rose is to contemplate the truest living Mandela. To look on this mystic centre is to be in the presence of holiness. A symbol cherished by our ancestors that has been handed down over millennia yet has power to move our spirits.

In the words of T.S. Eliot, the famous Victorian poet, “Only in time can the moment in the rose garden…  Be remembered, involved with past and future. Only through time, time is conquered.”

References:

– Send Roses to the U.S.A.

– Send Roses to the U.K.

– Send Roses to Canada

– Send Roses to Philippines

– Send Roses to Germany

…An Eternal Symbol of Love and Romance

Throughout world history, the rose  has been the symbol of love, purity, devotion, inspiration, beauty, elegance, compassion, spirituality and sensuality. The significance of the rose is both religious and mythological. It was prized as the flower of Aphrodite to the ancient Greeks, and to the Arabs it represented the highest spiritual achievement and to the early Christians it was the flower of the Virgin Mary.  The Rose was also a symbol of secrets held in confidence; It was an ancient practice to hang a rose over a council table, letting all who attended know they were sworn to secrecy.

Ancient authors highlight the ritual of the use of the rose in Greek life. Greek myths accentuate the symbolic nature of the rose. The most famous surround Aphrodite (Venus) as Goddess of love. She sprang forth into life from the foam of the sea, and where the foam fell to the ground white roses grew. This and later myths about Aphrodite display the dual nature of love: purity and innocence represented by white roses; desire and sexual gratification by red ones. In the 5th century BC., Anacreon composed an ode in praise of the rose, its beauty, perfume, power to heal and the esteem in which it was held by the Gods. The Greek philosopher Epicurus had his own private rose garden in Athens, wherein he instructed his pupils regarding the highest pleasures.

 Theophrastus records that in some gardens, known as ‘Gardens of Adonis’, exceptionally pretty roses were cultivated in silver pots. They were grown for their perfume which devotees believed kept illness at bay, as well as for use in wreaths. As in Greek mythology, the rose plays a recurring and symbolic role in Roman legends. Rose wreaths were awarded by the Romans as a mark of honor for a major military success, and in later ages for every minor victory. Rose petals were scattered in the path of the victors at the Games. The association of the rose with wine and revelry was prevalent at the height of the Empire. The Roman Emperor Nero at banquets made rose petals to rain from the ceiling on the guests below. Stories of roses carpeting the floor of the banqueting hall to a depth of two feet when Mark Anthony visited Cleopatra verify that this trend caught on. The Romans used roses in abundance at funerals, and garlanded their tombs with rose wreaths. Rose buds were offered to the departed during the festival called Rosalie. The rose was a symbol of life because of its beauty, a symbol of death because of the inevitable withering of its blooms and a symbol of eternal life because of its association with the Gods. The predilection of the Romans for roses is attested by the excavation of the remains of private gardens in the ruins of Pompeii, and the depiction of roses in surviving frescoes found there.

Graeco-Roman Egypt affords examples of how practical occultism made use of roses in the land of the Nile. It is believed that the roses cultivated in the West since Greek and Roman times originated in Persia. The last pagan Roman Emperor, Julian, called the Apostate by his Christian opponents, died on an expedition there in 363 CE. Since then, the rose has been associated with all aspects of the spiritual life, and mystical poets have used the symbolism of the rose to express the complexities of existence.

T.B.C.

Thanks to Marian Lucille Herndon McQuade of Oak Hill, West Virginia, the National Grandparents’ Day is celebrated every year on the first Sunday after Labor Day. McQuade, a mother of 15 children, 40 grandchildren, and eight great grandchildren founded and initiated the campaign in 1970. She made it her goal to educate the youth in the community about the important contributions seniors have made throughout history. She also urged the youth to “adopt” a grandparent, not just for one day a year, but rather for a lifetime. Grandparents’ Day is a day to remember and show your grandparents how much you love and appreciate them in your own special way.

Grandparents appreciate every gift they receive from their near and dear ones. It doesn’t matter to them if it’s expensive, economical or homemade. The thought and emotions that go behind those gifts make their day and bring a priceless smile to their faces. What’s important is we remember them not just on this special day dedicated to them, but all year round.

Sometimes it is hard to find the perfect gift for grandparents, since many of them seem to have pretty much everything! Some people love to prepare a get-together luncheon, tea, or dinner in their grandparents honor. Some don’t have that privilege because they’re miles apart. For those who are far from their grandparents presence and have no way to express their thoughts and feelings in a more personal manner, a virtual and instant way to get to their hearts is through E-cards. You can personally choose designs that would best represent your feeling for them and convey to them how much they mean to you. Just make sure that they know how to access their emails.

You can send across delectable gifts such as chocolates, cakes and various other goodies that your grandparents would really enjoy and find enticing. You can also gift them rejuvenating Spa hampers and personal care hampers as they make for a thoughtful gift.

Whether it is for expressing your love or as a gesture of affection, flowers are the perfect gift for any occasion as they are appreciated by one and all. You can send across beautiful floral arrangements to your grandparents and light up their day. It’s the best way to express the warmth you harbor within.

 Another great gifting idea for Grandparents’ Day is to give your grandparents custom-made picture frames. In fact, you can even put personalized messages and add a personal touch to the frames by putting in family pictures taken over the years. This is something that they will truly cherish and will always remind them of those special moments they have shared with you.

You can also send them books related to the things they love most such as gardening, knitting, cooking, carpentry etc.

So this Grandparents’ Day on 9^th September, gift them something truly heartwarming and thoughtful and make this day extremely memorable for them.

 References:

– Send Gifts and Flowers to U.S.A.

– Send Gifts and Flowers to U.K.

– Send Gifts and Flowers to China

– Send Gifts and Flowers to Germany

– Send Gifts and Flowers to Canada