The rose is a representative of love in all forms.  Roses became a popular Valentine's Day Flower in the 17th century.  The popularity of a rose as a Valentine's Day flower stems from the belief that the red rose was the favorite flower of Venus-the Roman Goddess of Love and Beauty, hence the rose is dubbed as the flower of love and passion.  Valentine's Day is Sunday this year, so order early.  Surprise her with a delivery at work on Friday!  

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Not Just for Spring, cut tulips are most abundant from about December through May, but they may be found year-round due to a new technology that sustains bulbs in cold to delay the extended availability.

Cut flowers are lovely and fun way to greet guests at your front door.  For a wonderful welcome sign, attach a basket of fresh flower to your door knocker, hang just a few stems with a beautiful bow, or fill some milk bottles with your favorite flowers and set them on the front steps.

Create a great first impression in your entrance hall or foyer with small bouquet in a crystal pitcher or an umbrella stand filled with a few dramatic long stems.

Sports on your linen napkins?  A single or double stem placed over the spot makes a great "stain remover."  Or use fresh napkin rings at your next summer barbicue.  Simply bend the stem around the napkin, slip knot, and clip off the excess.

For the dining table, go for something intimate and intriguing.  Put a single, short stem in a shot glass or individual mini-vase and set one at each place setting.  What a great way to give every guest a fragrant favor to take home.

Printed with permission of flowerpossibilities.com

Share the beauty of Texas-Grown Flowers and Texas Wines.  Team up your favorite flower with your favorite wine.  Examples are:

Gerbera Daisies are nature's happiest flowers.  They have met their match with Chenin Blanc, Texas' friendliest wine.  The Gorgeous, sun seeking face of the Gerbera Daisy is understandably drawn to the Chenin Blanc.  It's Bright, heavenly and it lights up a room.

Lily:  The Lily doesn't mind company, but it's perfectly capable of standing on its own.  It can blend with the colors of the garden or just hang around the house.  If it were a wine, we're sure it would be the Sauvignon Blanc-pairing wonderfully with seafood and poultry, but perfect for quiet siping. 

Two Texas Treasurers pairing part of the toast a rising star through the Texas Department of Agriculture's GO TEXAN program.

Homecoming Mum Time in the Big State of Texas

Kitchen Spice Recipe

Caring for your Floral Vase Arrangements

Following the annual convention of the Texas State Florists' Association (TSFA), to be held July 24-26th, dozens of Texas florists will rearrange the many floral displays, place them in vases and then deliver over 500 bouquets and arrangements to the patients of the Dallas Veterans Hospital.

"We are so delighted to know that patients and the hospital staff at this amazing hospital will have an opportunity to enjoy the most magnificent floral arrangements our professional florist members can create" explains Pat Shirley-Becker AIFD TMFA, President of the Texas State Florists' Association.  "This is part of the excitement of the convention every year, wherever it is held, that the 700 Texas florists who attend the convention annually, knows that their creations are not going to waste, but will have a glorious second life at local hospitals.  For more information, telephone the Texas State Florists' Association at 800.375.0361.

Species of Tillandsia are bromeliads found in the deserts, forests and mountains of Central and South America, Mexico and the southern United States.  Thinner-leafed varieties tend to grow in rainy areas, while plants with thicker gray leaves can thrive in drier regions.  These "airplants" use specialized cells called trichomes to prevent water loss and gather nutrients from the dust, decaying leaves, insect matter and other falling debris.  Traveling across the Americas, you can spot Tillandsia species growing on trees, rocks and cliffs.

Drivers who follow green, yellow and red traffic light cues are more successful than those who don't.  Some plants cue their pollinators with a similar strategy: a part of the flower, or even the whole flower, changes color as a result of being pollinated.  From a distance, bees notice a plant's differently colored blossoms and quickly learn to visit flowes that are brimming with nectar and pollen and spurn others that have run out of rewards.  Like paint-by-number, this pollinate-by-color strategy gets the job done more efficiently, helping plants to make seeds and bees to gather food.  The strategy is successful, for at least 393 plant species across 78 different plant familieis that are known to provide color cues.

Get your colorful plant from a professional Texas State Florists' Association member listed on this site.

Plants can't get up and walk--but they do move.  Many plants have a built in clock, and their flowers open and close on a daily schedule.  Others move in response to a stimulus such as light or touch.  The sweetly scented moonflower vine works the night shift, relying on moths to pollinate flowers.  Some flowers close on a rainy day or when temperatures plummet or spike.  Plant leaves, too, fold and unfold, on a daily schedule or sometimes in defense. 

Purchase your plants from your local professional flower shop!

In a rainforest ecosystem, water is not limiting, but sunlight and space are scarce commodities.  Some plants avoid the crowd on the forest floor and opt for a high-rise residence on tree limbs where their specialized abilities give them an advantage.  Plants that grow directly on other plants but are not parasitic are called epiphytes.

Epiphytes produce their own food using photosynthesis, as do other green plants.  Some have specialized roots for dangling in the air; others lack roots and absorb moisture and minerals through specialized cells called trichomes.  Orchids, ferns and bromeliads, including Spanish moss, are common tropical or subtropical peiphytes. 

Call your local TSFA Professional Florist to order beautiful Orchids, ferns and bromeliads!

Like carnivorus plants, so-called "ant plants," or myrmecophytes, have found a unique way to get an edge in a competitive world. In nutrient-poor habitats, these plants welcome ant colonies by providing housing in swollen tuber-like stems.  In return, the ants provide them with a nitrogen-rich nutrient source.  Where plants are plaqued by aphids or other plant-eating insects, some plants speicies offer resident ants a "defense contract" in the form of food for services.  The ants chew on overgrowing vines and attack feeding insects and other herbivores, and the plants pay the ants in nectar or bits of protein called Beltian bodies.  No matter what the details, these "mutualistic" relationships benefit both ant and plant.

A rose is a traditional flower given on Valentine's Day.  It conveys the many emotions and holds meanings based on the color.  Below is the meaning of different colors of roses to help you choose the one that gives the perfect expression of your feelings.

Red Roses: Red roses are the most popular Valentines Day flower.  The color red stands for eternal love, passion, courage and respect.  Symbolically a red rose conveys romantic love and enduring passion.  At times, red roses are also used to convey non-romantic messages such as "Congratulations" or "Job Well Done". 

White Roses:  Pure white roses are symbolic of purity, turth, innocence, reverence and silence.  These roses are used to convey "I Miss You' or "Your're Heavenly". 

Yellow Roses:  Yellow roses symbolize friendship, celebration, joy, hope, freedom and also jealousy.  But on the occasion of Valentine's Day these are used to convey "Let's Be Friends".   Yellow roses may also be used to say "I Care", "Welcome Back", "Get Well" and "Remember Me".

Pink Roses: Pink roses are quite popular as Valentine's Day flowers as these convey the feeling of "Thank You", "You're So Kind" and "I Love You" in a way that can be considered either romantic or friendly.  Generally speaking, pink roses symbolize admiration, gentleness and sweetness and are associated with friendship and marriage.

Peach Roses: On Valentine's Day, peach roses convey a message of desire and excitement.  At other times, peach roses symbolize admiration, gentleness and sweetness and are associated with friendship and marriage.

Lilac Roses:  These depict the sender has fallen in love at first sight with the recipient.

Coral Roses:  Coral roses express desire with their passionate color.

Orange Roses:  Orange roses communicate enthusiasm and desire of the sender for the recipient.

Combination of Roses:  Some people like to give a combination of colors that convey several different emotions.

Red & Yellow Roses:  A bouquet of red & yellow roses conveys a message of happiness and celebrations.

Red & White Roses:  A combination of red & white roses indicates bonding and harmony.  It helps convey the message of "Together we Stand".

Yellow & Orange Roses:  This combination is used to say, "I am passionate about you".

Find your local florist here, telephone and place your order for Valentine's today!

According to the results of a new study, floral scent can trigger sweet dreams!

By analyzing the sleeping patterns of 15 women during 30 nights, a team of German researchers found that the smell of roses leads to pleasant dreams. After entering the rapid eye movement (REM) phase of sleep, scents of roses and rotten eggs were pumped under the subjects' noses for ten seconds.  Afterwards, scientists woke them up and aksed them to reveal the content of their dreams.

It seems that women who were exposed to the smell of roses had pleasant emotions, whereas those who were exposed to the bad smell of rotten eggs experienced the opposite while sleeping.  In women who weren't exposed to any of the scents, no difference was found.

Researchers now believe that the findings may show the way to aid people who suffer from nightmares.  Their study has been presented at the 2008 American academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Foundation Annual Meeting, held in Chicago.

Studies carried out in the past have shown factors like sound and pressure of vibration have an impact on dreams. 

Enjoy the scent of roses!  Here's hoping it leads you to pleasant dreams.

Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples marked the start of the Christmas holiday season at the Ronald McDonald House of Austin where Texas growers donated poinsettias and Christmas trees.  "The Ronald McDonald House of Austin provides a loving home-away-from home to families whose children are faced with critical injuries or life-threatening illnesses," Commissioner Staples said.  "We hope these freshly cut Texas Christmas trees and poinsettias will make this house feel more like home to these families". 

At the event, Commissioner Staples encouraged Texans to take advantage of the Lone Star State's Poinsettias.

Continue to enjoy your fresh cut flower arrangement after purchase by:

-Checking the water level as soon as possible.

-Change the water in a vase arrangement on the second day and continue with this care tip throughout the life of your arrangement.  If your arrangement is in foam, add water until foam is completely soaked.

-Place in a cool location, out of sunlight, drafts and off TV sets.

To Care for flowers that are not arranged:

-Remove all foliage from the stems below the water line, then re-cut each stem diagonally, and place in luke warm water.

To care for your Texas Grown green plant:

-The plant prefers moderate tempatures.

-Fertilize following directions on houseplant fertilizers.

-Water when plant's soil is dry to the touch.

-Remember to remove decorative containers before watering-this will allow the plant to drain.

-Light is essential for healthy plants, however, protect from direct sunlight.

Questions:  contact your local professional florist.