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Botanicals
The many faces of Chrysanthemum continued…
Chrysanthemums and Mothers’ Day Last week’s blog on ‘The many faces of chrysanthemum’ seems to have been chopped off before we got down to answering why chrysanthemums are associated with Mothers’ Day in Australia. The period around Mothers’ Day is one of the year’s busiest for Australian florists who sell enormous quantities of gift-wrapped cutRead more
In season: Gymea lilies, magnolias and buttercups
Gymea lily or Spear lily (Doryanthes excelsa) is in season now. With red flowers up to 50cm in diameter, stems that can be over 5m tall and well-formed spear-like leaves around 1m long, the Gymea lily is perhaps the grandest of all flowers we get to use in floral arrangements in Australia. The GymeaRead more
The many faces of chrysanthemum
With Fathers’ Day on our minds, we found ourselves thinking of Mothers’ Day and chrysanthemums. Chrysanthemums could be said to be a more interesting thing to think about than socks, drills or golf balls. Native to Asia and north-eastern Europe – with most deriving from China – chrysanthemums are now grown all over the world.Read more
Do daffodils kill other flowers?
Do daffodils kill other flowers? A most robust discussion is taking place amongst us all here at Bloom College HQ. The topic is whether daffodils and jonquils should be allowed to inhabit the same bucket of water as freesias, tulips or other spring flowers when all are freshly picked. We know the toxic sap fromRead more
Fridays friend – Rosemary: A friend to all
Rosemary: A friend to all A participant in one of Bloom College’s first Herb and rose posy workshops was a keen gardener, craft enthusiast and home cook. Having never applied her eye for design or creative instincts to the ‘formal’ art of flower arranging, she came along to add another dimension to her skill set,Read more
Spot the link: Flowers, fruit, cigarettes and car engines
Flowers and plant materials grow old, wilt and die, much to the disappointment of all of us who would love to be able to keep on admiring lovely vases and containers of cut flowers for weeks or months. The process that causes this to happen is called senescence. The good news is you canRead more
Blossoming blossoms
‘Blossoming’ is a term we often reserve for flowering fruit trees. Ornamental varieties of Prunus trees are now ‘doing their thing’: flowering profusely. In so doing, they promise us spring is coming. Almond, Peach, Plum, Cherry and Japonica trees charm us with their beauty when they flower. Here in Victoria the hardy cherry plums areRead more
Early blossom at Geelong flower farm
Whilst visiting the Geelong flower farm I was so delighted to see some stunning big branches of white blossom, soo beautiful
Autumn roses and green bunnies steal the show!
Stunning autumn roses and cute green Easter bunnies were the stars of The Bloom College exhibit at the Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show last week. Thousands of visitors stopped to admire our display which incorporated the very best of Victoria’s autumn roses, examples of the arrangements that you can learn to make through ourRead more