THIS & THAT ABOUT FLOWERS

Did You know....

In the Netherlands , in 1634, a collector paid 1,000 pounds of cheese, four oxen, eight pigs, 12 sheep, a bed, and a
suit of clothes for a single bulb of the Viceroy tulip.

No species of wild plant produces a flower or blossom that is absolutely black, and so far, none has been developed
artificially.

The rose is the best-known symbol of beauty and love. Red roses mean I love you. A dozen of them make the ultimate statement on Valentine's Day. A single rose signifies simplicity.

Tulip bulbs can be used in place of onions for cooking. 

In 1986 Congress voted to make the rose America's national flower. 

California is the source for nearly 60% of all USA-grown fresh cut flowers. 

Americans bought more than 1.2 BILLION fresh cut roses in the year 1996. The number of Begonia hybrids is estimated between 1000 and 2000. Within this enormous family there are plants which are tiny enough to grow in an egg shell and others which can cover a greenhouse wall. 

That's 4.67 roses for every man, woman, and child nationwide. 

The number of Begonia hybrids is estimated between 1000 and 2000. Within this enormous family there are plants which are tiny enough to grow in an egg shell and others which can cover a greenhouse wall. If you become addicted to growing begonias you are called a begoniac. 

The first recorded plant collectors were the soldiers in the army of Thothmes III, Pharaoh of Egypt, 3500 years ago. In the Temple of Karnak these soldiers are shown bringing back 300 plants as booty from Syria.

The cactus family is divided into more than 100 genera. For simplicity North American cacti are placed into five groups: the prickly pears, the saguaro cactus group, the hedgehog cacti, the barrel cacti, and the pin-cushion and fishhook cacti. 

In 1890 Luther Burbank crossed oxeye field daisy and Japanese daisy to produce perhaps the quintessential chrysanthemum - The Shasta Daisy.

Egypt is known as the starting place of the ancient civilizations. "A water lily" has been Egypt's national flower for about 4000 years. It can be seen anywhere on the river Nile, especially the "blue water lily". The blue water lily has been loved by Egyptians for a long time. It was also considered the "God of the Resurrection", so it is sometimes laid on the tomb of "Mica". A few pieces of blue and white water lily flower picture have been found in the tomb of Rames II (ca. B.C. 13th century). Most of the Arab countries have followed Egypt's custom of adopting a water lily as the national flower. 

Romans believed that white roses grew where tears fell as Venus cried over the loss of Adonis. Her son Cupid, stung by a bee, shot arrows in the rose garden. The sting of the arrows became thorns. Venus pricked her foot on a thorn, and the droplets of blood dyed the roses red. 

According to a 2000 national survey, 74% of women preferred to receive flowers for no reason at all.

The rose is believed to get its name from Aphrodite according to Greek Mythology. 

Scientists confirm that over 270,000 species of flowers are documented and living today, and that some of the first flower fossils date back over 90 million years. 

Native Americans once used sunflower meal to make bread. Archaeologists recovered remains of sunflower seeds dating back to 800. 

Although Valentine's Day is the No. 1 holiday for cut flowers, it ranks 4th among holidays for purchases of fresh flowers and plants. The top 3 are Christmas-Hanukkah, Mother's Day and Easter-Passover.

Men make 62% of floral purchases for Valentine's Day.

The sunflower always turns to face the sun, and is used in the manufacturing of soaps, paints, and cosmetics.

As a medicinal herb, the lily was said to treat burns, snakebite, and even cure leprosy.

Dr. Joel Poinsett, the 1st US ambassador to Mexico, brought the poinsettia to US in 1828. The plant, called "flower of the blessed night" in Mexico was renamed in Poinsett's honor. 

Orchids have the smallest seeds. It takes more than 1.25 million seeds to weigh 1 gram. 

The fragrance of flowers is due to the essences of oil which they produce. 

The largest single flower is the Rafflesia or "corpse flower". They are generally 3 feet in diameter with the record being 42 inches. 

The plant life in the oceans make up about 85 percent of all the greenery on the Earth. 

The rose family of plants, in addition to flowers, gives us apples, pears, plums, cherries, almonds, peaches and apricots. 

The real beauty in roses is the story behind them. For centuries, roses have inspired love and brought beauty to those who have received them. In fact, the rose's rich heritage dates back thousands of years. 

People have been passionate about roses since the beginning of time. It is said that the floors of Cleopatra's palace were carpeted with delicate rose petals, and that the wise and knowing Confucius had a 600 book library specifically on how to care for roses. 

Wherefore art thou rose? In the readings of Shakespeare, of course. He refers to roses more than 50 times throughout his writings. 

One thousand years old. That's the age the world's oldest living rose bush is thought to be. Today, it continues to flourish on the wall of the Hildesheim Cathedral in Germany. 

Why white roses are so special is no mystery -- it's a myth. Perhaps it started with the Romans, who believed white roses grew where the tears of Venus fell as she mourned the loss of her beloved Adonis. 

Myth also has it that Venus' son Cupid accidentally shot arrows into the rose garden when a bee stung him, and it was the "sting" of the arrows that caused the roses to grow thorns. And, when Venus walked through the garden and pricked her foot on a thorn, it was the droplets of her blood which turned the roses red. 


The rose is a legend of its own. The story goes that during the Roman empire, there was an incredibly beautiful maiden named Rhodanthe. Her beauty drew many zealous suitors who pursued her relentlessly. Exhausted by their pursuit, Rhodanthe was forced to take refuge from her suitors in the temple of her friend Diana. Unfortunately, Diana became jealous. And, when the suitors broke down her temple gates to get near their beloved Rhodanthe, she also became angry, turning Rhodanthe into a rose and her suitors into thorns. 

Dolly Parton may be known for her music and theme park. But, rose lovers know her for the orange / red variety bearing her name. 

A rose by any other name... According to Greek Mythology, it was Aphrodite who gave the rose its name. 

While the rose may bear no fruit, the rose hips (the part left on the plant after a rose is done blooming) contain more Vitamin C than almost any other fruit or vegetable. 

The rose is a symbol of the times. In fact, it's the official National Floral Emblem of the United States, where June is National Rose Month. 

Leave it to the romantic French to be the ones to first deliver roses. It was in the seventeenth century that French explorer Samuel deChamplain brought the first cultivated roses to North America. 

Roses are truly ageless. Recently, archaeologists discovered the fossilized remains of wild roses over 40 million years old. 

The people of ancient Greece used roses to accessorize. On festive occasions, they would adorn themselves with garlands of roses and splash themselves with scented oil. 

Napoleon's wife Josephine so adored roses, she grew more than 250 varieties.