plum

Prunus mume, commonly known as ume (梅:うめ ?) or Japanese apricot, or Chinese plum is a species of Asian plum in the family Rosaceae. The flower, long a beloved subject in the traditional painting of East Asia and Vietnam, is usually translated as plum blossom.

The tree originates from China, and was brought to Japan and Korea later. The tree is cultivated for its fruit and flowers. Although generally referred to as a plum in the English language, it is actually more closely related to the apricot.

The tree flowers in late winter, typically late January or February in East Asia, before the leaves appear. Each flower has five petals and is 1–3 cm in diameter. The flowers have coloring ranging from white to rose to deep red. The leaves appear shortly after the petals fall. The leaves are oval, with a pointed tip. The fruit ripens in early summer, typically June in East Asia. The ripening of the fruit coincides with the rainy season of China and Japan, méiyǔ (梅雨, literally "ume rains"), read baiu or tsuyu in Japanese. Each fruit is round with a groove running from the stalk to the tip. The skin is green when unripe, and turns yellow, sometimes with a red blush, as it ripens. The flesh becomes yellow.

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Peony

The peony or paeony (Paeonia) is the only genus in the flowering plant family Paeoniaceae. They are native to Asia, southern Europe and western North America.

Most are herbaceous perennial plants 0.5–1.5 metres tall, but some are woody shrubs up to 1.5–3 metres tall. They have compound, deeply lobed leaves, and large, often fragrant flowers, ranging from red to white or yellow, in late spring and early summer. In the past, the peonies were often classified in the family Ranunculaceae, alongside Hellebores and Anemones.

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Callery Pear

The Callery Pear (Pyrus calleryana) is a species of pear native to China. It is a deciduous tree growing to 15-20 m tall, with a conic to rounded crown. The leaves are oval, 4-7 cm long, glossy dark green above, slightly paler below. The flowers are produced in early spring before the leaves expand fully, and are white, with five petals, and about 2-3 cm diameter. They have a sickly-sweet smell.

The fruit is less than one cm in diameter, hard, almost woody until softened by frost, after which it is readily taken by birds, which disperse the seeds in their droppings. In summer, the foliage is dark green and very smooth, and in autumn the leaves commonly turn brilliant colors, anything from yellow and orange to more common red, pink, purple, and bronze. Sometimes, several of these colors may be present on an individual leaf. However, the color often occurs very late in fall, and the leaves may be killed by a hard frost before full color can develop.

This tree is amazingly resistant to sicknesses or blight, and is killed more often by storms and high winds than by sickness.

Cultivation:It is so widely planted throughout North America as an ornamental tree that the tree (specifically the Bradford Pear) has become a ubiquity in many suburban communities. It is tolerant of a variety of soil types, drainage levels and soil acidity. Its shape varies from ovate to elliptical. The symmetry of several cultivars lends to their use in somewhat formal settings, such as office parks or industrial parks. It is commonly planted for its decorative value, but its hard little fruits are taken by birds. Its beautiful white blossoms can be seen in early spring along the boulevards of many eastern U.S. towns. At the latitude of Pittsburgh, PA the trees often remain green until mid-November, and in warm autumns, the colors are often a brilliant end to the fall color season, while in a cold year they may get frozen off before coloring. In the South, they tend to be among the more reliable coloring trees.

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kalanchoe

Kalanchoe, one of the most beautiful holiday plants in the world, is showing up at garden centers everywhere. A native to Madagascar and Africa, kalanchoe will certainly display its outstanding features in many Mississippi homes this holiday season.

In our part of the country, the plants are most often pronounced "kalantcho" (which rhymes with natchos), but most everywhere else seems to prefer "kalan'choe" (which rhymes with showy). Believe it or not, there are more than 125 species and many resulting hybrids. The one we see for sale most often is Kalanchoe blossfeldiana.

Kalanchoe is a member of the family known as Crassulaceae. The sedum is one relative that most Southerners are somewhat familiar with. When you think about it, they do have some similar traits, especially in leaf appearance.

The plant is so easy to grow and to get to bloom again each year that you would think every single home in America would have at least one. I was visiting with a gardener at a show in Morton recently who reported she has been growing kalanchoe for years. Not only has she been growing it for years, but she also has been propagating it by cutting and giving it away to everyone who wanted a plant.

The adjective describing the foliage would be words like lush, green, thick, glossy and succulent. Makes you want to grow it just like a jade plant.

The short days of fall bring about the most striking blooms in bright clusters of yellow, orange, or red. There are even new multi-colored selections available. In Mississippi we do have growers that produce them by the thousands every year. I wish that everyone could only see what a greenhouse full of kalanchoes looks like in full bloom. It is almost indescribable.

Their bloom time is incredibly long for a houseplant. These bright flower clusters last for weeks, even months. They are absolutely ideal for sunrooms or bright windowsills and can be grown on the porch or patio. We want to protect from freezing temperatures and from gusty winds. The plant is easily capsized by winds hitting the thick large leaves.

Water plentifully from spring through autumn and start cutting back a little after September. Take care to not over water, as the stems will rot. On the other hand, do not let the leaves reach a wilting point. The soil should be very light and drain rapidly.

Around Oct. 1, place your kalanchoe in an area where it will have darkness for about 12 hours from evening until morning. If this presents a problem, you may want to cover the plant with a box. Buds should begin to form in November.

Should you want to be like my friend in Morton and spread the blessing around, you will find it very easy to propagate by stem cuttings placed in a moist potting soil or my preference is sand. Wait until spring to take your cuttings.

Sure we all need poinsettias, Christmas cactus and cyclamen for the holidays, but once you start growing kalanchoes your home will take on a new colorful look.

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Orange Poppy

Orange Poppy
Nikon D700 with 105mm Micro-Nikkor VR/2.8

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Orkid Flower

Distribution:Orchidaceae are cosmopolitan, occurring in almost every habitat apart from deserts and glaciers. The great majority are to be found in the tropics, mostly Asia, South America and Central America. They are found above the Arctic Circle, in southern Patagonia and even on Macquarie Island, close to Antarctica.

The following list gives a rough overview of their distribution:

* tropical America: 250 to 270 genera
* tropical Asia: 260 to 300 genera
* tropical Africa: 230 to 270 genera
* Oceania: 50 to 70 genera
* Europe and temperate Asia: 40 to 60 genera
* North America: 20 to 25 genera

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Iris

Description:The genus is widely distributed throughout the north temperate zone. Their habitats are considerably varied, ranging from cold and montane regions to the grassy slopes, meadowlands and riverbanks of Europe, the Middle East and northern Africa, Asia and across North America.

Irises are perennial herbs, growing from creeping rhizomes (rhizomatous irises), or, in drier climates, from bulbs (bulbous irises). They have long, erect, flowering stems, which may be simple or branched, solid or hollow, and flattened or have a circular cross-section. The rhizomatous species usually have 3-10 basal, sword-shaped leaves growing in dense clumps. The bulbous species have cylindrical basal leaves.

The inflorescences are fan-shaped and contain one or more symmetrical six-lobed flowers. These grow on a pedicel or lack a footstalk. The three sepals, which are spreading or droop downwards, are referred to as "falls". They expand from their narrow base, which in some of the rhizomatous irises has a "beard" (a tuft of short upright extensions growing in its midline), into a broader expanded portion ("limb"), often adorned with veining, lines or dots. The three, sometimes reduced, petals stand upright, partly behind the sepal bases. They are called "standards". Some smaller iris species have all six lobes pointing straight outwards, but generally, limb and standards differ markedly in appearance. They are united at their base into a floral tube that lies above the ovary. The styles divide towards the apex into petaloid branches; this is significant in pollination.

The iris flower is of special interest as an example of the relation between flowering plants and pollinating insects. The shape of the flower and the position of the pollen-receiving and stigmatic surfaces on the outer petals form a landing-stage for a flying insect, which in probing the perianth for nectar, will first come in contact of perianth, three with the stigmatic stamens in one whorl surface which is borne and an ovary formed of three carpels. The shelf-like transverse projection on the inner whorl under side of the stamens, which is beneath the over-arching style arm below the stigma, so that the insect comes in contact with its pollen-covered surface only after passing the stigma, while in backing out of the flower it will come in contact only with the non-receptive lower face of the stigma. Thus, an insect bearing pollen from one flower, will in entering a second, deposit the pollen on the stigma, while in backing out of a flower, the pollen which it bears will not be rubbed off on the stigma of the same flower.

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