Gladiolus
Common names: gladiolus, glad, gladioli.
Gladiolus , sometimes called sword lily, it is a genus of flowering plants, iris family (Iridaceae).
Gladioli have been extensively hybridized with a wide range of ornamental flower colours available from the many varieties.
Tall, tightly packed spikes of six to eight blossoms open in sequence from its stem base, so they make very good cut flowers.
2 to 8 inch-wide florets bloom in one direction with sword shaped foliage on long stems.
Gladiolus lend itself to almost any type of style from use of a full stem to provide height to a tall arrangement or individual florets for corsage or wedding flower work.
Gladiolus last seven to 10 days as a cut flower, and are available in a wide variety
of colors including white, green, cream, yellow, buff, orange, salmon, pink, red, lavender, purple, blue plus terra cotta. |
Bird-of-Paradise
Common names: Strelitzia, Crane Flower or Bird of Paradise.
Strelitzia reginae is a flowering plant indigenous to South Africa.
Common names include Strelitzia, Crane Flower or Bird of Paradise, though these
names are also collectively applied to other species of genus Strelitzia.
Named for their similarity in shape to the heads of tropical birds, these have
multicolored 6-inch flowers held inside green, pointed bracts.
Florida and California are the main areas of cultivation,
due to their warm climate.
It is a common ornamental plant in Southern California, and has been chosen as the Official Flower of Los Angeles.
Their blooms are bright orange with purple, living up to two weeks. |
