Keep memories blooming

Live flowers are pretty, we use them to decorate and honor people close to us. But, once the flowers start to wither and die, they lose their beauty.

Now there is a way to preserve them to enjoy in the future.

“Memories in Bloom is a new business, part of Innovative Industries in Creston,” said Lana Bearden, Innovative Industries employment services manager. “It’s a nonprofit organization assisting people with disabilities to identify, develop and achieve their individual life goals by providing vocational and community services.”

Keepsakes

Each arrangement is hand-made.

“We dry flowers from life’s celebrations whether it be a funeral, wedding, anniversary, birth of a child or any other event,” said Bearden. “Once they are dried, wreaths or other arrangements are made. We have a selection of items to choose from to give a lifetime memory for that special event.”

Innovative Industries is able to provide two important aspects to its clients working in Memories in Bloom said Bearden.

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Spring will be in full bloom at flower and garden show

Step out of the cold winter weather into the warmth of spring with colorful flowers, beautiful gardens, and bubbling fountains at the 19th Annual Maymont Flower & Garden Show. Virginia’s long-standing tradition will offer the latest in horticulture, gardens, seminars and a marketplace filled with goodies that will have Richmonders dreaming of spring. For the first time, the Maymont Flower & Garden Show will be combined with the MAC Events Home Show-Richmond to be held at the Greater Richmond Convention Center from February 21 through February 24. Proceeds from the show benefit the nonprofit Maymont Foundation.

Show attendees can look forward to these exciting features:

Garden Displays The 2008 show theme is "The Entertaining Garden" Party Among the Petals." Any day is a good day for a garden party--learn how to make your next outdoor celebration sizzle.

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Force the issue with some blooms for indoor winter beauty

Question: I have always wanted to force my forsythia and cherry branches into bloom during the winter. Is now the time and what is the proper procedure?

Answer: Many trees and shrubs that normally flower in early spring can be cut, forced to bloom and brought into your home for a dash of springtime in winter. The best time to begin forcing flowering branches is late January, February and March. It may take up to eight weeks for your buds to open. The closer it is to the natural bloom time the sooner they will open.

The buds of flowering branches form during the previous fall. After about eight weeks of cold temperatures below 40 degrees, they are ready to bloom if provided the right conditions. Carefully cut the branches, 1/4-inch above a bud, from crowded areas of the shrub. Use sharp pruners.

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Philadelphia Flower Show kicks off season today

The Philadelphia Flower Show season was officially inaugurated this morning with cornbread, gumbo and piles of Mardi Gras beads at Warmdaddy's, the blues and jazz club on South Columbus Boulevard.

"Jazz It Up," the music and gardens of New Orleans, is the theme for this year's show, which runs from March 2 to 9 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, 11th and Arch Streets.

Jane G. Pepper, president of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, which puts on the show, urged the small gathering to add "a touch of New Orleans" to their gardens this year by incorporating new ideas from "Jazz it Up." She also encouraged everyone to travel to the city, as she did recently for a wedding.

"That way we in Philadelphia can really help the people in New Orleans," Pepper said, referring to the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

Happy Valentine's

Those in love barely need a special day to express their feelings as each moment spent together brings them joy. However, Valentine's Day is a great opportunity to show appreciation for those you like, send a hint to those you're secretly in love with, or meet new acquaintances at a holiday party.

A bit of romance

No matter how you decide to celebrate Valentine's Day, the most classic way to show your feelings is through a romantic present accompanied by a heart-shaped postcard. Decorated with fresh flowers, the gift will make an even more romantic impression. Kyiv flower shops, like Ukraflora, Green Gallery, and Kvitkova Vanil (Flower Vanilla) offer Valentine bunches in the form of a heart, or symbolically embellished ones.

There are many other ways to add sweetness to your present.