The colorful, showy Amaryllis is a monotypic genus, meaning it consists of only one species. Amaryllis belladonna, as a bright flower, has been given the symbolic meaning in the Language of Flowers as ‘splendid beauty’ or ‘pride.’

The Amaryllis blooms 2-5 large flowers at the apex of tall stems, with 4” or larger diameter flowers – some may reach 6” across — and multiple petals creating a dramatic and attractive flower. If you’d like to make a great impression when going to a family celebration in springtime, or if you’re hosting a spring family special occasion, the Amaryllis impresses.

Interesting facts About Amaryllis:

• Amaryllis is native of South and Central America and the Caribbean.
• Amaryllis is a perennial flowering plant.
• The plant’s nickname of “naked lady” stems from the plant’s pattern of flowering when the foliage has died down
• The plant is also sometimes known as the “Jersey Lily”

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Sharon Naylor is the author of over 35 books on family celebrations, including weddings, bridal showers, vow renewals, and more. She is beyond thrilled to be the new guest blogger for The Farm, and she will be posting inspirations and tips for your parties, get-togethers and big family moments throughout the year. Visit her website www.sharonnaylor.net for more on her books and articles.

Daffodils, Crocus, Hyacinth, Tulips…you know them well, and they may be among your favorite springtime flowers. Now that spring is fully upon us, expand your spring flower horizons to appreciate the many additional blooms that bring beauty to your gardens and as potted flowers fresh and pretty springtime color indoors.

Today starts my new series on the loveliest of spring flowers that you might not have gotten to know (yet!) Don’t fear that it’s too late if you haven’t gotten these bulbs into the ground last fall, or that you’ll have to wait a year to grow them. Potted spring blooms are living things of beauty available at The Farm, ready to freshen your spring flower repertoire.

Agapanthus is commonly known as Lily of the Nile, African Blue Lily and African Lily, and the name is derived from the Greek word agap, meaning Love. The genus includes about 10 different species and the blooms appear as large clusters of white, blue or violet-blue flowers on tall stems.

Interesting facts about Agapanthus:

• They grow in the shade.
• They bloom from late spring until the beginning of autumn, depending on the species.
• The Africanus species is evergreen, and the campanulatus species die down during winter and re-emerge in spring.
• Agapanthus is commonly referred to as the ‘flower of love,’ making them a meaningful gift or décor element for weddings.

Sharon Naylor is the author of over 35 books on family celebrations, including weddings, bridal showers, vow renewals, and more. She is beyond thrilled to be the new guest blogger for The Farm, and she will be posting inspirations and tips for your parties, get-togethers and big family moments throughout the year. Visit her website www.sharonnaylor.net for more on her books and articles.

This is a post by Sharon Naylor

Sharon Naylor is the author of over 35 books on family celebrations, including weddings, bridal showers, vow renewals, and more. She is beyond thrilled to be the new guest blogger for The Farm, and she will be posting inspirations and tips for your parties, get-togethers and big family moments throughout the year. Visit her website www.sharonnaylor.net for more on her books and articles.

A Valentine’s Day bouquet makes your sweetheart smile for a few days, but the gift of garden flowers makes that smile last a lot longer. On this holiday of romance and love, our New Jersey customers are shopping not for cut flowers in bouquet form, but for blooming, fragrant potted flowering plants that say ‘I Love You’ for an endless time to come.

You’re likely aware that those Valentine’s Day bouquets of cut flowers cost a lot more than usual at this time of year, with some bouquets reaching a stunningly high price of $60 or more for just a dozen red roses. To make a greater visual impact, romantics might purchase bouquets of two or three dozen cut garden flowers, easily spending $100 to $200.

We have a fresh option for you, a trend that also ties into the organic gardening and green lifestyle interest of many of our New Jersey customers and friends – give a living garden plant in potted form, filled with dozens upon dozens of baby roses or other garden flowers. The gift lasts long after the calendar page turns, there’s no sad-looking wilted bouquet on your table or desk, and the plant grows over time.

We’re also quite thrilled to hear that our customers plant these Valentine’s Day potted flowers in their gardens come springtime, creating an ever-expanding flower garden on their properties, a growing tribute to the many Valentine’s Days the couple has spent together. Every day and every evening, a walk through this flower garden reminds the couple of the beauty of their relationship. That’s quite a gift.

We invite you to The Farm here in Chatham to select a romantic potted garden flower plant, choosing from roses, cyclamen, exotic arching orchids, amaryllis, anemone, camellias, casa blanca lily, cosmos, jasmine, narcissus, ranunculus, star gazer lily, sweetpeas and more. And of course, since not all sweethearts love flowers, potted green plants and herbs say ‘I Love You’ just as well.

Perennial favorites

Tulips are another favorite perennial flower of the Northeast. Being a perennial, a tulip should bloom year after year, but this isn’t always the case. Tulips are planted in the fall and they immediately start to root not blooming until spring. Once you see the Tulip blossoms you will find them in almost any color. Tulips come in many varieties in size, scent, and shape. They can be found as a double, fringed, or even twisted. Some tulips are perfumed and even unscented. You may find tulips in a variety of sizes from miniature blossoms to larger tulips like that of 2 1/2 feet high. These lovely flowers aren’t too big, too small, too elegant, and too romantic; tulips are just right for any occasion. Tulips are known for being a symbol of imagination, dreaminess, perfect lover, and a declaration of love.

Tulips have many needs and have strange characteristic that you may not see in many other flower types. As stated, tulips bloom in springtime, however, they can bloom from three separate flowering seasons; early, mid, and late spring. This is nice because they will provide beauty in your flower garden throughout the spring. Tulips are pretty easy to grow in colder climates, because tulips need cold in order to bloom. Don’t fret; those that live in a warm climate can buy pre-cooled bulbs that will bloom a few weeks after planting. The drawback to these types of tulips is that you have to replant these year after year and they aren’t effective in cost.

Tulips look beautiful in a garden or as a center piece. In a garden, tulips look great in garden beds and along the borders of a flower garden. As cut flowers, tulips are long-lasting and look great alone standing tall in a vase or in a centerpiece mixed with other colorful flower varieties. In your garden or resting on your table, tulips will make you feel delighted and will look great no matter what you decide to do with them.

A favorite amongst perennial flowers are the Butterfly bush. What is a Butterfly bush you may wonder? Butterfly bushes are known as the buddleia davidii and are also considered a shrub. Shrub, bush, or flower; you want to treat Butterfly bushes as an herbaceous perennial rather than a shrub.

Perennial favorites

Butterfly bushes grow quickly and bloom in mid-summer. It’s best to plant these plants in spring or fall. The Butterfly bushes flowers will bloom in summer. Butterfly bushes can grow to 6′ to 10′ in height and spread to spread of 4′ to 15′.in width. The Butterfly bush is best used as hedges, accents, beds & borders. They need plenty of sun and their soil needs to be well-drained and fertile. These wonderful beauties are perfect for the Northeast; their hard zone is from 5 to 9.

Butterfly bushes can handle the warmer elements even though they prefer a moist environment. They do just fine in a drought and will survive in some tougher climates. In warmer climates it’s best to cut back at least once a year after this plant finishes blooming to encourage another bloom.

The Butterfly bush has a special honey-scented fragrance that calls to butterflies. Butterfly bushes are great for butterfly gardens and deer tend to avoid so these are great for the countryside. These wondrous plants also attract bees and hummingbirds, planting Butterfly bushes will make for wildlife like scenery.

Butterfly bushes not only look beautiful in our flower gardens but have other uses. The blooms can be purple, pink, white, or red, and usually have an orange center. This plant looks beautiful in a vase and lasts a week as a cut flower. Cut when half the flowers on the stem are open and before they fade. No matter what you do with this beautiful perennial it is sure to shine in your garden.

Another favorite of the perennial family is Peonies. Many people confuse Peonies for a rose or a carnation. These beauties can grow to a hundred flowers or more and can grow to 10 inches. They grow in singles, as semi-doubles, or as doubles and are 6 to 8 inches wide. You will find these in crimson, scarlet, various shades of pink, to pure white. There can come in a new hybrid in yellow or purple flowers.

Peonies are very easy to grow and can tolerate long periods without rain once matured. Peonies are disease resistant; however, ants are attracted to peonies because of the nectar they produce. On a better note, ants on peonies neither harm nor help these flowers. Peonies are heavy feeders and require a lot of attention. Peonies can become large, beautiful and fragrant flowers producing in mid-to late spring. It is important you’re patient with Peonies, most the time they won’t bloom until the second year around like many other perennials it takes time to establish them in your garden.

Peonies can be finicky even with the ease of maintenance it comes to taking care of them. They’re heavy feeders and their soil should be well-drained. If Peonies have too much moisture it can lead to a fungus problem. These flowers can tolerate dry environments; however, in drier climates they may not produce or store food. Peonies like to stay put; moving them around can cause them to die. It is important you plant Peonies in the right place the first time.

As discussed, Peonies can take a long time to produce their beautiful and fragrant flowers. The time it takes to produce these beautiful flowers is well worth the time it takes. Be patient and enjoy these wondrous beauties once they bloom.

This is a guest post by Sharon Naylor

Sharon Naylor is the author of over 35 books on family celebrations, including weddings, bridal showers, vow renewals, and more. She is beyond thrilled to be the new guest blogger for The Farm, and she will be posting inspirations and tips for your parties, get-togethers and big family moments throughout the year. Visit her website www.sharonnaylor.net for more on her books and articles.

Whenever you’ve attended a wedding, or a bar or bat mitzvah, or a Sweet 16 party, an anniversary celebration or any other big bash that takes place in a ballroom, you’ve seen about $1,000 to $5,000 worth of flowers, plants, garlands and greens beautifully arranged, a room transformed into an oasis of roses….and all of those lovely, luscious flowers and greenery hit the dumpster a few minutes after the party ends.

I’d rather put my décor money into the ground. By that, I mean planting rose bushes and climbers, laying down fresh, black mulch in my landscaping, and create a stunning stone pathway for the party I’m hosting at home.

Now this is not to say that no one should ever book a big party at a hotel or ballroom. We have such gorgeous ballrooms, banquet halls and hotels in Chatham, Madison, Florham Park and all of our surrounding towns, and no one can argue that they’re first-class all the way. My focus here is on the floral décor only.

the perfect bouquet

If you choose to plan your celebration at your house, your décor budget stays with you! That beautiful border, the mulch, the rose garden, the koi pond…they add to the value of your home by thousands of dollars, and that big party in your yard leaves a lasting perk: you now have a lovely oasis to entertain in again and again, and to enjoy solo as your own personal relaxation zone.

So what’s the next big celebration on your calendar? Engagement season is coming up starting Thanksgiving and reaching into the holidays. Could you, perhaps, have a spring bridal shower to host? A summer wedding? A big birthday bash to plan for when the warmer weather returns? These big parties require advance planning, booking sites six months in advance. Wouldn’t it be wonderful, just wonderful, to step out into your yard and see your party floral budget work magic out there?

Your year ahead likely has plenty of celebrations on the calendar, and now’s the perfect time to start planning for spring. Parties, that is. And you won’t be throwing your money away.

This is a guest post by Sharon Naylor

Sharon Naylor is the author of over 35 books on family celebrations, including weddings, bridal showers, vow renewals, and more. She is beyond thrilled to be the new guest blogger for The Farm, and she will be posting inspirations and tips for your parties, get-togethers and big family moments throughout the year. Visit her website www.sharonnaylor.net for more on her books and articles.

As the holidays draw nearer, your inbox and mailbox start filling with lots of pretty party invitations. Friends, family, and neighbors will soon start hosting festive holiday parties, uncorking their best vintages, serving baked brie, mingling under the mistletoe, opening their doors with wide smiles as they welcome you to their homes.

When you’re the party guest, it’s a lovely gesture to bring a little something for the hosts. You might immediately think that a bottle of wine is the gift to bring, and so might most of the other revelers. There is, however, a new trend in ‘little somethings’ to bring to parties: a garden gift.

That’s right…party hosts beam with delight when you hand them a ruby-red vase blooming with winter flowers. Or a stunning glass bud vase in a velvet-wrapped box. Something that adds to their holiday décor not just now but for years to come. That bottle of Robert Strong may certainly be drained during the party, but that ruby –red vase lives on and on. The roses delight the senses during the long, dark winter months. And that bud vase will soon welcome spring and summer cuttings from flowering plants and spring’s burst of daffodils and tulips.

Here are some additional Garden Gifts to bring when you’re on the holiday party guest list:

• Potted green plants: ivy and air-purifying fern are at the top of the list!

• Flat garden stones with inspirational words or quotes on them

• Tall or round glass vases filled with the new, hot décor item: small, smooth river stones in silver and slate gray.

• A gardening book, tied with a thick brocade ribbon.

• A homemade food item you’ve prepared using your own kitchen garden herbs, such as a rosemary olive oil, in a pretty glass decanter with a homemade label.

Fall flowers

This is a guest post by Sharon Naylor

Sharon Naylor is the author of over 35 books on family celebrations, including weddings, bridal showers, vow renewals, and more. She is beyond thrilled to be the new guest blogger for The Farm, and she will be posting inspirations and tips for your parties, get-togethers and big family moments throughout the year. Visit her website www.sharonnaylor.net for more on her books and articles.

Most people know their birthstones when it comes to jewelry, but they might not be as familiar with the fact that each birthmonth has its own signature flower. I’m a May baby, so it’s always been about the Lily of the Valley for me, even at my wedding. What I recently learned is that Hawthorn is also my birthmonth flower!

If you have a fall birthday on your calendar – specifically a friend’s, relative’s, colleague’s or your assistant’s birthday – why not skip the gift card this year and give them their birthmonth flower plant? Here are the flowers-by-month for the fall season, and I’ve also included winter so that you can plan ahead!

Traditional Birthmonth Flowers:

September: Aster or Morning Glory
October: Calendula or Cosmos
November: Chrysanthemum
December: Narcissus or Holly
January: Carnation or Snowdrop
February: Violet or Primrose Violet
March: Daffodil or Jonquil

Some of these are bulb plants, so now would be a great time to pick up some bulbs, plant them in a pretty pot, nurture them for a bit, and give your lucky recipient an all-set plant that will surprise them in bloom a few months from now. If you’ll plant bulbs, include the label from the bulb pack so that they know the plant’s needs, height and other vital details. I like to scan the label if it’s creased so that my gift presentation is a little bit nicer with the image and info on a color-coordinated card stock that matches the pot.

And here’s a new trend in Birthmonth Flowers: Weddings are getting their own birthmonths. Here’s what I mean by that: If the wedding takes place in October, the marriage gets its own signature flower! October’s Calendula or Cosmos mark the birth of the couple’s marriage, so those are the flowers of their partnership. Just print out a pretty little card explaining the symbolism, and the bride and groom will love your creativity as well as their new flower to love! [Fall is a very busy wedding season, so these may be your perfect, budget-friendly, meaningful shower gifts for each couple. That’s way better than spending $50 on a gravy boat!]

I’ll have the spring and summer birthmonth flowers in a future post, so keep visiting us here on the Farm Blogs for extra-special, ultra-meaningful ideas for your upcoming celebrations.

When I started my first flower garden I had troubles with this very issue, choosing the right Annuals and Perennials for my garden. Many starting out ask me which flowers are best to start with. Do you want your flower garden to have a lasting beauty for a solid year or longer, a few years? Maybe you want the best of both worlds? In my experience, it is best to plant both, Annuals and Perennials. Having both means there is room to plant new plants each year as your annuals die off and there will be no bare spots through the year in your flower garden when this happens; thanks to the lasting life of Perennials, making your yard a beautiful site to see.

A few recommended Perennials for the Northeast region are as follows:

• Astilbe – blooms white, pink, and red flowers. This variety does well full sun or partial shade.

• Veronica – lush and thriving flowers in colors of blues, reds, pinks, whites and purples.

• Miscanthus sinensis – grassy appearance, attracts birds, detours deer, and looks great at the ends of flowerbeds. .

Great choice of Annuals, flowers that last a year, are as follows:

• Begonia – ideal in flowerbeds, hanging baskets, in containers, and for indoors coming in a variety of colors

• Dahlias – spiked delightful petals that come in many colors, great for walkways, flowerbed edges, and to arrange a beautiful centerpiece.

• Gazania – does best in sun and comes in yellows, oranges, reds, pinks, cream, mauve, and burgundy.

A beautiful and well maintained garden can make all of the difference in the world and can greatly improve the look and feel of our yards. If you follow the advice provided above you will make your garden the envy of the entire neighborhood!