Chicory- a beautiful weed

I’ve been a flower child from the beginning.I never understood the war against dandelions (they’re cute) and when my dad would take the weed-whacker to the pretty little blue flowers along the edge of our yard, I was borderline heartbroken.

To all you folks with lush, pristine, green lawns, crack free driveways, and disdain for weed-ridden vacant lots, I have two things to say:

One, this world is full of concrete, let’s show some love to anything beautiful growing through the cracks and get a little WILD.

Two, my yard would give you a panic attack.

For a plant with so many uses, it really does get taken for granted. Let’s stop a moment and appreciate that pop of color on the roadside, in that dusty construction site, and at the corner of the parking lot.

Chicory fun facts

• Chicory is native to Europe but has now naturalized all over the US and much of Canada.

• The flowers open with the morning sun and close right around when it is time for a summer afternoon siesta.

• Each bloom only lasts a day and can only be seen on sunny days.

• While wild chicory tends to be bitter, chicory and its relatives are edible and used in cuisine throughout the globe.

• Chicory is also known as blue daisy, blue dandelion, blue sailors, blue weed, bunk, coffeeweed, cornflower, hendibeh, horseweed, ragged sailors, succory, wild bachelor's buttons, and wild endive.

• Chicory can be used in treatment of gallstones, gastrointestinal disorders, cuts and bruises in people. Inulin extracted from the root can facilitate weight loss. Volatile oils from the root of chicory can eliminate intestinal parasites in animals.

• Ground root can be used as substitute for coffee or as flavoring agent for the coffee. New Orleans famously features chicory coffee blends in some of their cafes.

• Wild chicory is an important source of food for deer, elk, turkey and quail.

• Colonists cultivated chicory as a forage plant for livestock.

• The chicory plant is one of the earliest cited in recorded literature. The cultivated chicory plant has a history reaching back to ancient Egyptian time

Celosia

Celosia caracas

Did you correctly guess our Thursday Trivia question?

Nothing says summer like celosia- the color, the texture… come on! These are fun. We’ve been well stocked with Celosia caracas (above) and Celosia Rima (below).

Celosia Rima

Celosia facts:

• Celosia comes from the Greek word kelos, meaning burned, referring to the flower heads that look like flames.

• Celosia are also known as woolflowers and cockscomb

• Celosia is often used for medicinal purposes to treat intestinal worms; blood diseases; mouth and eye problems; and the seeds can be used to treat chest problems

• Celosia are plants from the amaranthaceae, which is the family of amaranth.

• One thousand celosia seeds weigh about 1 gram

• Celosia are native to South America, tropical Africa, and the South and East parts of Asia.

• Most parts of celosia are commonly eaten in stews, and is a staple food of Nigeria.

• The leaves of celosia have a taste similar to spinach.

• Celosia are an easy to grow annual, and are generally resistant to disease and pests.

Beachcomber- one of our celosia-centric summer arrangements

Glass Flowers at Harvard

Glass flower exhibit at the Harvard Museum of Natural History

Still summer, still hot… don’t know about all of you but I’m starting to run out of ideas that revolve around either water or AC. Fear not- here is another Rouvalis approved, flower inspired summer outing!

The Museum of Natural History at Harvard is a wonderful little museum for any nature lover, and a great way to soak up some nature while staying out of the blazing sun.

As far as I’m concerned, all of the exhibits are highly worth spending some time walking through. There are mounted mammals of all kinds, bones, bugs, geodes, blown glass sea creatures, and last but so very not least, the blown glass flowers.

They are spectacular. While walking through looking into the cases, you have to continually remind yourself that they are in fact made of glass, they are so lifelike. The collection of over 4000 models was made by a Czech father and son team of glass artists, Leopold and Rudolph Blaschka. The pair started working together on commissioned work in 1880. They began with a collection of sea creatures for the Boston Society of Natural History. The pieces were so detailed, they got the attention of a Harvard professor who then approached them and the rest is beautiful history.

If flowers weren’t cool enough, Aug 31st, the Fruit in Decay exhibit opens. Glass fruit in various stages of decay, covered in fungus and disease. All the fun of rotting fruit without the stink or fruit flies, am-I-right?! I’m into it.

Oh yeah, while you’re there, take a look at The Rockefeller Beetles. Let’s get weird, bugs are cool.

Locally Grown Sunflowers in Shop!

We have locally grown Sunflowers in shop now until the local growing season is over. We are carrying an assortment of varieties and sizes grown locally throughout the New England area. Stop in today and pick up a bunch to support your local farms and neighborhood business!

Astrantia

Astrantia also known as melancholy gentleman, masterwort and Hattie’s pincushion

Did you accurately answer our insta thursday trivia?

We have some beautiful astrantia in shop for the weekend! Soft white with a blush center and a rich plum. This flower has a delicate look but also tends to be longer lasting. It is beautiful alone in a bud vase or en masse and works wonderfully as a complimentary flower to more focal blooms like roses or calla lilies.

Stop by and pick up a few stems of this little sweetie!

Flower It Forward!

GOLD HILL, Ore.– Flower it forward. That’s what a Gold Hill winery is asking people to do during their annual flower picking event.

Since about 2015, Del Rio Vineyard’s owners have been planting zinnias on the vineyard’s property for anyone to pick for free! Midway through July, the flowers are blooming and people are flocking to the vineyard.

Owner Jolee Wallace says the only condition for picking is that you must pick a bouquet for someone else. People are also encouraged to write in the booklet near the fields sharing who the flowers are going to.

“From the VA to hospitals, a lot go to cemeteries of people that have passed away and they write those sweet notes in there about that,” said Wallace. “I mean, it just makes you want to do it again.”

The flowers keep flowering through the year, so you can keep picking until the first frost.

https://kobi5.com/news/flower-it-forward-at-del-rio-vineyards-2-107089/

The Flower Bridge at Shelburne Falls

The Flower Bridge at Shelburne Falls, a perfectly picturesque destination for a summer day trip!

It’s hot, it’s humid, it’s time to get out of the city. Where to, you ask? Why, the quaint little town of Shelburne Falls, of course! Ok, this won’t take all day, so first maybe stop by the Deerfield River, rent a floatie and drift in the cool water for a while. Next, we’ll head to downtown Shelburne Falls, grab a sandwich and walk over to the Flower Bridge to take in the gorgeous scenery. The bridge is lush and dripping with colorful flowers against a mountainous backdrop.

Originally, a trolley bridge built in 1908 used to haul heavy freight, local goods and passengers. By the late 1920’s the railway company had gone bankrupt, they were unable to keep up with the progress made by the more widespread use of automobiles and trucks. The bridge sat there as an eye sore. as demolition would have been immensely costly and it carried a water main across the river. The idea of a bridge of beauty was born thanks to Shelburne Falls residents Mr. and Mrs. Burnham and Clara Barnard. The bridge was purchased by the Shelburne Falls Fire District and with the help of the Shelburne Falls Women’s Club and other organizations in town, the funding and labor were raised to start the project of turning this eye sore into a floral destination. The bridge went through a huge restoration project in the 1980’s. During that time all of the original plants, trees and flowers were stored and cared for in private gardens. This piece of history is a must see for any flower lover!

How to water plants during heatwave!

1

Irrigate your plants deeply if extremely hot weather is predicted. Watering the plants ensures their roots have plenty of water. Even though morning watering is normally the best practice, water the night before predicted heat if you will not be able to water the morning of the day hot weather arrives.

2

Water established plants deeply once or twice each week. Gauge whether or not you watered plants deeply by measuring the depth of moist soil after watering; moist soil should reach about 1 inch deep.

3

Provide water to plants near your lawn more frequently than you water other plants. Plants near lawn become accustomed to irrigation a lawn receives and may have more shallow roots than plants farther away.

4

Water plants in morning so more water will go into the soil rather than evaporate in the hot air. Morning watering also allows leaves, stems and flowers to dry out quickly, making them less susceptible to fungal growth.

5

Irrigate slowly to decrease runoff and to allow the water to soak into the soil. Deep watering encourages deep root systems that will protect your plants against drought and hot weather. Consider installing a soaker hose or drip-irrigation system instead of watering with an overhead sprinkler or with a hose.

6

Examine your plants' leaves during extremely hot weather. Leaves that wilt during the day but appear fine the next morning receive enough water. If the leaves still droop the next morning, however, then the plants are either overwatered or need water.

7

Feel the soil around your plants if their leaves droop the morning after you water the plants. If the soil is still moist, you overwatered and need to let the plants recover and dry out. If the soil is dry, then water the plants again, even if you just watered them the previous day.

8

Spray the leaves of your plants with an antidesiccant product if you are unable to keep up with watering them. Antidesiccants slow the rate at which plants lose water and protect them during long periods of drought. The best time to apply the spray is when you are not able to water the plants right away.

Beat the heat with a splash of rosé!

White O’Hara Garden Roses

Come join us this afternoon for roses and rosé! Duck inside for refreshing rosé and escape this Boston heatwave! With excessive temps throughout the city be sure to keep all your outdoor plants well watered and hidden from the intense direct sun this weekend! Soaring into near record-setting temperatures Beacon Hill is still alive with tourists and window-shoppers this morning, come visit!

Each week we make up a different rose featured bouquet. We have two stunners today.

One is bright and bold. Orange asclepias, hot pink & purple varieties of celosia paired with Free Spirit roses. This bouquet is all about pop and texture.

The other is soft and romantic. Garden-y white flowers accent full, creamy Playa Blanca roses and fragrant, barely blush O’Hara garden roses.

Can’t wait to see you. Did I mention the AC is on?

Shasta Daisies

Leucanthemum aka Shasta Daisy

These are your quintessential daisies. They just kind of make you want to start gleefully running through a field or make a real flower child daisy crown. Personally, I may be found looking dreamy underneath the shade of a big tree playing a little “He-loves-me-he loves me not”:, can’t you just see the hearts shining in my eyes?

Shasta daisies, are simple, casual and a vision of summer. Guess what? We have some! New to Rouvalis this week, leucanthemum bunches are in stock.