gardener song

In the morning I cast my net into the sea.
I dragged up from the dark abyss things of strange aspect and strange beauty——some shone like a smile， some glistened like tears， and some were flushed like the cheeks of a bride.　　
When with the day's burden I went home， my love was sitting in the garden idly tearing the leaves of a flower.　
I hesitated for a moment， and then placed at her feet all that I had dragged up，and stood silent.
She glanced at them and said， "What strange things are these？ I know not of what use they are！"
I bowed my head in shame and thought， "I have not fought for these， I did not buy them in the market； they are not fit gifts for her."　
Then the whole night through I flung them one by one into the street.　
In the morning travellers came； they picked them up and carried them into far countries.
------------------Tagore

Wind, Flower, Moon, Snow

The flowers are at their best in summer for they have grown in full bloom with the sweetest smell and perhaps for this reason, Shakespeare wrote his masterpiece of love sonnet.
So shall we go to a nearby garden to take a look at the best rose in my city where the garden is always quiet as well as the gardener together with the quiet rose there like a silent, shy yet anxious bride waiting for her love to pick her up?
Shall we go to the suburban tropical plant park where the flowers look extremely beautiful, different in species, various in shape, distinctive in colour, unique in fragrance?
Shall we go to the distant mountain tourist attraction famous for its cool climate, natural grassland, beautiful scenery and flowers?
Oh, on the top of the mountain, let’s sit back to back on that large stretch of natural pasture which boasts various grass as high as knees with flowers as many as stars, watching those blooming wild flowers frequented by dancing butterflies and humming bees or listening to many nameless mountain birds cheerfully chirping as well as some pure creeks happily singing;
Side by side, let’s lie down on the velvet green, gazing the wool-white clouds floating in the sea-blue sky with eagles hovering or blowing a dandelion in hand to the air with a wish and a dream or closing eyes to hum that nostalgic song “ I am a dandelion seed” from an old movie to lose ourselves completely and comfortably in wild imagination and creative association.

Flower In The Crannied Wall

Flower in the crannied wall,
I pluck you out of the crannies,
I hold you here, root and all, in my hand,
Little flower---but if I could understand
What you are, root and all, and all in all,
I should know what God and man is.
-----------by Alfred Tennyson

a song for flower

As blossoms fade and fly across the sky, Who pities the faded red,the scent that has been? Softly the gossamer floats over spring pavilions, Gently the willow fluff wafts to the embroidered screen.
A girl in her chamber mourns the passing of spring, No relief from anxiety her poor heart knows; Hoe in hand she steps through her potral, Loath to treat on the blossom as she comes and goes,
Willows and elms, fresh and verdant, Care not if peach and plum blossom drift away; Next year the peach and plum will bloom again, But her chamber may stand empty on that day.
By the third month the scented nests are built, But the swallows on the beam are heartless all; Next year,though once again you may peck the buds, From the beam of an empty room your nest will fall.
Each year for three hundred and sixty days, The cutting wind and biting frost contend. How long can beauty flower fresh and fair? In a single day wind can whirl it to its end.
Fallen,the brightest blooms are hard to find; With aching heart their grave-digger comes now. Alone,her hoe in hand,her secret tears, Falling like drops of blood on each bare bough.
Dusk falls and the cuckoo is silent; Her hoe brought back,the lodge is locked and still; A green lamp lights the wall as sleep enfolds her, Gold rain pelts the casement and her quilt is chill.
What causes my tow-fold anguish? Love for spring and resentment of spring; For suddenly it comes and suddenly goes, Its arrival unheralded,noseless its departing.
Last night from the courtyard floated a sad song- Was it the soul of blossom,the soul of birds? Hard to detain, the soul of blossom or birds, For blossoms have no assurance,birds no word.
I long to take wing and fly With the flowers to earth's uttermost bound; And yet at earth's uttermost bound Where can a fragrant burial mound be found?
Better shroud the fair petals in silk With clean earth for their outer attire; For pure you came and pure shall go, Not sinking into some foul ditch or mire.
Now you are dead,I come to bury you;None has divined the day when I shall die; Men laugh at my folly in burying fallen flower, But who will bury me when dead I lie?
See, when spring draws to a close and flowers fall, This is the season when beauty must ebb and fade; The day that spring takes wing and beauty fades Who will care for the fallen blossom or dead maid?

x'mas eve?

do u really think we chinese can have a good x'mas eve?
er.....actually,i don't think so
for instance,there R many guys sending flower to their lovers
however,it's a symbol to the guys who fall in love to send flowers?
oh,come on!
don't make flowers so cheap,ok?
personally,i thought that flowers is the only symbol at valentines day but christmas,even any other festivals
undoubtedly,it's my view on selling flowers in the "duoluo" street at that time
what's a jackass!


besides,pls forgive mine poor English...simple sentences were fill with passages

Christmas Rose

Christmas Rose is a European evergreen plant with white or purplish roselike winter-blooming flowers. While in the U.S. the Poinsettia has become the preferred Christmas flower, German and in some other European countries, use the symbol of the Christmas rose, frequently with an evergreen branch for decorations. It can be found on table clothes, napkins, wrapping paper and Christmas cards.
Part of the color in celebration of the season is the blooming of Christmas roses. While a variety of plants over time have come to be called "Christmas Rose", they all are steeped in a legend that dates back centuries.
Legend
The Legend of the Christmas Rose speaks of a young girl named Madelon who wanted to come worship the Christ Child. Seeing the gold, frankincense and myrrh brought by others who were drawn to the humble birthplace, she despaired that she had no gift to bring, for Madelon was poor indeed.
In vain she searched the countryside for a flower that she might bring, but the winter had been cold and harsh - and there were no flowers to be found. Saddened, the girl began to weep. An angel passing over her stopped to provide comfort and smote the ground that was wet from her tears. There did spring a beautiful bush that bloomed of white roses.
"Nor myrrh, nor frankincense, nor gold," said the angel, "is offering more meet for the Christ Child than these pure Christmas Roses." And thus young Madelon went her way and worshipped the Prince of Peace, bearing the gift of her heart and tears.

How to keep Christmas cactus from blooming before Santa arrives

Q: I have a Christmas cactus that is already finished blooming. Some years, it blooms even earlier or not at all. What can I do to make sure it blooms at Christmas?
A: Christmas cactuses (Zygocactus cultivars) are true cactuses, but they grow as tropical jungle dwellers. They will bloom when the proper growing conditions are met. Cool night temperatures will often initiate flower production. If the plant is outside for the summer, cool September temperatures will begin the process.
To slow the production of flower buds, you might consider bringing the plant indoors before night temperatures drop below 55 degrees. Keep the plant in bright light. About mid-October, place it a cool location away from warm radiators or heat vents. Buds should form in time for the holidays.
If you have trouble getting Zygocactus to bloom, make sure you are treating it well during the growing season. Poor growth will hinder flower production. Zygocactus prefer well-drained, evenly moist soil. Do not let it dry out too much between waterings. After it blooms, allow the plant to dry out a bit more than before blooming. Ongoing cool, winter temperatures will extend the bloom season, and you may see flowers sporadically through the winter until spring.
Q: There are stinky little berries under my Ginkgo tree. What are they? Can I make them go away?
A: Congratulations! It’s a girl! You have a female Ginkgo tree. The fascinating Gingko is an unusual relic of prehistoric days. They are dioecious, which means the trees have separate sexes, male and female. Females produce seeds. Ginkgo trees are related to pine trees, and the berries you are seeing are from your tree. Unfortunately, the fleshy portion of the fruit produces a rather disagreeable smell.
In horticultural literature, it is often referred to as “disagreeable,” “evil,” “offensive,” “disgusting,” “repulsive,” and “abominable” and is often compared to the odor of vomit. It is due to the malodorous chemical compound butyric acid produced within the fleshy coat. Once the soft coat and the hard nutshell are removed, the interior kernel is quite delicious and can be found as an ingredient in more esoteric Asian recipes.
There is little you can do to prevent seed production. Some years, there will be few seeds to collect. In other years, you will see bumper crops. If you like the tree but refuse to have berries, you will have to cut down the tree. You can opt to purchase a known male variety like “Autumn Gold.” This cultivar (cultivated variety) will be a fine landscape specimen without the production of fetid fruit.
Q: I planted a new flower garden this summer. Will the snow hurt it?
A: Snow will act as an insulator from wind and oscillating temperatures. It will protect perennials from heaving out of the ground when temperatures freeze and thaw the surrounding vicinity. I allow leaves to cover the beds and then snow to cover the entire area. Newly planted perennials or those in very loose soils may pop out of the ground regardless of snow cover. Gently push them into the proper place as needed.
Be careful of poorly drained areas in the garden. Snow accumulation and ensuing wet soils during melt can cause root system death, and plants will suffer. Avoid piling snow on poorly drained areas when shoveling.
When shoveling or blowing snow, aim the snow away from shrubs. Snow lying on boughs may weigh down or break branches.
Call a master gardener for advice from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday and Thursday at 216-429-8235 or e-mail your questions to mgdiagnostics_cuya@ag.osu.edu anytime. Gardening information is also available at www.cuyahoga.osu.edu and www.webgarden.osu.edu. Loos is the horticulture educator of the Ohio State University Extension, Cuyahoga County, 9127 Miles Ave., Cleveland OH 44105.

Traditional Christmas flower in high demand

Legend has it that the poinsettia made its first appearance in the hands of a poor Mexican girl named Pepita who had no gift to present the baby Jesus on Christmas Eve, according to Paul Ecke Ranch, an Encinitas grower that supplies most of the flowering poinsettias in the United States.
Pepita’s cousin, Pedro, told her that any gift given with love would suffice. Hearing this, Pepita created a bouquet of weeds gathered from the side of the road.
But realizing they were a sad excuse for a gift, she fought back tears as she approached the altar where there was a statue of Jesus. As she handed them over, she happened to glance down and see that her weeds miraculously transformed into a red bouquet of flowers — poinsettias.
The legend was recently retold a slightly different way in the London Free Press, which had the young girl grabbing branches from a poinsettia shrub, not weeds. Either way, the poinsettia remains the traditional Christmas flower.
With Christmas less than three weeks away, it’s again showtime for poinsettias — and they are keeping local growers, retailers and decorators busy.
Poinsettias are the top-selling potted flowering plant in the United States, with $181 million in sales last year, up 6 percent from 2006, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
California accounts for 31 percent of the domestic sales for all potted plants.
At Green Thumb International in Ventura, nurseryman Jack Doughty said the most common question he gets from customers is how do you care for them.
“You want to keep them away from too much direct sunlight,” he said. And water them just like a Christmas tree, keeping them “moist but not soggy wet.”
Green Thumb is getting several shipments weekly.
“We go through them like mad here this time of year,” Doughty said.
One of the store’s suppliers is Santa Paula-based Do Right’s Plant Growers.
Owner Dudley Davis recently provided a tour of his greenhouses where about 80,000 poinsettias were growing. He pulled back plastic curtains to reveal what looked like a sea of red velvet.
“We do 85 percent of our production in the traditional red,” he said. The remaining 15 percent consists of five colors — merlot, apricot, marble, polar (white) and miro (a marbling of pink and white).
The season typically begins around Nov. 15. Davis said 10 percent to 15 percent of his crop is sold by Dec. 5.
“We’re wholesale producers,” he said. “We sell to the whole state of California and part of Nevada.”
For the first time, Do Right’s is growing a German variety called Dummen.
“All the genetics are developed in Germany,” Davis said, “and cuttings are produced in Ethiopia.”
The company purchases the cuttings and roots them at Do Right’s, a bedding plant producer that opened in 1973 and entered the niche market of selling poinsettias about 20 years ago.
“We needed something to do at that particular time,” Davis said. “We don’t sell very many bedding plants in December.”
“I love shopping here,” said Lin Johnson, a partner in Plant Persuasion, who was buying poinsettias at Do Right’s to take to customers in Brentwood and Beverly Hills.
“The quality is good,” she said. “The prices are good, and you can’t beat that. Those are the two things we look for when we put them in a home. We want them to last for the entire season so that when we take them out in January they still look good.”
As for caring for the plants, Davis echoed the advice provided by Green Thumb.
“They don’t like light,” he said. “We have to be very careful about that too, that there’s no light intrusion on the crop. The poinsettias is a photoperiodic plant, which means it blooms on short days,” he said. “They’re very sensitive to light intrusion. So if you have a poinsettia growing out in your yard, the light from your house or streetlights will probably stop it from blooming.”

Festive Christmas Flowers From Find A Florist Make the Season Jolly

LOS ANGELES, CA, Dec 03, 2008 (MARKET WIRE via COMTEX) — ‘Tis the season to be jolly, and what better way to celebrate the holidays this year than with a flower arrangement from a local florist found through Teleflora’s Find A Florist, the leading online florist locator? With a directory of over 20,000 local florists, Teleflora’s Find A Florist allows consumers to search for florists in specific markets and areas.“The holiday season is a great time to send centerpieces, wreaths or even table top trees, which consumers will find through their local florists,” said Chris Campbell, Director Online Marketing, Teleflora. “And to beat the holiday rush, we recommend ordering the second week in December as peak flower sales hit the week before Christmas.”Christmas flowers bought through florists identified on Find A Florist make great decorations for the home or office, and flowers are wonderful gifts for friends, co-workers and loved ones. With same day or next day delivery, customers can be sure that their Christmas gifts will be hand-arranged and hand-delivered by high-quality florists.“During the holiday season, we find that winter flowers including mini callas, freesia, bouvardia, red and white tulips, star of Bethlehem, nerine lilies, paperwhites, amaryllis and poinsettias are the most popular. However, non-traditional winter flowers are beginning to show up in many arrangements,” said Campbell. “For example, Teleflora’s Festive Fragrance and Christmas Cactus arrangements are quickly becoming new holiday favorites, with their unique spins on classic Christmas decor.”For additional information on choosing flowers, or to locate a local florist or floral shop anywhere in the country, visit www.FindAFlorist.com.About Find A Florist:Teleflora’s FindAFlorist.com makes it easy to locate a flower shop anywhere in the country. With over 75 years of experience connecting customers to caring florists, Teleflora shows you the right shop in the right neighborhood. Teleflora’s network of over 20,000 caring florists is made up of professionals who have met and exceeded Teleflora’s quality and reliability standards. Their partners cover the entire nation, so wherever your loved one happens to be, Teleflora can help you Find A Florist.

Growing a Flower Bed With Beautiful Blooms

If you want your garden to have blooms of beautiful and colorful flowers, you’ll need to plant them carefully. Arrange them properly, and provide adequate care. It is even possible to have flowers blooming year-round, if you plan your garden correctly. You can choose annuals and perennials that bloom at different times of the year so that you’ll always have a colorful garden.
Before you plant the flowers, make sure that the soil is right for them. You should dig your beds down a foot and a half for two deep. While you can grow flowers in a shallower bed, they will not be as likely to thrive. Break up the dirt, making sure there are no large clumps, and spread in some sand, manure, compost, or grass clippings. Don’t pack the bottom dirt down, let it settle naturally so that the roots will be able to penetrate it and it will drain better.
Once you have the base of your flowerbed ready, make sure that you use a good mixture for the topsoil. If you want your plants to be healthy, well-rotted manure and peat moss are excellent additions to your soil. If you do use manure, make sure it doesn’t touch the roots of your plants. You can also add wood ashes in the spring, or use lime to loosen the soil.
Consider the type of soil that you naturally have in your garden, and choose a fertilizer that will help it reach the optimum balance for your plants. The fertilizer you choose should include the elements that your plants aren’t getting from the soil.
When planning the location of your plants within your flower beds and border, keep in mind the color of the blooms, even if the plant is not blooming when you purchase it. Plan for contrast in the texture and color of the flowers, but make sure that the colors will also blend in an attractive manner. For example, the bright color of Zinnias can be balanced with softer colors from chrysanthemum or cosmos.
Don’t forget to consider where you are situating the flower bed. Ideally, it should face south or southwest, but any location that gets enough sun should help your flowers thrive. You should try to plant it close to the house, so that your plants will be protected.
When planning a flower border, try to keep it away from trees or shrubs. These large plants draw up most of the moisture and nutrients from the surrounding soil, making it hard to grow flowering plants nearby.
Be creative when designing your border. Use a stone wall or a fence as a background. Evergreen shrubs also make a nice backdrop. Try not to edge your border or flower bed in one color of flowers. Instead, try Coral bells, which have beautiful foliage as well as unusual flowers. You can also try multicolored flowers like pansies, violas, or marigolds.

Gardening Gifts Ideas - Gardening Gloves

Gardens are beautiful places to relax in. They can also provide endless enjoyment if you are a gardener. The idea of having flowers that give off pleasant smells as you pick your garden fresh vegetables and herbs is a pleasing one. The amount of pain that unprotected hands can go through however might make you reluctant to prune those rose bushes.
Gloves, in particular gardening gloves are the most important item that a gardener can possess. The process of choosing the right glove can be a little difficult especially if you are new to gardening. There are a few tips that can make buying your gardening gloves easy.
The best type of gardening gloves should be made from very good quality leather. They must also be gloves that can be used for whatever gardening job that you will embark upon. Buying a pair or two of general purpose gardening gloves that have a cloth backing to them, will let your hands stay cool and comfortable during the time you are gardening.
Many times you might decide to do some gardening after it has finished raining. This will mean muddy and very wet gardening. The idea of working with wet, slippery hands may not appeal to you. Therefore selecting rubber gardening gloves that have a cotton lining will absolutely protect your hands from the mud and dirt of a rainy garden.
To ensure that your plants stay healthy and insect free, many of us will use a pesticide. Wearing gardening gloves made from latex or plastic will not help to protect your skin from the harmful effects of the chemicals in pesticides. Neoprene gloves on the other hand are made for this purpose.
All most every garden has roses bushes planted in them. While a rose bush that is filled with blooms is a gorgeous sight, the many thorns on the plant can make a gardener’s heart sink. To prune those very thorny plants you should wear gardening gloves that have long wrist protectors.
When the time comes to transplant your delicate seedlings in the garden you need gardening gloves that will let you handle them with care. However there are many plants that must be planted in the garden during the early winter season. Wearing gloves to protect your hands from the cold is a good idea, but it can impede your ability to feel the process of transplanting. For delicate winter time transplanting fingerless gardening gloves will allow you to do this delicate and detailed work, whilst keeping you as warm as possible.
The only other tip that you need to consider when you choose your gardening gloves is to see that they fit your hands comfortably. So, take heart, take plenty of notes, plan, and buy to your heart’s content. Remember that gardening gloves truly are a gardener’s most trusted companion. They will not only help to protect your hands from dirt, mud and thorns, they also aid in the prevention of painful blisters. Thus you will need to choose your gardening gloves with care.
Charles writes for the popular garden centre website BlueWorldGardener where you can find a great range of lawn mowers, garden furniture and gardening gifts.

Flower Growing

We need something special in our life. ‘Flower Growing’ helps you spend your time. If you are patient with it, it will grow up with you. Just give it some water but not too much, it will bloom or die depending on how you plant it. Try it out.
What's new
- improve the life peroid of the flower to make it live longer

Usage

In modern times, people have sought ways to cultivate, buy, wear, or otherwise be around flowers and blooming plants, partly because of their agreeable appearance and smell. Around the world, people use flowers for a wide range of events and functions that, cumulatively, encompass one's lifetime:
For new births or Christenings
As a corsage or boutonniere to be worn at social functions or for holidays
As tokens of love or esteem
For wedding flowers for the bridal party, and decorations for the hall
As brightening decorations within the home
As a gift of remembrance for bon voyage parties, welcome home parties, and "thinking of you" gifts
For funeral flowers and expressions of sympathy for the grieving
People therefore grow flowers around their homes, dedicate entire parts of their living space to flower gardens, pick wildflowers, or buy flowers from florists who depend on an entire network of commercial growers and shippers to support their trade.
Flowers provide less food than other major plants parts (seeds, fruits, roots, stems and leaves) but they provide several important foods and spices. Flower vegetables include broccoli, cauliflower and artichoke. The most expensive spice, saffron, consists of dried stigmas of a crocus. Other flower spices are cloves and capers. Hops flowers are used to flavor beer. Marigold flowers are fed to chickens to give their egg yolks a golden yellow color, which consumers find more desirable. Dandelion flowers are often made into wine. Bee Pollen, pollen collected from bees, is considered a health food by some people. Honey consists of bee-processed flower nectar and is often named for the type of flower, e.g. orange blossom honey, clover honey and tupelo honey.
Hundreds of fresh flowers are edible but few are widely marketed as food. They are often used to add color and flavor to salads. Squash flowers are dipped in breadcrumbs and fried. Edible flowers include nasturtium, chrysanthemum, carnation, cattail, honeysuckle, chicory, cornflower, Canna, and sunflower. Some edible flowers are sometimes candied such as daisy and rose (you may also come across a candied pansy).
Flowers can also be made into herbal teas. Dried flowers such as chrysanthemum, rose, jasmine, camomile are infused into tea both for their fragrance and medical properties. Sometimes, they are also mixed with tea leaves for the added fragrance.

Symbolism

Many flowers have important symbolic meanings in Western culture. The practice of assigning meanings to flowers is known as floriography. Some of the more common examples include:
Red roses are given as a symbol of love, beauty, and passion.
Poppies are a symbol of consolation in time of death. In the UK, New Zealand, Australia and Canada, red poppies are worn to commemorate soldiers who have died in times of war.
Irises/Lily are used in burials as a symbol referring to "resurrection/life". It is also associated with stars (sun) and its petals blooming/shining.
Daisies are a symbol of innocence.
Flowers within art are also representative of the female genitalia, as seen in the works of artists such as Georgia O'Keeffe, Imogen Cunningham, Veronica Ruiz de Velasco, and Judy Chicago, and in fact in Asian and western classical art. Many cultures around the world have a marked tendency to associate flowers with femininity.
The great variety of delicate and beautiful flowers has inspired the works of numerous poets, especially from the 18th-19th century Romantic era. Famous examples include William Wordsworth's I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud and William Blake's Ah! Sun-Flower.
Because of their varied and colorful appearance, flowers have long been a favorite subject of visual artists as well. Some of the most celebrated paintings from well-known painters are of flowers, such as Van Gogh's sunflowers series or Monet's water lilies. Flowers are also dried, freeze dried and pressed in order to create permanent, three-dimensional pieces of flower art.
The Roman goddess of flowers, gardens, and the season of Spring is Flora. The Greek goddess of spring, flowers and nature is Chloris.
In Hindu mythology, flowers have a significant status. Vishnu, one of the three major gods in the Hindu system, is often depicted standing straight on a lotus flower. Apart from the association with Vishnu, the Hindu tradition also considers the lotus to have spiritual significance. For example, it figures in the Hindu stories of creation.

Evolution

While land plants have existed for about 425 million years, the first ones reproduced by a simple adaptation of their aquatic counterparts: spores. In the sea, plants -- and some animals -- can simply scatter out genetic clones of themselves to float away and grow elsewhere. This is how early plants reproduced. But plants soon evolved methods of protecting these copies to deal with drying out and other abuse which is even more likely on land than in the sea. The protection became the seed, though it had not yet evolved the flower. Early seed-bearing plants include the ginkgo and conifers. The earliest fossil of a flowering plant, Archaefructus liaoningensis, is dated about 125 million years old. Several groups of extinct gymnosperms, particularly seed ferns, have been proposed as the ancestors of flowering plants but there is no continuous fossil evidence showing exactly how flowers evolved. The apparently sudden appearance of relatively modern flowers in the fossil record posed such a problem for the theory of evolution that it was called an "abominable mystery" by Charles Darwin. Recently discovered angiosperm fossils such as Archaefructus, along with further discoveries of fossil gymnosperms, suggest how angiosperm characteristics may have been acquired in a series of steps.
Recent DNA analysis (molecular systematics) show that Amborella trichopoda, found on the Pacific island of New Caledonia, is the sister group to the rest of the flowering plants, and morphological studies suggest that it has features which may have been characteristic of the earliest flowering plants.

A Syrphid fly on a Grape hyacinth
The general assumption is that the function of flowers, from the start, was to involve other animals in the reproduction process. Pollen can be scattered without bright colors and obvious shapes, which would therefore be a liability, using the plant's resources, unless they provide some other benefit. One proposed reason for the sudden, fully developed appearance of flowers is that they evolved in an isolated setting like an island, or chain of islands, where the plants bearing them were able to develop a highly specialized relationship with some specific animal (a wasp, for example), the way many island species develop today. This symbiotic relationship, with a hypothetical wasp bearing pollen from one plant to another much the way fig wasps do today, could have eventually resulted in both the plant(s) and their partners developing a high degree of specialization. Island genetics is believed to be a common source of speciation, especially when it comes to radical adaptations which seem to have required inferior transitional forms. Note that the wasp example is not incidental; bees, apparently evolved specifically for symbiotic plant relationships, are descended from wasps.
Likewise, most fruit used in plant reproduction comes from the enlargement of parts of the flower. This fruit is frequently a tool which depends upon animals wishing to eat it, and thus scattering the seeds it contains.
While many such symbiotic relationships remain too fragile to survive competition with mainland animals and spread, flowers proved to be an unusually effective means of production, spreading (whatever their actual origin) to become the dominant form of land plant life.
While there is only hard proof of such flowers existing about 130 million years ago, there is some circumstantial evidence that they did exist up to 250 million years ago. A chemical used by plants to defend their flowers, oleanane, has been detected in fossil plants that old, including gigantopterids, which evolved at that time and bear many of the traits of modern, flowering plants, though they are not known to be flowering plants themselves, because only their stems and prickles have been found preserved in detail; one of the earliest examples of petrification.
The similarity in leaf and stem structure can be very important, because flowers are genetically just an adaptation of normal leaf and stem components on plants, a combination of genes normally responsible for forming new shoots. The most primitive flowers are thought to have had a variable number of flower parts, often separate from (but in contact with) each other. The flowers would have tended to grow in a spiral pattern, to be bisexual (in plants, this means both male and female parts on the same flower), and to be dominated by the ovary (female part). As flowers grew more advanced, some variations developed parts fused together, with a much more specific number and design, and with either specific sexes per flower or plant, or at least "ovary inferior".
Flower evolution continues to the present day; modern flowers have been so profoundly influenced by humans that many of them cannot be pollinated in nature. Many modern, domesticated flowers used to be simple weeds, which only sprouted when the ground was disturbed. Some of them tended to grow with human crops, and the prettiest did not get plucked because of their beauty, developing a dependence upon and special adaptation to human affection.

Fertilization and dispersal

Some flowers with both stamens and a pistil are capable of self-fertilization, which does increase the chance of producing seeds but limits genetic variation. The extreme case of self-fertilization occurs in flowers that always self-fertilize, such as many dandelions. Conversely, many species of plants have ways of preventing self-fertilization. Unisexual male and female flowers on the same plant may not appear or mature at the same time, or pollen from the same plant may be incapable of fertilizing its ovules. The latter flower types, which have chemical barriers to their own pollen, are referred to as self-sterile or self-incompatible

Pollination

The primary purpose of a flower is reproduction. Since the flowers are the reproductive organs of plant, they mediate the joining of the sperm, contained within pollen, to the ovules - contained in the ovary. Pollination is the movement of pollen from the anthers to the stigma. The joining of the sperm to the ovules is called fertilization. Normally pollen is moved from one plant to another, but many plants are able to self pollinate. The fertilized ovules produce seeds that are the next generation. Sexual reproduction produces genetically unique offspring, allowing for adaptation. Flowers have specific designs which encourages the transfer of pollen from one plant to another of the same species. Many plants are dependent upon external factors for pollination, including: wind and animals, and especially insects. Even large animals such as birds, bats, and pygmy possums can be employed. The period of time during which this process can take place (the flower is fully expanded and functional) is called anthesis.

Plants can not move from one location to another, thus many flowers have evolved to attract animals to transfer pollen between individuals in dispersed populations. Flowers that are insect-pollinated are called entomophilous; literally "insect-loving" in Latin. They can be highly modified along with the pollinating insects by co-evolution. Flowers commonly have glands called nectaries on various parts that attract animals looking for nutritious nectar. Birds and bees have color vision, enabling them to seek out "colorful" flowers. Some flowers have patterns, called nectar guides, that show pollinators where to look for nectar; they may be visible only under ultraviolet light, which is visible to bees and some other insects. Flowers also attract pollinators by scent and some of those scents are pleasant to our sense of smell. Not all flower scents are appealing to humans, a number of flowers are pollinated by insects that are attracted to rotten flesh and have flowers that smell like dead animals, often called Carrion flowers including Rafflesia, the titan arum, and the North American pawpaw (Asimina triloba). Flowers pollinated by night visitors, including bats and moths, are likely to concentrate on scent to attract pollinators and most such flowers are white.
Still other flowers use mimicry to attract pollinators. Some species of orchids, for example, produce flowers resembling female bees in color, shape, and scent. Male bees move from one such flower to another in search of a mate.

Development

Flowering transition
The transition to flowering is one of the major phase changes that a plant makes during its life cycle. The transition must take place at a time that will ensure maximal reproductive success. To meet these needs a plant is able to interpret important endogenous and environmental cues such as changes in levels of plant hormones and seasonable temperature and photoperiod changes. Many perennial and most biennial plants require vernalization to flower. The molecular interpretation of these signals through genes such as CONSTANS and FLC ensures that flowering occurs at a time that is favorable for fertilization and the formation of seeds.Flower formation is initiated at the ends of stems, and involves a number of different physiological and morphological changes. The first step is the transformation of the vegetative stem primordia into floral primordia. This occurs as biochemical changes take place to change cellular differentiation of leaf, bud and stem tissues into tissue that will grow into the reproductive organs. Growth of the central part of the stem tip stops or flattens out and the sides develop protuberances in a whorled or spiral fashion around the outside of the stem end. These protuberances develop into the sepals, petals, stamens, and carpels. Once this process begins, in most plants, it cannot be reversed and the stems develop flowers, even if the initial start of the flower formation event was dependent of some environmental cue. Once the process begins, even if that cue is removed the stem will continue to develop a flower.

Organ Development

The ABC model of flower development.
The molecular control of floral organ identity determination is fairly well understood. In a simple model, three gene activities interact in a combinatorial manner to determine the developmental identities of the organ primordia within the floral meristem. These gene functions are called A, B and C-gene functions. In the first floral whorl only A-genes are expressed, leading to the formation of sepals. In the second whorl both A- and B-genes are expressed, leading to the formation of petals. In the third whorl, B and C genes interact to form stamens and in the center of the flower C-genes alone give rise to carpels. The model is based upon studies of homeotic mutants in Arabidopsis thaliana and snapdragon, Antirrhinum majus. For example, when there is a loss of B-gene function, mutant flowers are produced with sepals in the first whorl as usual, but also in the second whorl instead of the normal petal formation. In the third whorl the lack of B function but presence of C-function mimics the fourth whorl, leading to the formation of carpels also in the third whorl. See also The ABC Model of Flower Development.
Most genes central in this model belong to the MADS-box genes and are transcription factors that regulate the expression of the genes specific for each floral organ.

Flower specialization and pollination

Each flower has a specific design which best encourages the transfer of its pollen. Cleistogamous flowers are self pollinated, after which, they may or may not open. Many Viola and some Salvia species are known to have these types of flowers.
Entomophilous flowers attract and use insects, bats, birds or other animals to transfer pollen from one flower to the next. Flowers commonly have glands called nectaries on their various parts that attract these animals. Some flowers have patterns, called nectar guides, that show pollinators where to look for nectar. Flowers also attract pollinators by scent and color. Still other flowers use mimicry to attract pollinators. Some species of orchids, for example, produce flowers resembling female bees in color, shape, and scent. Flowers are also specialized in shape and have an arrangement of the stamens that ensures that pollen grains are transferred to the bodies of the pollinator when it lands in search of its attractant (such as nectar, pollen, or a mate). In pursuing this attractant from many flowers of the same species, the pollinator transfers pollen to the stigmas—arranged with equally pointed precision—of all of the flowers it visits.

Callistemon citrinus flower.
Anemophilous flowers use the wind to move pollen from one flower to the next, examples include the grasses, Birch trees, Ragweed and Maples. They have no need to attract pollinators and therefore tend not to be "showy" flowers. Male and female reproductive organs are generally found in separate flowers, the male flowers having a number of long filaments terminating in exposed stamens, and the female flowers having long, feather-like stigmas. Whereas the pollen of entomophilous flowers tends to be large-grained, sticky, and rich in protein (another "reward" for pollinators), anemophilous flower pollen is usually small-grained, very light, and of little nutritional value to insects.

Flower

A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Magnoliophyta, also called angiosperms). The biological function of a flower is to mediate the union of male sperm with female ovum in order to produce seeds. The process begins with pollination, is followed by fertilization, leading to the formation and dispersal of the seeds. For the higher plants, seeds are the next generation, and serve as the primary means by which individuals of a species are dispersed across the landscape. The grouping of flowers on a plant are called the inflorescence.
In addition to serving as the reproductive organs of flowering plants, flowers have long been admired and used by humans, mainly to beautify their environment but also as a source of food.

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