Ranunculus may be my favorite cut flowers of all time. In looks, they remind me of a cross between a poppy and a rose, but with a longer vase-life than the former and less pretension than the latter. These bulb perennials have bright yellow, red, orange, or white flowers (if white, they will have a yellow center).
I love the gracefully awkward name of the alstroemeria flower, which is
named after a Swedish baron named Clas Alströmer. This variety is one of my favorites to decorate with because of its long vase life. Buy a bunch when the buds are closed, and the blooms stay looking lovely for weeks.
The other day my sister told me how she had been to a wine tasting and they were giving away free bunches of lavender. I was incredibly jealous because 1) I didn't partake in the wine tasting and 2) I didn't have a fragrant bouquet of lavender in my room. Lavender or lavandula as it's scientifically known, is considered to be one of the most versatile flowers in the world and is used in everything from foods to medicines to aromatic/essential oils.
The scientific name Papaver, which translates to food or milk in Latin, refers to the milky fluid of the flower's pods. There are 120 species that belong to the Poppy family in a variety of vibrant shades like red, yellow and orange. They bloom in large numbers during summer, and prefer moist soil.
I've been eying the pretty blooms of snapdragons (scientific name of Antirrhinum) at all of the Farmer's Market flower booths. Native to the Mediterranean, the common name is taken from the fact that the flower's head resembles the face of a dragon snapping its jaw open and closed. There are a variety of species and the garden plant can grow in many colors.
