Poppy

Poppy belongs to family Papaveraceae. Poppy has ornamental, edible as well as medicinally important strains. Poppy is well known symbol of death or sleep for some good purpose. Poppy has wide variety; almost all of them have opiate alkaloids in their chemical composition to some extent. Opiate alkaloids induce sleep. Opium poppy produces ecstasy.
Poppy has a distinct place among many nations. In Roman and Greek times poppies were associated with eternal sleep. In Persian literature poppy was considered as flower of eternal love. In Urdu literature it is related with martyrdom. People have been using it in many cuisines for several hundred years.
There are a number of varieties of poppy in the world according to their colour, size and smell.  The colour of flower varies from white, pink, blue, red, orange and yellow. Most of them have dark centres. Most common and beneficial strain is opium poppy. It has been cultivated for medicinal and recreational purposes. Gardening varieties are Iceland poppy, Mexican poppy, Oriental poppy and com poppy. Each variety has some unique property. Iceland poppy has flowers with mix colour of orange, red, pink and yellow. Oriental poppy’ foliage turns to yellow after blooming period.
Most of the strains prefer moist, well drained garden soil with some compost and full sun.  In suitable conditions the plant reseeds.  California poppy is annual plant. Iceland poppy do not like overwatering. Most reliable type is Oriental poppy which can live for years.
Poppies are strongly associated with death due to presence of chemical inducing drowsiness. Their blood red colour petals are also responsible for this symbolism. Romans and Greeks gifted poppies to dead as a symbol of eternal sleep.
It is also associated with remembrance of wartime and with the people who die in war. In 19th century a writer first time associated poppies with battlefield deaths in Napoleonic wars. It reminds us of milan flower shop people who gave their lives for peace and freedom. Artificial red poppies are worn on Remembrance Day celebrated on 18th November.
Poppy seeds are frequently used for culinary purpose. They have rich nutty flavour. Seed and oil is used in Asian, European and American baking. Crushed poppy paste is an important ingredient of Indian Kurma. As all parts of plant contain opiate chemicals so the baked products even will give false positive drug test for up to 48 hours.
In medicines, poppy has been using as pain killer for incurable diseases like typhus, typhoid and small pox. Chemically it contains morphine, thebaine, codeine and papaverine. It is banned in many countries for recreational purposes.

Oxalis

The word Oxalis has Greek origin. It means acid that is referred to acidity of plant’s leaves. Its common names are lucky clover, shamrock and wood sorrel. Some species are called yellow sorrels and   pink sorrels. It is largest genus of family Oxalidaceae with 900 species. They have originated from South America and South Africa.  Great diversity of species is found in Brazil, South Africa and Mexico. Generally they occur all over the world except Polar Regions.
Its characteristic feature is clover shaped leaves which open during day time and closes at night. Small leaves tend to grow upwards but starts to droop down as they grow longer. The colour of leaves ranges from dark green to deep red. The flowers have vivid and bold colours. Popular types are O. acetosella, O. regenellia and O. rubraa which have pink, purple with white and lilac colour flowers.
Oxalis corniculata grows from seeds and grow as an annual plant. Oxalis debalis do not produce seeds every year and propagate through bulbils. Oxalis deppie has red flowers and leaves with cross markings. Oxalis adenophylla has green leaves and large pinkish purple flowers. Oxalis triangularis has reddish-purple leaves and pinkish white flowers.
Oxalis grows best with plenty of light of and consistent cool temperature throughout the year. They need feeding during growth stage. These are perennial plants. They can live and bloom for years but if you want to get best out of them than feed and water during growth season but when it moves to dormant period stop water and fertilizer and store the plant in cool dry place for two to three months.
Indoor plants flourish well in bright diffused light. Overwatering will cause root rot while under watering milan flower shop will yellow the leaves. So water them moderately. Mist the plant to provide humidity. Temperature must be maintained up to 70 to 75 F. they need feeding once a month during growth season with liquid fertilizer. Remove the spent flowers and leaf stems from their base.
Wood sorrels are edible. People have been eating it for several thousand of years. It is used for its aphrodisiac properties and to lessen thirst. In Columbia Oxalis has been cultivated for food and its leaves are used to prepare tea. The tea is considered as rich source of vitamin C and taken by sailors to avoid getting scurvy. Dr. James Duke described in his book that Potawatomi Indians cooked it with sugar to make a dessert. It is also used to treat mouth sores, sore throats, cramps and nausea.

Iris Flowers

Iris is a genus of 260 to 300 flowering plants. Its name is derived from a Greek word meaning rainbow. These are named so due to large variety of colours of flowers. These are perennial plants and grow from rhizomes or bulbs. Its common name is bearded iris and German iris. They are named bearded due to presence of furry strip on petal like sepals. Three petals in upward direction re called standards while three petals are hanging down and thus called fall. Petals in white, yellow, orange, pink, blue, purple and in many other colours have been observed. These plants start flowering in late spring to early summers. The texture of petals also varies. Some have plushest velvet while others have fine silk texture.
It is named after Greek goddess Iris. She was messenger of love. It is said that when she walked along the path between heaven and Earth, her each foot step created rainbow coloured flowers on the way. Iris is symbol of faith, hope, courage and passion.
Iris plant is found in variety of sizes and thus they are named accordingly. There are miniature dwarfs, standard dwarf, intermediate and tall. They are planted in mid to late summers. Although they are spring flowers but some of their verities bloom in winter and summers too.
 For planting irises sunny site with well drained, loamy soil is suitable. Turn over the soil well to depth of at least 10 inches. Add balanced fertilizer and mix well. Tight clay soil will wet the rhizome and it will end in poor performance of plant or plant death even. They like neutral to slightly acidic soil. They can be propagated through seeds, rhizome, division and plantation. Division is mostly preferred milan flower shop process as seed have high failure rate. Watering frequency depends upon the climatic conditions. Deep watering after long intervals of time is more suitable than frequent watering. Thinning should be carried out after every three to four years to avoid overcrowding.
Careless mulching can rot the rhizome. Do not cut green foliage as these are food factories. Prune the brown tips and flowering stalk down the rhizome.
Aphids, whiteflies, thrips, spider mites, caterpillars and beetles are the pests which may cause infestations to iris. Adequate air circulations can help to protect the plant. Avoid adding fresh manure to the soil as it can initiate the rot. Bacterial soft rot may also infect rhizome. To cure out cut out the infected tissue of rhizome, dry it in sun and then soak for a while in household bleach solution.