February 2, 2005
Woodbury Bulletin
Betsy Halden

What a delight it was to browse in a local garden store this week. It was exciting to see the vibrant colors of the flowers and plants that are that are available. If you are looking for a special Valentine’s gift or fresh greenery and color for your home, there is an astounding array of possibilities awaiting you. Woodbury floral shops are brimming with brightly colored plants for February.

Flower breeders have been successful in finding combinations to produce bright colored blooms and plants. Here are some of the colors and potted plants that caught my eye at Flowers in the Park in Tamarack Village: Hot pink blooms on an attractive azalea; hot pink or magenta blooms on lovely cyclamen; Valentine red clusters on a delicate Kalenchoe. Even foliage plants have textures and unexpected colors. Among others, I admired the red tinged prayer plant. Containers come with various sizes of plants in a range of shades and tints of green. You can combine colorful flowering and green plants in a dish garden for a great long-lasting gift.

If you like cut flowers, or like to make your own arrangements, you can choose from flower stems in dazzling colors. Long-stemmed gerbera daisies come in dazzling shades of deep magenta, burgundy, and hot pink. You can give a burst of spring to your Valentine with colorful floral varieties such as tiger lilies, alstroemeria, iris, tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, tuberoses or freesias. A table centerpiece arrangement in a basket or clear glass vase makes a perfect accent for a festive or romantic dinner.

Shades of red continue to reign as the all-time favorite color for roses. The new reds, however, come in shades of bright raspberry to majestic scarlet to velvety-dark red to pretty-in-pink hues. New rose varieties have not only an expanded color palette but have enhanced characteristics such as bloom size, shape, stem length and strength of fragrance. As I watched, Amy – floral designer at Flowers in the Park – prepared long stemmed deep burgundy roses for an arrangement.

For best results in selecting a great Valentine’s gift, see the beautiful floral colors that are available, and let your imagination and instincts be your guide.

Want to get a head start on your spring gardening? Come to the Washington County Horticulural Society Spring Fling The Washington County Hort Society Spring Fling will be held on Saturday, March 12, 2005, 8:30 AM –2:45 PM at Oakland Junior High School, 820 Manning Avenue North, Lake Elmo (about 1 mile north of I94 on County Road 15, on the west side). There will be speakers, door prizes, and a raffle. The cost is $30 and includes a hot lunch. To register, make your check payable to “WCHS Spring Fling.” Mail check to WCHS, 777 Greenway Ave., Oakdale, MN 55128. Please include your email address. Deadline for registration is Saturday, March 5.

Betsy Halden can be reached at eahalden@comcast.net.