Floriography:  The Language of Flowers

It’s almost Valentine’s Day. That means flowers! The slogan “Say it with Flowers” is not original to the advertising executives that created it. Flowers have long been held as a symbol of one’s true feelings. The use of flowers and plants as a conveyor of a message is nothing new either. People around the world use flowers and plants to symbolize love, to celebrate and to show a sign of grief.

For centuries, flowers, herbs and various plants have given much pleasure to people of all nations, because their beauty has the unique ability to bring cheer when someone is ill or downhearted. Their fragrances can be used to make lovely perfumes and delicate foliage can be used for certain medicines and foods.

The language of flowers (aka: floriography) was coined as a “Victorian-era “means of communication in which various flowers and floral arrangements were used to send messages in code. Flowers were used to convey a sentiment in an era where propriety deemed it necessary to suppress ones true feelings. Some Hidden Flora meanings continue today as seen in the example of the meaning of a ROSE (RED)—love, respect and beauty. A Daisy’s significance is innocence, loyal love, purity, faith, cheer and simplicity. Messages were not always so favorable—as the use of nuts in a bouquet would have conveyed a message of stupidity, while a Shamrock was deemed a sign of lightheartedness. To see a complete list of flowers/plants and their meanings, visit: http://victorianbazaar.com/meanings.html. More information can be found at: http://truetowords.blogspot.com/2010/02/floriography-language-of-flowers.html

Hide the Unsightly

“They” say, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. We have all been there. The longing to screen a particular view.  Sometimes it’s a play set, a utility box, a compost pile or maybe even your neighbor’s patio—landscape has long been used to create privacy, or sometimes used to shield a view. Regardless if it is for privacy or aesthetics’, now is a great time to decide how you want to screen that view. Scale and function will dictate the plant choices as well as the density of the screening need required. Deciding if the need is for a year round screen or seasonal screen will impact the cost of the solution. Evergreens and/or fencing are a much more expensive option than shrubbery and deciduous plants, but they provide a dense year round screen. Small trees such as pears, hawthorns and crabapples are quick growing trees that are dense and create thick walls, during the growing season.

If you do not have the space for a small tree, Viburnum and Privet can be other easy answers. Both are tall shrubs that grow quickly and are thick and dense during the growing season. Best of all, they require little care. We can help you choose the right plant for the right spot.

Emerald Ash Borer—the Debate Continues:

Recently an article was published in the Columbus Dispatch (Insecticide use: Cities can save some ash trees—Monday, January 24, 2011). The article spoke about using chemical treatments on Ash trees in hopes of curing them from the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB). The article made it sound like the chemical treatments could save the trees, but this is misleading. As we recently attended our industry trade show where many of the experts lectured on this insect, including those individuals quoted in the article, I thought it an important topic to yet again address.

Owners of Ash trees need to have a plan of action. The insect is not going away. Thus if you want to fight to save a tree, the tree owner needs to know what can and needs to be done. Get the facts associated with pesticide treatments, and weigh the probability of a successful outcome vs. the cost of those treatments. Some pesticide applications are showing some positive signs, but nothing is fool proof. M.J. Design and many arborists are trying to save “specimen” ash trees—thru pesticide applications—that are key to a property’s value and aesthetics. This is, however, a yearly to bi-annual process for the life of the tree and at a cost averaging $100 per treatment it can becomes quite an investment. After 2-3 pesticide applications the costs of the applications can exceed the cost of a new healthy tree. Should time and money be spent saving a sick tree, or growing a new healthy one?

The current permanent protocol is still to remove the ash trees in heavily infested areas. Often the insect is undetectable for the first couple years in the trees and by then it is too late. Typically, the third year of infestation is when damage to the tree starts to show and a significant decline begins. EAB kills ash trees within three to five years of infestation. Adult Emerald Ash Borers are a dark metallic green, 1/2-inch long and 1/8-inch wide, and fly only from mid-May to September. Larvae spend the rest of the year developing beneath the bark. EAB first surfaced in the Columbus area at Easton at least 5-6 years ago. It is hard to identify when the bug first enters an area, because the bugs are hard to detect. Prevention is the key, curative applications are not as successful.

For more information about EAB:  http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/2000/2052.html or http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/2000/2049.html