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Dried plants and dried flowers are midway for people who cannot afford gardens or costly fresh flowers and artifical flowers or plants for decoration. The household woman will get immense satisfaction, if she can nurture the hobby of making these dried flowers and plants, and then decorate her home. But few are aware of the type of plants and flowers to select for drying and the methods of drying while retaining the original beauty without much loss of color or shape.

Agrostis: Two commonly grown grass species are Agrostis nebulosa (also called cloud grass) and Agrostis pulchella, are annuals and can be grown easily in pots through seeds. They grow to about 10-12 inches in height, and have panicles which present a misty cloud effect.

Avena: This oat species can be an important attraction to floral arrangements when dried. It is usually grown as an annual and is a popular ornamental grass.

Pennisetum: Many species of this grass are extremely decorative grassesn for floral artwork, but are suited to greenhouse and conservatory decoration. These have a long long inflorescence consisting of white or purplich bristles.

Triticum: This ordinary wheat species has well known spikes which are valued for their decoratory attraction and the dried panicles are often used in floral arrangements for harvest festivals.The most suited species of this class is Triticum spelta, which is a hardy annual and grows upto 2 feet tall.

Hordeum: This is commonly known as barley or squirrel tail grass. It is easily raised from seed as a hardy annual and grows about 12 inches in height.

Phalaris: The species Phalaris arundinacea pitca is a beautiful variegated perennial for the herbaceous border.The leaves are striped white and green and the panicles are greenish purple. It grows about 3-5 feet high and has short inflorescences colored green, white and purple.

Method of Drying: The fresh leaves are dipped in 50% glycerine solution for a few days before drying under sheets of paper or in folds of a thick carpet. Glycerine helps to make the leaves more flexible and increases the durability of dried plants. A fair number of flowers have inbuilt property to retain shape and color very well after ordinary drying. The flowers should be picked up when they are just opened, and hanging them upside down until they are absolutely dry. The cut stems are dried upside down so that they maintain an erect rigidity when subsequently used for decoration and stems have stiffened. For floral art work it may sometimes be advantageous to dry a few stems so that they give curved lines to an arrangement.

Ravikumar Uppaluri is from Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh State in India.The author Holds a Masters degree in Agricultural Sciences and is cofounder of an organization involved in Nature conservation and sustainable development. The author can be reached at uravikumar@yahoo.com

Flowerhorn Cichlids
Flowerhorn cichlids is a hybrid cichlid that was developed in Malaysia during the second half of the 1990: s. It was created by crossbreeding different South American cichlids. Exactly which cichlids that were used to create the Flowerhorn is a well kept secret only known by the breeders who developed the species but they did most likely crossbreed Trimacs (Amhilophous Trimaculatus) and one or several other South American cichlids like Cichlasoma Festae, Amphilophus citrinellum (midas cichlid), Amphilophus labiatum (red devil) or Vieja synspila (redheaded cichlid). Flowerhorn cichlids are unlike many other hybrids fertile and can easily be breed in aquariums. They are very easy to keep and can be kept in the same way as other cichlids from the same area. The only requirement is a large aquarium to house these big aggressive fishes in.

Luck and Feng Shui
Flowerhorn cichlids are in Asia considered to bring good luck and good Feng Shui. They are not the only fishes that are thought of in this way. The Asian Arowana is another fish that brings good fortune to its owner and that is being breed and sold at high prices in Asia. The pattern of thought behind the thought that Arowanas are bringers of good fortune can be found in the fact that they are considered to resample dragons. Dragons are powerful creatures in the Asian mythology. The foundation for the belief that Flowerhorn cichlids are bringer of good fortune can be traced to the fact that the hump that the species develop as it matures are considered to resembles the Chinese God of Longevity. If the hump grows so does the good fortune of the owner. This good fortune can affect all areas of life.

The Black marking on Flowerhorn cichlids also plays an important role in this species reputation as bringer of good fortune. These markings can sometimes create patterns that resample Chinese signs and fish that displays these patterns are considered to be the most fortune bringing of all. Examples of this are that some Flowerhorn cichlids display Chinese numbers on their sides and the owner of these fishes often play the number their Flowerhorn displays on the lottery. The reason behind this is an incident where a woman won 1 million dollars and claimed that she had the play the number her fish displayed. Another fish that is worth mentioning is a Flowerhorn cichlid that displays the Chinese sign for luck on its side and that fish is hardly surprising considered as extra lucky.

Flowerhorn cichlids has ironically enough brought bad luck for many investors that invested in Flowerhorn cichlid when the hype was at its peak and who lost a lot of money when the market plummeted to more reasonable levels.

Written by William Berg. Read more about William Bergs flowerhorn articles on Flowerhorn Cichlids. find more articles by William Berg about Tropical Aquarium Fish

Orchids are beautiful, ornamental flowers that are grown especially for their delightfully fragrant flowers. The two main types of orchids that are widely grown are called Phalaenopsis and Dendrobium Orchids.

Orchids need special fertilizers and growing mediums to reach their full growing potential. Orchid supply companies or greenhouses can usually supply these for you and offer helpful advice and tips on how to get the most out of your orchids. Another way to learn more about the art of orchid growing, what the best type of orchid supplies are and the nicest types of orchids to grow is to find a good book on the subject.

Different orchids have their own preferences about where they like to be kept and the humidity, light, air, the type of fertilizers are used on them and the amount of water they are given. Many orchids also have a preference to the temperature they are living in and the pot and potting mixture they are housed in. Your orchid supply professional will be able to explain the preferences of most of the orchids and by taking note of where an orchid is situated when you buy it, will also tell you about where it likes to be.

Orchids mostly like about 60% humidity. It is possible to buy a humidity tray at your local orchid supply store. If you don’t buy a humidity tray, a saucer with rocks and water will also help with humidity. This is especially important for orchids that are being grown indoors.

Orchids vary in the amount of light that they prefer. So make sure that you choose a spot that is like the area that the orchid was already being grown in. Orchids that are kept indoors also need fresh air and a well-ventilated area to grow in. By opening a door or window or even turning on an indoor fan will help decrease the risk of the orchid getting bugs or bacteria.

Orchids require a special orchid fertilizer once a week. An orchid supplier will be able to recommend a suitable fertilizer to suit the type of orchid you are growing. Orchids also require a special potting medium to help them grow. By using a medium that already has an added dose of fertilizer you will give your orchids a boost. Potting mixtures and growing mediums can be found at your local orchid supply store along with the other things needed to grow orchids.

Orchid supplies can be ordered online by doing a search on your favorite search engine or by visiting your local orchid suppler. Remember to research which type of orchid will suit your conditions and what type of fertilizers and potting mediums the orchid will require before buying it. That way you will be well on your way to having a stunning feature in your home or greenhouse when your orchids flower.

Daniel Roshard is an interior designer fascinated by garden architecture, orchids, orchid garden design public parks. Daniel is writing Orchid Supplies articles.

After a long, cold winter, you are probably anxious for the first signs of spring. Springtime automatically brings thoughts of flowers. Choosing the best flowers for spring can be difficult and it is often confusing. Perhaps the most effective way to ensure spring flowers that bloom each year is to plant bulbs in the fall to mid-winter. There are of course flowering plants that you can purchase from your local nursery, but you will want to make sure any chance of freezing weather has passed before planting and in many areas of the country, spring does not arrive until late in the season and by that time you will want to plants flowers in anticipation of summer. You always have the option of purchasing bulbs that have been grown in pots over the winter and are in stock in most garden centers beginning in the late winter months. Here are a few choices of flowering plants that are suitable to plant now and will produce early spring flower:

Winter Aconite, or Eranthis hyemalis, will give you yellow flowers approximately three inches in height and resemble common buttercups. These particular bulbs may begin to flower as early as January if you live in a warm area and you will get the best results if you plant them in masses as they grow low to the ground.

Glory Of The Snow, or Chionodoxa luciliare, produce flowers that are bright blue with a white center. The plants will grow between six and ten inches tall, making this particular plant very handy for walkways, borders, and rock gardens. You may also be able to find white/pink varieties depending on the area in which you live

Spring Snowflake, or leucojum vernum, give you bell-shaped flowers that droop from the green part of the plant. These plants will be six to twelve inches in height and are white in color with small green spots on the ends of the petals. You will get the best results if you plant them in clumps and you can expect to see blooms in late February to early March. As with any other springtime bulb, they are best planted in the fall but you can plant in the mid to late winter if you purchase potted bulbs that have already begun the growing cycle.

Netted Iris, or iris reticulate, are wonderfully scented and are most commonly purple in color, although you can also find light blue and white irises in many areas. Irises are one of the earliest blooming plants and you can expect a beautiful display of flowers in early March. As with any other type of bulb, after several growing seasons you will have to thin the bulbs from time to time, as they tend to reproduce rapidly and could actually begin to stunt the growth of the plants due to over-crowding.

Jennifer Houck is the owner of http://www.bestflowergrowers.com, the Best Flower resource for learning how to grow your flowers. Learn what foods to feed, when to plant flowers and how to design a flower garden.