Sedum flowers pictures.

 Sedum, stonecrop. Perennial flowers or groundcovers.

Description: All sedums have succulent green leaves in trailing rosettes or upright mounds. Leaves of many species turn red in late fall; some cultivars have brilliantly colored or variegated foliage. Many sedums have showy pink, red, or purple flowers in fall. Others bloom from May through August with white or yellow flowers. 

 The best sedums for the perennial  garden are hybrids. Sedum � �Autumn Joy� grows upright, producing 2-foot bushy plants. Its 5- to 6-inch flower clusters bear starry blooms that open coral pink in summer, then deepen to copper in fall, while the leaves turn brilliant red. S. � �Ruby Glow� grows 1 to 1� feet tall, producing pink to ruby red flower clusters in late summer and fall, and has bluish green leaves that turn burgundy red. S. � �Vera Jameson� grows 9 to 12 inches tall, with blue-green leaves and pink flower clusters borne in late summer. S. � �Frosty Morn� bears foot-tall clumps of blue-green leaves with white edges and is covered with starry light pink or white flowers in late summer and early fall. Zones 3�10. 

 Some creeping or low-growing species sedums make good groundcovers for dry, sunny or lightly shaded sites. S. kamtschaticum, Kamschatka or Russian stonecrop, is a 2- to 4-inch trailer with yellow star like flowers that appear in May, complementing its light green leaves. S. album, white stonecrop, is trailing, with short leaves that turn a reddish colour in winter. The flowers open white to pink in late summer. S. spurium, two-row sedum, grows 2 to 6 inches tall and forms mats of foliage that turns bronze in fall; it produces open clusters of pink flowers in summer. Zones 3�8. 

 The taller species are striking in beds and borders. �Autumn Joy� is a useful all-season plant; its flower heads add interest to the winter garden. Feature it with ornamental grasses and other tough perennials like day lilies .

Landscape uses: Use the smaller species as groundcovers for banks, or plant in pots, rock gardens, and the front of borders. They also look wonderful trailing over a stone wall. 

Hairy Flowers

Salvia flowers pictures.

 With roughly 900 species to its name, the salvia flower is considered the largest genus within the lamiaceae � or mint � family. Given the vast family heritage, these flowers grow in abundance throughout the world � though, the majority of species can be seen blossoming around South western and central regions of Asia. 

 The petals take on a distinctive claw shape that is divided in two � the upper portion being either toothy in appearance or solid. They may be seen in several colours ranging from blue to purple, white to red, and � less frequently � yellow.

 The salvia flower has something of a sordid history, as some varieties of this plant have highly hallucinogenic properties. In Oaxaca, Mexico this plant has sometimes been used as both a curative and within divination practices. 

 These plants are said to calm the nerves of those who are ill, and bring about visions during religious practices. Although using the salvia flower in this manner is considered relatively new, studies on its effects began in the late 1930s. Despite its cultural significance, though, the use of salvia as a hallucinogen is quickly becoming illegal in many states and countries.

  Other varieties of the salvia flower are thought to be perfectly safe, and are used for a number of other reasons. Most of these plants are grown simply as ornamental flowers, but they may also be used to create smudge sticks for traditional events; to be cooked or eaten fresh, as some types are a good source of protein; or even as proper folk remedies for things such as sore throats and coughs, eczema, dandruff and even bad breath.

 Due to its highly curative nature, salvia is thought to be one of the best symbols associated with healing. It is also said to represent a long life, wisdom, esteem and good health. As a gift, this flower is often given to those coming back from illness or some emotional distress.

They may also be given to tell the recipient that you wish them well being and a happy, hardy life. Although these plants can make lovely embellishments to large arrangements, they are best presented as a potted plant that can grow and be enjoyed for years to come.This amazing salvia flowers for almost the whole year, except for mid-summer, so it starts its long period of bloom at the end of late summer and continues till December, when it has its rest. It is a more manageable size than most of the other large shrubby salvias, but is still tall (ht 2-2.5m). It has big, rich blue flowers with dark calyces, which make them look very striking. The colour of the flowers really goes with almost anything in the garden. I like it with rich cerise and bright pink flowers, including other salvias, cannas (such as Canna iridiflora) and camellias, and it is effective with silver, purple or golden/lime foliage. It also looks stunning with hot colours, such as orange, red and yellow flowers, or autumn leaves. It tends to sprawl a bit and probably needs to be staked, but can be chopped back at any time of the year and will still go on producing flowers. Regular removal of one woody stem will enable it to almost continually flower, apart from its rest from December to February, which is the best time to prune it hard. It is best in a sunny spot but will flower reasonably well with a little shade.