Flower Fest - R for Rose

I made my debut at flower fest with Pansies and Petunias. I do not know of any flower names that start with Q, but I am going back for R.

I posted this one long time back on my travel blog


But what can one about a rose?
A rose is a rose is a rose ...

Then there are Ranunculus.


Ranunculus, pronounced as ran-UN-kew-lus, is a latin word meaning "little frog". It has its origins in the middle east, hence it is also called as Turban Butercup.

Ranunculus belong to the Buttercup family (Ranunculaceae) and is the cultured cousin of the Marsh Marigold.

It has bright, rounded flowers atop dense green parsley-like foliage. It comes in a wonderful array of colors, with shades of red, purple, yellow, white, pink, and orange. You can even find copper ranunculus flowers and also ranunculus flowers with dark and yellow circles

Flower fest

Flower fest is currently involved in Posy Picking with P.

I have been eagerly awaiting this round for 'P' ever since I "found" the site when the round for 'M' was going on.



My entires are:

Flower: Pansy
Medium: Photography
Lovely grown in pots, troughs, or as mass plantings, pansies have never gone out of fashion. These lightly scented flowers are available in a huge range of colors. The dark centers in some flowers are thought to resemble little faces. They grow only six to ten inches high and can spread up to ten to twelve inches across. They grow well in sun or semi-shade, and can tolerate cool weather.

Flower: Petunia
Medium: Photography
Petunias are one of the best summer flowering annuals for massed display, and they also look good in pots and hanging baskets. The color range is huge, with varieties available in every color except orange. You can expect blooms throughout the summer and into autumn if faded flowers are removed regularly. Plants quickly grow to a height of 10-16 inches. The basic petunia flower is funnel shape, but hybridizers have created many variations including singles and doubles with petals that have wavy or fringed margins. Many patterns are available in stripes, speckles and borders in an extensive color palette that includes purple, mauve, lavender, pink, red, white and yellow. Leaves and stems are sticky to the touch and have a distinctive odor.

Flower: Poinsettia
Medium: Photography
The poinsettia's species name pulcherrima means "most beautiful" and that it is! Euphorbia pulcherrima is named after Dr. J.R. Poinsett, and was introduced to gardeners in the early 19th century. The species is a tall, rangy shrub that grows to a height of 10 ft. It has large, dark green, oval leaves that are "toothed" on the sides and pointed at the tips. They emerge from smooth green erect stems. Flowers are borne at the stem tips in winter. The actual flowers are quite small (they are the yellow structures at the center of the brilliantly colored "bracts") The bracts are actually modified leaves - in the species there usually are 8 to 10 bracts that are 4-7 in long.

Photography competition

There is a photography competition at my work place - and the theme is "flowers". The catch is, each participant can submit a maximum of three photographs.

Now, I am well aware that am no great photographer, but I would still like to participate in the contest. I prefer to be honest, so I do not like to download pictures from the net [as some people are known to have done in earlier contests]. So, I browsed my hard disk, and dug out all the "fairly ok" flower photos, and then proceeded to make a selection. I managed to "shortlist" six photos, but am having a difficult time creating the "final selection" of three!

I have posted most of these on my travel blog, but all the same, the selection is here for viewing pleasure :-)