flowers and plants | The Angel Forever

Category Archives flowers and plants

Lovely Lilies and Beyond

Posted on July 10, 2014 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Something people may not know about me, I am not a fan of receiving fresh cut flowers. While I believe they are beautiful, I do not like watching them slowly shrivel up inside my house. I prefer flowering plants that you can have inside like violets, orchids, hoyas, and more. My father has quite the collection of indoor beauties and I visit them often to take photos. Many of his plants have come from Lyndon Lyon Greenhouse, Inc which has been in business for 60 years.

I seem to kill plants when I bring them home. TechyDad and I have tried to plant some flowers around the house. I really love perennials so they come back year after year. One Earth Day we planted daffodils, but a bunny pulled them back up and destroyed the bulbs. This taught us to use capsaicin spray to keep some of the animals away. The same year that we bought the daffodils that are no more, we planted a rhododendron. This year, the conditions were perfect and it flowered to prove that it is still trying to survive after several harsh winters.

Over the years, we have planted lilies, kept some in giant planters, and others have spread naturally into large areas of our yard. We have many different varieties and sometimes I forget which colors will open until they show up each summer. Right now, we are waiting for the fifth variety to bloom, but we have had a show with all of these this year (many more photos on my Instagram feed).

There is just something wonderful about walking around and taking photos of flowers. You can see natural beauty up close in a way that you typically ignore on a day to day basis. What are you favorite flowers to have inside and outside of your home?

Categories:
flowers and plants summer

Capturing Natural Beauty on the Go

Posted on April 28, 2014 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

The classic saying states that you need to stop and smell the roses. How many of us can genuinely say that we do this? My guess is not many because of the hustle and bustle that exists in society. These days, many of us are often guilty of having our faces stuck behind a cell phone or other device. I have to admit that I am often guilty of this. During the warmer months, I enjoy heading outside with the boys. I have my smartphone with me, but try not to be as connected. Of course, my phone is often the camera that I have with me. Right before JSL’s surgery, a surprise arrived for me. Thanks to being a member of the Verizon Lifestyle Bloggers, I was sent the new Samsung Galaxy S5. The timing was amazing as the spring flowers are starting to pop up all over the place.

It really is hard not to stop when walking around to take in the beauty of the flowers. After this past winter, many of us likely wondered if we would ever see the lawn under all of the snow and ice. Thank goodness, Mother Nature takes the time to remind us of the beauty that is possible. Sometimes, we have to be patient waiting for the colors to emerge.

While waiting, I often spend time looking at Papa’s beautiful indoor plants that are blooming. It is hard not to stop and take a photo. What I was not expecting was being able to capture the shimmer on the Orchids and the texture on the other beauties.

Each day I try to take some time to look around and appreciate the flowers, the blue sky, and the special moments with my family. What are your favorite items to stop and take a photo of during the spring time?

Disclosure: As a member of the Verizon Lifestyle Bloggers, I receive devices like the Samsung Galaxy S5 to test out and share ways that I use it in my life (can not wait to explore this gorgeous phone). I am a long time Verizon customer, and all opinions are my own.

Categories:
flowers and plants me moments Technology

Time to Tiptoe Through the Tulips

Posted on May 3, 2013 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

I love flowers and observing them outside. The science teacher in me also adores taking photos to capture their beauty. You may think this means that I like cut flowers in my home, but it would not be true. It sounds silly, but I do not like watching flowers die in front of my eyes. Flowers are at their best when they are still on their full stems and with nature.

For some reason, the flowers in the spring time really catch my attention, especially tulips. It fascinates me to watch as tulips push up from their bulbs each Spring. Some years, we may only have two, other times there may be many more. Each morning, I watch them to see if they survived the night. I can count each of the tightly wrapped buds and see that they are sheltering the beauty within.

Thanks to animals, we never know what may or not make it through the night. While the tulips are around, I often find myself walking around to catch them at different times of day. Just a few hours after they were closed up, they finally opened up for the first time this spring.

Then their inner beauty shows through as they open their petals, shimmer, and shine in the warmth of the Spring sun.

Do you ever take time to tiptoe through the tulips as they say? You know, just take time to observe the beauty around you and forget for a little while about the worries and chaos that can be day to day life.

Categories:
flowers and plants me moments

May Flowers at Walt Disney World

Posted on May 1, 2013 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Last month, my Disney April calendar photos were focused on rain showers. Of course, that means that May brings us lots of beautiful flowers. This is especially true when you go to visit the Epcot Flower and Garden Show. The amazing topiaries and flowers are all over the place. I decided to share some of our pictures from last year when we were able to explore another early May at Walt Disney World.

Be sure to stop by Focused on the Magic by clicking on the button above to join in the Disney magic this week.

Categories:
Disney flowers and plants travel vacation

Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival

Posted on March 13, 2013 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Disney parks are always filled with beautiful flowers and gardens, but during the spring they step it up to an all new level. The Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival is celebrating it’s 20th Anniversary right now. If you head to Epcot, you can see the park filled with even more flowers, special events, and topiaries of favorite characters. We have now been to Epcot for this event four times in the last five years. Each time is a magical experience to see how they change it up and add on to the fun. Below are some of our memories from our 2012 visit.