The most interesting flower in the world: I don't always grow flowers, but when I do, I make them proteas

Proteas are ancient. I know I thought magnolias were old, but proteas make magnolias look like the new kid on the block. Ancestors of the protea are 300 million years old. Wikipedia told me that proteas were native to Gondwanaland. I thought that wikipedia had made up a word, but Gondwanaland was actually a real place. When all of the 7 continents were grouped together forming Pangea, the southernmost ‘supercontinent’ was Gondwanaland. If you’re wondering, the other supercontinent was called Laurasia, although I don’t think anyone at the time called it Laurasia since it was mostly non-speaking amphibians and invertebrates.

So they’re really old. They’re also a controversial national symbol of South Africa. During the Apartheid era, most of the sports teams were represented by a Springbok, which is an antelope. Even though the Springbok mascot came about before Apartheid, it had developed a close association with Apartheid, and it was unpopular with anti-Apartheid groups. The protea, native to Southern Africa, was proposed as an alternative that would appeal to all South Africans. The protea is now the symbol of all South African sports teams, except the rugby team, which has received a special exemption.

Over 300 million years old and still causing problems today. Not bad for one flower.

-Chris

Thanks to Wikipedia for all the information about the symbolism of Apartheid and Gondwanaland. Without you, Wikipedia, I wouldn’t know the adjective Gondwanan. Wikipedia can be found on the internet at www.wikipedia.org

All snowballs are hydrangeas, but not all hydrangeas are snowballs

Being a curious person, I was still unsatisfied. Viburnum is the name of a genus, and does not refer to a specific flower. There are about 150 species of viburnums, so which one is the snowball? I did a quick inspection through the listed species to see what I could find, and it looked pretty similar to viburnum plicatum and viburnum macrocephalum. Viburnum plicatum is also know as the Japanese Snowball Bush, and I believe these are the ones we have.

So what have I learned? If you call something a rose, or a viburnum, or any other genus or family name, it’s a pretty broad term. When I read about orchids, I learned that there were over 20,000 species of orchid. However, if you say, ‘I’d really like a viburnum plicatum’, that might not get you very far either. Ultimately, the name doesn’t matter too much (‘a rose by any other name … ‘). It doesn’t really matter if I can’t figure out exactly which species of viburnum the snowball is. You know how it looks, and if it fits in with what you’re designing, and that’s what matters.

Chris

Thanks to Botanica and Wikipedia for various facts about the viburnum or snowball. I’m not sure where Botanica is at the moment, but I bet wikipedia can be found at www.wikipedia.org.

These are giant Zinnias. I'm not even sure if giant does them justice.

The zinnia’s namesake is Johann Gottfried Zinn, a German botanist and anatomist, famous for describing the anatomy of the human eye. He was also very fascinated with botany, and when Carolus Linnaeus was handing out genus names, he named the Zinnia in honor of Zinn. It must have been nice for Carolus Linnaeus to like you. If he did, there was a good chance that he’d name an entire genus of flowers after you, and 250 years later, people would still know your name.

-Chris

Thanks to Botanica for some facts about the origin of the zinnia. Botanica is probably in my car on its way back to Santa Ana.
As always, thanks to Wikipedia, this time for information about Johann Gottfried Zinn, and a check in with our friend Carolus Linnaeus.

This is a spider mum, which would beat an actual spider in a Legs Having contest

The confusion over the Chrysanthemums name arose from a need to reclassify members of the genus. Botanists were using the term Chrysanthemum to describe too broad a group of plants, so several new genera were created (bonus fact: genera is the plural of genus). This included renaming the ‘florists’s chrysanthemum’ or to the Dendranthema. In 1999, a ruling was made by the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature, naming the defining species chrysanthemum indicum, thereby restoring the florist’s chrysanthemum to it’s place in the Chrysanthemum genus.

I do have one bone to pick with the Spider Mum, which is a really cool looking mum with tendril-like petals. I think it would be much more appropriately named the Octopus Mum, because its petals extend in all directions and orientations, like the tentacles of an octopus floating through the water. This would be easily shortened to Octo Mum, which could have been a great nickname for an exotic looking flower. Unfortunately, due to the exploits of the Octo Mom, that ship has probably sailed, and I guess it’s time to accept the Spider Mum name.

-Chris

Botancia provided details about the naming and renaming of the Chrysanthemum, along with its usual supply of very colorful photos. Botanica can be found opened, somewhere near my desk.
Wikipedia provided an assist with the naming and renaming details. Wikipedia can be found on the internet at www.wikipedia.org. ]]> http://www.shinodadesigncenter.net/2011/06/12/chrysanthemum-silk-flower-stem-of-the-day/feed/ 0 http://www.shinodadesigncenter.net/2011/06/11/ranunculus-silk-flower-stem-of-the-day/ http://www.shinodadesigncenter.net/2011/06/11/ranunculus-silk-flower-stem-of-the-day/#comments Sat, 11 Jun 2011 12:01:52 +0000 Chris http://www.shinodadesigncenter.net/?p=688 Continue reading →]]> You might know today’s Silk Flower Stem of the Day better as the buttercup, but on our website, we call it the Ranunculus. While I like the mysterious sounding ranunculus better than buttercup, I agree that ‘Build me up, Ranunculus’, probably would not have been as big a hit.

Three Ranunculi?

Despite the sweet sounding name, buttercups are poisonous (this is not a problem if you buy silk buttercups ). Livestock who eat them can get pretty sick, although slugs and snails seem to have no problem destroying them. Botanica notes that buttercups are linked to home remedies for arthritis, sciatica, rheumatism, skin conditions, and the removal of warts, which is especially interesting given that you should probably use gloves when handling them for long periods. I guess if you’re going to be an attractive looking flower, you better have some good defense mechanisms.

The name ‘buttercup’ has a straightforward origin, coming from the cup shape of the flower combined with the butter-like color (and certainly has nothing to do with a buttery taste). Ranunculus is a little less self explanatory, unless your conversational Latin is better than most. Rana means ‘ frog’ in Latin, and the culus ending means ‘little’. That makes sense because the Ranunculus looks a lot like a little frog. Well, no, but buttercups were often found in bogs or other places where frogs hung out, hence the name. Pretty weak if you ask me, but the Romans got there first, so I’ll give it to them.

I didn’t find any meanings for the Ranunculus (no fan decks down here in SD), so I’ve come up with one on my own. The Ranunculus was cursed with an ugly sounding name, and it’s poisonous, except to slugs, aphids, and snails, which are all trying to kill it. Through all of those faults, it is still a popular flower, so I’ll say that the buttercup is a symbol of triumph against the odds or being the underdog. And like the Romans, I got here first, so that’s what it’s going to mean.

-Chris

Thanks to Botanica for telling me that the buttercup is a poisonous flower named after a frog. Botanica can currently be found in San Diego.
Thanks to wikipedia for various minutiae. Wikipedia can be found on the internet at www.wikipedia.org.

Speaking of the black dahlia, some of you might have read or seen The Black Dahlia. This true story tells the tale of Elizabeth Short, a struggling actress who leads an unstable life. She is tragically murdered during a zoot suit riot. The press called her The Black Dahlia because of her stunning looks and treacherous nature. As you can see, the name is quite fitting.  

The dahlia comes in 30 different species, with 10 main groups. Some of these groups include waterlily, single-flowered, and ball. I personally like pairing dahlias with white calla lilies. They add a touch of elegance to any special event. Perhaps if you are throwing a 14th wedding anniversary bash, which dahlias are associated with, you should keep these flowers in mind.

-Lynne

Thanks to John Henry’s Floral Fan Deck for dahlia symbolism. Floral Fan Deck can be found at Shinoda Design Center in the front case, and soon, on our webpage.
Thanks to wikipedia for some details about The Black Dahlia. Wikipedia, we’d be lost without you. As usual, wikipedia can be found on the internet at www.wikipedia.org.

In 1636, you could have made a lot of money with silk tulips

The tulip was introduced to Europe in 1554, and by the late 1500s had become extremely popular in the Netherlands, which was then called the United Provinces. As the popularity of tulips grew, so did the price. This was especially true of tulips that had been affected by a virus that turned them very pretty colors. Tulip breaking virus is a mosaic virus, and causes exotic coloring of the petals. Growing diseased tulips takes a long time, and it took many trials to develop attractive, non-dead tulips (they were using a virus after all). In 1636, the tulip market took off. Common tulips were selling for an entire year’s salary, and rare tulips went for much more. Without any warning, prices plummeted in February of 1637, and tulip prices returned to earlier prices. This is generally considered the first documented economic bubble, and is known as tulip mania.

Luckily for fans of the tulip, like my mom, it remained popular, but for a cheaper price. The Tulipa genus has many species in an array of colors, most of which we have here at Shinoda’s. When I look through Botanica and see all of the beautiful reds, oranges, yellows, and other colors I can’t distinguish as well, I can see what all those Dutch folks got worked up about in the 1600s. Now we get to have all of the tulip with none of the mania.

-Chris

Botanica provided some information about tulip mania and lots of great pictures of less maniacal tulips. Botanica can usually be found on my desk or under something I just put on top of it.
And thanks to wikipedia for providing background about tulip mania. Where would we be without you? Wikipedia can be found on the internet at www.wikipedia.org

If you said, 'What is orchid?' on Jeopardy, Alex would probably say, 'Be more specific'.

After reading that I need to look up Cyripidium, Cattleya, and Laelia, I finally found my way to Phalaenopsis or moth orchid. When we lived in Philadelphia, we had a moth orchid that would show itself for a few weeks, and then retire for some undetermined amount of time before reappearing. Eventually it stopped reappearing, and Catherine informed me that it would be sleeping for a long time. Moth orchids are very popular, although the New Western Garden Book informs me that they are for the ‘advanced amateur rather than beginner’. I guess that’s why ours is still sleeping.

Orchids come in several other popular varieties, like the Cymbidium, Cypripedium or Lady Slipper, the Vanda, and the Dendrobium. According to the Fan Deck, all varieties of orchids symbolize love, many children, and rare beauty, so they’re perfect for a bride. And with a silk orchid from Shinoda Design Center, you never have to worry about it going to sleep for a really long time.

-Chris

Information about orchids was gleaned from Botanica, and The New Western Garden Book. Those books can only be found if you venture into the deep closets of Shinoda Design Center.
Orchid symbolism was found in the John Henry Floral Fan Deck. The Floral Fan Deck is on sale at Shinoda Design Center, and organizes flowers by color, providing interesting facts about all including.
Other information was provided by the wealth of trivia that is wikipedia. Wikipedia can be found on the internet at www.wikipedia.org. ]]> http://www.shinodadesigncenter.net/2011/06/09/orchid-silk-flower-of-the-day/feed/ 0 http://www.shinodadesigncenter.net/2011/06/08/rose-silk-flower-stem-of-the-day/ http://www.shinodadesigncenter.net/2011/06/08/rose-silk-flower-stem-of-the-day/#comments Wed, 08 Jun 2011 00:13:35 +0000 Chris http://www.shinodadesigncenter.net/?p=653 Continue reading →]]> I don’t have any personal memories of roses, except for a small rose bush that my mom had by the side door of our house. It stood a few feet from where we kept our trash cans, and I thought it was neat how the trash and the roses were in the same place.

By any other name, it smells just as sweet, as long as it's a safe distance from your family's garbage

The Shinoda family is a different story. In fact, the website you’re currently browsing and the store that so many of you love would not be around if it weren’t for roses. Starting with Kumaichiro Shinoda in 1906, and continuing until 1985, the Shinoda family was growing roses in the Bay area of California. The operation spread throughout the state and even into Texas under the San Lorenzo Nursery Company name. James wrote all about the history of the Shinoda family for the old site, so you can read more about how Shinoda Design Center came to be when you follow that link.

Plenty has already been written about roses and their meaning, but I did find something interesting while perusing wikipedia. The ‘thorns’ on a rose stem or bush that get you if you’re trying to hide behind the rose bush and the trash can are not actually thorns; they’re prickles. Thorns are actually ‘modified stems’ and prickles are ‘outgrowths of the epidermis’. Unfortunately, ‘every rose has its prickles’ doesn’t sound as cool, so the prickle will most likely continue to be mistaken for a thorn.

One thing is certain: you won’t have to worry about prickles or thorns when you buy a rose at Shinoda’s .

-Chris

Thanks to James and all of the Shinodas for the history of the Shinoda Family. The now of the Shinoda Family can be found at Shinoda Design Center in San Diego and Santa Ana.
Also thanks to Wikipedia for its usual collection of trivial knowledge. Wikipedia can be found on the internet at www.wikipedia.org ]]> http://www.shinodadesigncenter.net/2011/06/08/rose-silk-flower-stem-of-the-day/feed/ 0 http://www.shinodadesigncenter.net/2011/06/07/hydrangea-silk-flower-stem-of-the-day/ http://www.shinodadesigncenter.net/2011/06/07/hydrangea-silk-flower-stem-of-the-day/#comments Tue, 07 Jun 2011 01:51:47 +0000 Chris http://www.shinodadesigncenter.net/?p=646 Continue reading →]]> Today’s Silk Flower Stem of the Day, the hydrangea, reminds me of my parents’ house in Pennsylvania. My mom always had a hydrangea bush out front, and it was always really beautiful. Well, thinking about it now it was pretty, but mostly I thought it was a great place to hide or an excellent bush to cut through if I was playing manhunt. Mom did not think it was an important accessory to a game of manhunt, and we had several discussions about its use as a shortcut.

The name hydrangea comes from Greek meaning something like ‘water vessel’ or ‘water barrel’. Despite the Greek name, hydrangeas do not have any ties to Greek mythology, and were probably first seen in Japan, although they are native to several places.

Hydrangeas can have several conflicting meanings, from boastfulness to heartfelt feelings. But I have another meaning after learning something interesting about them. The leaves of the hydrangea are mildly poisonous and can sicken animals or people that eat them (silk hydrangeas do not have this problem, although I would not recommend eating your silk flowers. In fact, please do not do that). It is a beautiful, delicate flower with an intriguing shape, and yet, it is dangerous. Hydrangeas remind us that not everything is at it seems, so to me it means, ‘do not judge a book by its cover’.

Last but not least, I’ll mention that hydrangeas are the symbol of the 4th wedding anniversary. So far we’ve found out that the 12th wedding anniversary is the peony and that the 4th is the hydrangea. But please, just like with the peonies, if you tell a customer or a client that a hydrangea is the ideal flower for his or her 4th anniversary, do not say, ‘it means your significant other is pretty, but probably poisonous’. That might not set the right mood.

-Chris

Thanks to ehow for providing information about the meaning of the hydrangea. ehow can be found on the internet at www.ehow.com.
Also thanks to wikipedia for providing the basic information that it always does. Wikipedia can found on the internet at www.wikipedia.org. ]]> http://www.shinodadesigncenter.net/2011/06/07/hydrangea-silk-flower-stem-of-the-day/feed/ 0