Hi, I'm new to gardening and recently got a bunch of flowers from a friend, which consisted of the two flowers below: I would love to know the names of them, to be able to perhaps grow them in my own garden. Any knowledge on these two would be great, (the purple flower by the way feels like a paper material!) Thanks.

http://img503.imageshack.us/img503/7623/p1030900.jpg
http://img2.imageshack.us/img2/8589/p1030903i.jpg
http://img220.imageshack.us/img220/3218/p1030904.jpg
http://img2.imageshack.us/img2/1182/p1030901v.jpg


Sorry the images came out big!

Can't be sure, the pictures aren't very clear to me, but I think it's lavender and honeysuckle

The blue one is Statice and the other look like a Peruvian Lily. Both are florists favorites because they are extreemly easy to grow.
Statice is an annual and comes in blue, yellow, pink and orange. They are great as cut flowers and last a long time which makes them even better in dried arrangements.
The lily is a bulb and grows to only 12 - 14 inches. You may want to check which lily is best for your area.
Good luck!

Its hard to tell since the pics are so close up.

The yellow/pink ones remind me of alstromeria.
Sam's Club - Alstroemeria
Alstroemeria - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Don't know what zone you are in and if you can grow them in your area. I've bought a version at a local greenhouse that has similar flowerheads, but the stems aren't as long or isolated... think more like a small "bush" with the same flowers. Love it. But in my area, zone 5, nobody has these outside. They just aren't winter hardy here.

Uhm... the purple flower. I've bought it myself, at sams club... where alstromeria is often available. The purple flower, it isn't always there... but you might be able to go to a florist and talk to them, better yet, show them the flower...

Wish I knew the name... I've had that one in my hands. Looks great with any yellow flower.

If you don't get the answer here at AMHD, consider another specialty forum site for gardening... whenever I've posted a "what is this" pic, I've received accurate replies in short time (a few days)...

Helpful Gardener Garden Forum - A friendly place to chat about gardening.

I don't think the purple is lavender, synn.

Doesn't smell like it, and doesn't look like any lavender I've seen or grown.

We have a winner...

Was writing when you posted so I didn't see the answer was already given.

Statice. on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

Great job.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ruthmarx

The blue one is Statice and the other look like a Peruvian Lily. Both are florists favorites because they are extreemly easy to grow.
Statice is an annual and comes in blue, yellow, pink and orange. They are great as cut flowers and last a long time which makes them even better in dried arrangements.
The lily is a bulb and grows to only 12 - 14 inches. You may want to check which lily is best for your area.
Good luck!

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Wow you guys are amazing and so fast, thank you so much for all of your help. @kp217, I love those purple ones, I'm hoping to be able to grow some, but I'm new to this whole gardening thing, and it gets confusing from what type of soil you should be using, to the names of the flowers and coordinating them.

What I was hoping to do, was buy the bulbs of them, and plant them, but I heard the squirrels might eat the bulbs before they even get a chance to grow. Either way I love them, and will definitely find a way around this situation. I really appreciate the fast reply from you guys, thank you again : )

You need to be willing to be very wrong when gardening.

Even something that is supposed to grow in your zone, in the light you put it in, in the soil you put it in, might not grow. Or it might struggle and you have to move it.

I try to plant using reasonable logic, but at some point, its just "wait and see"... I landscaped a corner of my backyard last year to be a centerpiece... a focal point... well, the hydrangea didn't make it through the winter (like I thought it might not, barely zone hardy, but price discounted so I took a shot) and the lenten roses look icky first year out. They get one more year before they are yanked. My focal point is now an eyesore, I am afraid.

A good thing to do is to seek out local gardeners, or smaller retailers. Some of the best plants I have were dug out of someone's garden. There's a lady nearby who will split any mature plant she has for $5... and I've gotten $40 plants within a year of knocking on her door and driving away with a piece.

It also lets you see what seems to be working in other peoples yards...

kp2171 is sooooo right! I'm pretty good at this gardening thing. I had a 20 yr old ficus that started to die. I had no clue what was wrong with it. I fertilized it, moved it into the sun, moved it back to bright light. Watered it more, watered it less. After all the leaves were gone (in less than 2 months), I stayed home from work one day. I was sitting at the counter when I heard a little rustling noise and turned around to see my new 6 mo old male puppy peeing on it. I changed the dirt (gross now) and I have little new leaves. I put up a barrier between my tree and my dog!

This

Made

Me

Laugh

Out

Loud...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ruthmarx

kp2171 is sooooo right! I'm pretty good at this gardening thing. I had a 20 yr old ficus that started to die. I had no clue what was wrong with it. I fertilized it, moved it into the sun, moved it back to bright light. Watered it more, watered it less. After all the leaves were gone (in less than 2 months), I stayed home from work one day. I was sitting at the counter when I heard a little rustling noise and turned around to see my new 6 mo old male puppy peeing on it. I changed the dirt (gross now) and I have little new leaves. I put up a barrier between my tree and my dog!

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"you need to be willing to be very wrong when gardening."

Lol, I don't know, I'm trying to be patient with this whole gardening thing, I started thinking everything would be so easy, and trying to plant sunflowers... how silly of me considering I live in london city, where there's barely any sun..!

I just wanted to enjoy my garden, its quite big too! so I started by clearing out the pond, which initially I had planned for a flowerbed, but nothing seems to work! Apart from the cat pooping in my garden every other day, birds attacking my strawberry jar, squirrels eating my plugs, and feeling like I should chicken wire everything!! Now my chili plant looks like it's going to die, the leaves are withering, I might have to move it tomorrow.

But I'm so glad I found this section on the site, seems like there's a lot of helpful people on here, and that's always a good thing in my book : )

Oh yeah, and right now, I've been focusing on shrubs, because I heard they're quite good and add colour to the garden, and don't die as easy as flowers (so I bought this beautiful cytisus golden yellow one) and its looks amazing so far in my newly rebuilt garden...

Another problem, I bought a "jasminum polyanthum climber", and after 3 weeks the white flower petals have turned brown! I realised being a true gardener takes time, patients, and a lot of money!! Lol

If you live in London, you live in USDA Hardiness zone 9 - I think. I'm sure there is an English measure for this zone, but I don't know what it is.
First off, Chili grows best in zone 6, where I live in New Mexico USA. So for you to successfully grow chili, you will need to invest in a sun lamp and a dehumidifier. That said, I'm soooooo jealous! You live in the heart of English Garden Country!! Lilies, hostas, gladiolas, begonias, dahlias, did I mention liles?? OMG. Impatients and tulips! May I recommend that you look into that - 'english gardens'. Just the basil and celery and kale potential makes my mouth water. Sweet peas, cup and saucer vines, and morning glories and thyme, BLEEDING HEARTS! Excuse me, I just had a heart - LOL-Attack, pun intended. And Clematis!
Please stop me now.
So, I'm thinking that the plants that you have selected so far need less water, more sun. I know that Jasmine like moist soil and lots of sun. It needs to be both. I can't grow jasmine either because I don't have the moist soil. You have the soil and I have the sun.