Perennials and Annuals with a Christian Name C

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Jesus' Plant

Celosia

Annual, Height: 4 to 36 inches. Width: 4 to 18 inches.

Flower Colors: white, pink, and vivid shades of yellow, red, and orange.

Bloom Time: summer-fall.

Celosia is an annual that produces two types of flowers in a wide range of mostly warm colors such as red, orange, yellow, pink, and white, from midsummer to frost.

Plumed forms are loose and feathery, while crested types produce tightly-clustered, fanlike flower heads that resemble a rooster's comb. Available in dwarf, medium, and tall sizes, both forms are good additions to beds and containers. Smaller varieties can be used as edgings. All cockscombs make excellent cut or dried flowers. Foliage is generally glossy light green with some varieties producing variegated or purple leaves.

Notable Varieties

'Century Mixed' grows 2 feet tall and bears plumed blooms in a variety of colors.

'Fireglow' is a red, crested variety that grows 20 inches tall.

'Geisha' is a plumed type, dwarf type, 10 inches tall.

'Komono' is 4 to 6 inches tall and bears plumed mixed or single color flowers.

'Toreador' grows 20 inches tall and produces red crested flowers.

Care

Likes rich, fertile, well-drained soil with moderate moisture. Mulch to conserve moisture. Fertilize by working in compost two or three times during the season or by applying a slow-release fertilizer, following label directions exactly. Deadhead regularly to encourage heavy blooming.

Planting

Harden off plants well before planting outside in spring after all danger of frost has passed. This involves setting seedlings outside in the shade for a few hours, gradually increasing the the amount of time and sun exposure each day. Pinch the tops to encourage bushiness. Or start from seed by planting directly in the garden, barely covered, in full sun. Or, start indoors four weeks before last frost at 65 to 75 degrees F. then move outside before plants bloom. In the garden, space 4 to 18 inches apart.

The pic in my flower garden is a plumed/feather type of the "century" variety.

Many varieties to choose from: http://www.neseed.com/store/celosia.html

Holy Thistle

Centaurea Americana

In the family of Compositae

I can honestly say that this native American version of the bachelor's button is one of the loveliest annual flowers I've ever grown. The beautiful pastel lilac flowers change with every passing day. Even the buds are gorgeous. The only problems are the rather weedy-looking foliage and the fact that the flowers shut in the afternoon.

It can grow up to 5 feet tall and in the early summer it blooms into solitary flower heads 2 to 3½ inches in diameter. The blooms are a beautiful pink, with a creamy center. They make interesting cut flowers, and are suitable for dried flower arrangements as well.

Available at: http://www.seedsource.com/catalog/detail.asp?PRODUCT_ID=1010

All Saints Flower

Chrysanthemum coronarium

Perennial, USDA Zones: 4 - 9

Height: 12 to 36 inches, Width: 8 to 36 inches

Bloom Time: late summer - fall

Neat dome shaped plants with ferny foliage and 1-1.5 in gorgeous primrose 'buttons' with a golden eye. Flowers summer. Height 30-45cm (12-18in).

Sow in early spring 1.5mm (1/16in) deep in any good seed compost.

Make sure that the compost is moist but not wet and seal in a polythene bag until after germination which usually takes 10-18 days at 18-21C (65-70F). Seed can also be sown outdoors in mid spring 6mm (¬in) deep where they are to flower and thinned out.

Transplant when large enough to handle into boxes and grow on in cooler conditions. Gradually acclimatise to outdoor conditions for 10-15 days before planting out after all risk of frost, 30cm (12in) apart in a sunny spot on light well drained soil.

Available at: http://seeds.thompson-morgan.com/eud/en/product/7582/1

Job’s Tears

Coix Lachryma Jobi

The seeds, or properly fruits, are contained singly in a stony bract, which does not open until the enclosed seed germinates. The young bract surrounds the female flower and the stalk supporting the spike of male flowers, and when ripe has the appearance of bluish-white porcelain. Being shaped somewhat like a large drop of fluid, the form has suggested the name. The fruits are esculent, but the bracts are the part chiefly used, for making necklaces and other ornaments.

The plant is a native of India, but is now widely spread throughout the tropical zones. It grows in marsh places; and is cultivated in China, the fruit having a supposed value as a diuretic and anti-phthisic. It was cultivated by Johi Gerard, author of the famous Herball, at the end of the 16th century as a tender annual.

JOB'S or JOBE'S TEARS / ROSARY BEAD PLANT coix lachryma jobi 10 beads or seeds – is a beautiful ornamental grass bearing beautiful everlasting hard shelled seeds used to make rosary necklaces. Nature's Bead grows quite well in full or part sun. I grow it as an annual here in Northeastern Oklahoma, but prefer to bring it in for the cold period so remaining beads can mature and be picked. Beads are shiny and hard with a natural hole through the centers, enabling a beading needle to pass through easily. Used in gourd crafts to make Shekere and other percussion instruments. Bead colors range from white to gray, pearl to black and more. Easy to grow.

Seeds available at: http://www.wuvie.net/grasses.htm

Plants at: http://www.worldplants.com/Cindex.htm

St. Michael’s Flower

Cosmos sulphureus

Annual, Height: 1 to 6 feet, Width: 10 to 36 inches

Bloom Time: summer – fall

Cosmos are good for mixed flower beds and informal garden situations, and garden cosmos are long-lasting cut flowers. Butterflies are attracted to the nectar of the flowers and birds are attracted to the seedheads that develop if you avoid deadheading. However, deadheading promotes longer bloom time.

Pinch plant tips when they're about 18 inches for best blooming. Stake or interplant with sturdier plants in windy locations. Overfertilizing inhibits blooming.

Planting: Locate in full sun. Rich, moist soil is best but any well-drained soil will suffice. Very easy to sow outdoors in spring after danger of frost has passed. Thin or transplant to 12 to 18 inches apart. Or, for earlier bloom, start indoors in a very warm place (68 to 86 degrees F.) six weeks before the last frost date.

3 varieties of Cosmos S. seeds are available at:

http://seeds.thompson-morgan.com/us/en/list/half-hardy-annuals/8

Christ’s Flower (called Saffron in the Bible)

Crocus Sativus

Saffron has more the function of a status symbol than that of a food additive in today's societies. It is, however, used for several Mediterranean dishes, often in connection with fish, seafood and rice. The fine spice that makes rice so nice. You just pluck off the brightly colored tips - stigmas - inside the flowers and dry to store.

Color: Lavender, Bloom Time: Fall

Dates Available: Order now for shipping 9/8/2005--11/24/2005

Bloom Size: 1 1/2-1 3/4 inch

Height: 5 inches tall, Bulb Size: 7-8 cm Bulbs

Sun Requirements: Full Sun, Hardiness Zones: 5,6,7,8,

Available at: http://www.bloomingbulb.com

There are other crocuses that flower late in the year - e.g. Colchicum and Crocus speciosus, (both of which are called 'Autumn Crocus') but at least one of them is deadly poisonous, and they don't have the long, deep orange stigmas that make Saffron Crocus so valuable. One grain of commercial saffron contains the stigmas of nine flowers and about four thousand blossoms yield only one ounce.

Rose of Sharon

Crocus vernus

USDA Zones: 3 - 8; prefers cold winters, Light: sun - partial shade

Height: 8 inches, Flower Colors: white, yellow, blue, violet; flowers can have contrasting stripes.

Crocus vernus is the source of the magnificent large- flowered varieties, obtained by Dutch bulb growers. An exceptionally strong species which grows very quickly into big clumps. Crocus vernus ‘Jeanne d’Arc’ is virgin-white and has yellow stamens.

Spring crocus is the largest and most widely grown of the crocuses.

The cup-shaped flowers bloom in early spring in shades of white, yellow, pink, and purple; they are often striped with contrasting colors and are 3 to 4 inches tall. The narrow, grass-like, 8-inch leaves have white stripes lengthwise.

Notable Varieties

Many cultivars are available; the following is a sample:

'Big Ben' is white with blue stripes.

'Enchantress' is silvery light purple.

'Flower Record' is dark purple and does well in containers.

'Jeanne d'Arc' is pure white.

'Peter Pan' is white with orange stigmas.

'Ruby Giant' is magenta with a white interior.

'Striped Beauty' is lilac with white stripes.

Planting: In fall, plant in full sun or light shade in well-drained soil, in holes 5 inches deep and spaced 2 to 3 inches apart. Plant in late autumn zones 3-9

Crocus are among the earliest flowers to appear in spring, often pushing their flowers up through the snow. In some species flowers appear some weeks before the leaves. Crocus are mostly native to the countries around the Mediterranean Sea where they usually grow as far east as Afghanistan.

Many flowers are named "Rose of Sharon" not because they are a rose, but because they grew on the fertile plain of Sharon, which is situated between Carmel and Joppa and is about 60 miles long. After the annual spring rains there is view of the plain from the hills of Judah west to the Mediterranean.

Here's 6 Crocus vernus to choose from:

http://www.johnscheepers.com/catview.cgi?_fn=Product&_category=Crocus