When Kate Middleton walked down the aisle to marry Prince William, Britain’s future queen carried a delicate bouquet that may have seemed small by royal standards but held tremendous meaning for the bride. In keeping with royal tradition, Kate carried an all-white bouquet but eschewed royal ostentation for a simple bouquet of Sweet William, in tribute to her prince, mixed with fragrant hyacinths, charming lily-of-the-valley and myrtle. The same flowers were used in the bridesmaids’ bouquets. The young flower girls wore wreaths fashioned of English Ivy (Hedera) and lily-of-the-valley, a gracious nod to the wedding bouquet Kate’s mother carried when she wed Kate’s father. ...read more

Bring the fragrance of spring into your home by displaying houseplants known for their fragrant scents.  ...read more

These crisp fall days before the ground hardens with frost are the perfect time to plant spring-flowering bulbs like Tulips, Daffodils and Hyacinths. Bulbs planted now will cover your spring garden with a fragrant blanket of soft pastels and bold color. ...read more

As your fall garden lays aside its colorful summer cloak to wrap itself in the drab browns of winter, gardeners are already preparing for spring when gardens will again burst with colorful displays. Spring-flowering bulbs are now available at local garden centers; and avid gardeners are stocking up on Tulips, Daffodils (Narcissus), Hyacinths (Hyacinthus) and other spring favorites. ...read more

After the long, gray days of winter, life and color return to the garden each spring as the first green shoots of flowering bulbs push through the earth. Soon the spring garden will be in full bloom: the golden-trumpeted Daffodil (Narcissus) dancing in the breeze, cheerful Tulip (Tulipa) cups adding splotches of bright color, elegant Iris regally unfurling and the jasmine scent of fragrant Hyacinth (Hyacinthus) perfuming the air. But the beauty of the spring garden depends on fall planning and planting.  ...read more