Flowers

If you build an arbor , fence or trellis, a vine or climber will give it life, soften the structure and enhance the sense of space. Some vines and climbers are effective within two or three years — or with annual vines, the first summer. RECOMMENDED Rose new dawn: This variety is the workhorse of climbing roses: vigorous, black-spot-resistant and with creamy pink flowers set against blue-green foliage. Its main flush of bloom is in May, but it repeats well through the season.

A line of bicycle forks that can bend and cause a rider to fall and propane heater/cookers that pose a fire hazard are among this week's list of recalled products. Here's a more detailed look: BICYCLE FORKS DETAILS: Salsa Vaya bicycle forks stamped with batch codes 2011 02 21, 2011 04 11, 2011 06 14, and 2011 09 09 and all Salsa La Cruz bicycle forks stamped with the batch codes 2011 03 01, 2011 04 08, 2011 05 30, and 2011 09 09. The batch code is stamped on the steerer tube.

I would like to hand Vanessa Diffenbaugh a bouquet of bouvardia ( enthusiasm ), gladiolus ( you pierce my heart ) and lisianthus ( appreciation ). In this original and brilliant first novel , Diffenbaugh has united her fascination with the language of flowers — a long-forgotten and mysterious way of communication — with her firsthand knowledge of the travails of the foster-care system. She is full of flower wisdom and has fostered many children, often damaged victims of an unresponsive...

CHICAGO — There were times when the Chicago White Sox thought they were at their low point, only to sink to another level. Maybe now, they're climbing back. Alex Rios and Tyler Flowers homered, Hector Santiago pitched into the seventh inning and the White Sox beat the Oakland Athletics 4-2 on Sunday to salvage a split of their four-game series. Conor Gillaspie made several diving stops at third base and drove in a run, and the White Sox looked like a team that just might be waking up. They've won two in a row behind...

Men ranged through the streets of Moscow on Thursday, clutching pink tulips and yellow mimosa, dismantling pyramids of champagne, buying up skyscrapers of chocolates. Joyful or dutiful, all would be prepared. Friday was on its way. Lucky Russian women! March 8 is their moment: International Women's Day, when nearly every man they know gives them a bouquet along with an expression of regard, if not love. Women, the government says, are so important that the entire country must have the day off to celebrate them.

Dear Dr. Fox: I have had two purebred Labrador retrievers, mother and daughter. Both loved hibiscus flowers. They could smell the bushes from the street and veer their way. The flower's color didn't seem to matter -- they liked them all. The flowers never seemed to harm their tummies, as they were never sick after eating them. R.S. Bonita Springs, Fla. There are different types of hibiscus. Flowers, seeds, leaves and roots are used around the world for various healing and culinary purposes.

Q I am developing an Asian-style garden behind my townhouse. I have seen on a Web site the weeping ultra-dwarf Santa Rosa plum and was told it would do well in our area. Do you agree, and where would I get one from? A The iconic plum depicted in Asian art is either Prunus mume , commonly called the Japanese apricot, or P. salicina , the Japanese plum. Both are better adapted to our climate than European plums and are less prone to diseases. A Japanese apricot variety named W.B. Clarke is a weeping form with double pink flowers in late...

Couples typically spend about $2,000 on wedding flowers, according to a recent survey by TheKnot.com and WeddingChannel.com, but once the day is over, most of the pretty, pricey blossoms will be decorating the inside of trash cans. But local florists are finding ways to let those bouquets and centerpieces bloom a little longer. After their events are over, some of them give left-behind blooms to charitable causes. Katie Martin of Elegance & Simplicity in Bethesda takes centerpieces to three area nursing homes:...

They've waged war against deer and battled hungry possums that snatch tomatoes just when they are at the peak of their flavor. But there's one pest the Newark Street gardeners have been unable to thwart: a certain two-legged rat with a penchant for peonies. For 10 years, gardeners in this Northwest Washington neighborhood believe the same man has been stealing spring blooms from their plots in the Newark Street Community Garden . Not just a few stems, mind you, but bunches — as many as 30 to 50 at a time.

The motivation that has driven C.H. Flowers senior James Brown over the offseason to get faster, better and stronger can be traced back to one play in last year's game against Suitland , a 14-7 double overtime loss . Rams' quarterback Nyema Washington hit Bobby Burke in the left corner of the end zone just out of Brown's reach for the winning difference. "I was playing safety," he said. "I saw the man, I chased him. I wasn't fast enough back then, but now it's not payback, but it's a sense...

Blackberry sexuality: It's complicated In May, the icy-white flowers of blackberry appear in sunny and partly shady open areas. If their arrival coincides with a cold snap, Washington experiences "blackberry winter," with the flowers resembling snow clumped at the ends of blackberry canes, a reminder that spring always has the potential to regress to a season of zipped jackets and raised thermostats. The flowers open at the ends of branches sprouting from the blackberry's arching, second-year canes,...

Every spring, as the azaleas pop in princess colors and lilacs droop with Renoir elegance, the flower thieves begin their spree. They cut peonies and hydrangeas. They even pull trees worth thousands of dollars right out of the soil. The thievery has become a vernal-equinox ritual in the nation's capital. And the more earnest, self-conscious residents of Washington struggle with how seriously to take what some dub this "First World problem. " First, let's get to know our suspects.

If you build an arbor , fence or trellis, a vine or climber will give it life, soften the structure and enhance the sense of space. Some vines and climbers are effective within two or three years — or with annual vines, the first summer. RECOMMENDED Rose new dawn: This variety is the workhorse of climbing roses: vigorous, black-spot-resistant and with creamy pink flowers set against blue-green foliage. Its main flush of bloom is in May, but it repeats well through the season.

Men ranged through the streets of Moscow on Thursday, clutching pink tulips and yellow mimosa, dismantling pyramids of champagne, buying up skyscrapers of chocolates. Joyful or dutiful, all would be prepared. Friday was on its way. Lucky Russian women! March 8 is their moment: International Women's Day, when nearly every man they know gives them a bouquet along with an expression of regard, if not love. Women, the government says, are so important that the entire country must have the day off to celebrate them.

After transferring from Riverdale Baptist, C.H. Flowers sophomore De'Janae Boykin left no doubt about what position she expected to play with her new team. Standing 6 feet 2, Boykin immediately became the tallest player on the Jaguars, but she nonetheless approached Coach Patrice Frazier-Watson before her first workout and asked to be a guard. The coach admired the newcomer's attitude, and Boykin, in turn, has delivered, providing matchup nightmares for...

All reviews are written by Cappies student critics and edited by Cappies adult mentors prior to publishing. Sophy Meudt , a student at Heritage High School , reviews "Flowers for Algernon" performed by Westfield High School as part of The Cappies Critics and Awards Program. If you were offered a chance to become the human guinea pig of a revolutionary experiment that eliminates your mental handicap and turns you into a...

Dear Heloise: Before our daughter's wedding, we contacted the Ronald McDonald House in Lubbock, Tex. We asked if we could bring the wedding flowers to the house that Saturday night, and they were thrilled. After the wedding and reception, the florist delivered them for us. We were told that the families felt a "bright spot" that Sunday morning when they saw the flowers. -- Kirby D. in Texas This is a wonderful hint! Valerie Reeves of Katy, Tex., shared a similar story: "Our son was recently married, and the wedding took...

Grab some flowers and escort the object of your affection to one of the following Valentine's Day events: Prince George's Community College will host " Black Male-Female Relationships ," a student panel discussion about the dynamics of African American relationships. Open to the public, the event is sponsored by College Life Services. 3:30-4:30 p.m. Prince George's Community College, Largo Student Center, 301 Largo Rd., Largo. 301-322-0854. Glide around the skating rink hand in hand during the Valentine's Day...

Stanley Mehr, 94, who operated a flower business in McLean for more than 60 years, died Jan. 14 at his home in McLean. He had a brain tumor, a niece, Cynthia Young, said. In 1951, Mr. Mehr and his brother, Seymour Mehr, bought a plot of land in then-rural McLean to grow flowers. In spite of proliferating development and Seymour's death in 1957, Mehr Brothers Flowers continues to operate in McLean. For many years, Mr. Mehr also worked for the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Soil Conservation Service, advising farmers on erosion control and...

DEAR MISS MANNERS: Would you please give me one or two examples of what would be considered an acceptable gift to present to someone I enjoy spending time with and am seeing on a regular basis? I regret to inform you that I gave her a bracelet for Valentine's Day. Although she said she liked it — and as far as I know, still likes me — I understand that respectable ladies do not accept jewelry from their gentlemen admirers. GENTLE READER: So — do you still like her? Did you get the answer you...