The yen has hit a new 15-year high against the US dollar after Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan won a vote for run of the ruling party.The dollar slid to 83.09 yen curtly after it was confirmed that Mr Kan had survived the leadership contest. It was later trading at about 83.40 yen.
Analysts fear the rising yen is undermining Japan's recovery, making exports less aggressive overseas.
The record low for the dollar is 79.75 yen, reached in April 1995.
Mr Kan's defeated foe, Ichiro Ozawa, had been seen as more likely to take action to combat the strength of the yen.
"Ozawa had made comments that had been stronger on intervention, so there was a knee-jerk reaction to Kan’s wins," commented Simon Derrick, head of currency explore at Bank of New York Mellon in London.
But Koichi Haji, chief economist at NLI Research Institute in Tokyo, said: "Kan probably won't be as forceful in calling for monetary easing by the Bank of Japan (BoJ) as Ozawa. But that doesn't mean the BoJ won't come under force. If the economy worsens, Kan will certainly ask for further monetary easing."
Through time, flowers have often been grown in or next to the vegetable garden. The benefits of this relationship are unquestionable. Flowers draw bees that pollinate food plants and they attract beneficial insects that keep pests in check. Plus they look nice.
Harlequin Marigolds have yellow-and-red-striped petals, are easy to grow and top out around 2 feet, providing a nice border. French marigolds (Tagetes patula) protect against nematodes. The smell of any marigold can throw off insects looking for their favorite host plant. After trying several varieties with yellow and red striping on the flowers, only to see the sun melt the colors to a bland yellow, I discovered Harlequin, a flower that doesn’t fade.
A Chinese goat horn tree brought to England many summers ago finally has a flower. After 91 years in a shady grove at the National Trust’s Northern Ireland headquarters at Rowallane, Saintfield, a rare tree is flowering for the first time in its life. The unusual plant known as the Goat Horn Tree in its native China has finally started to put out buds for the first time in nearly a century.
The Globe Flower is a glorified Buttercup; its leaves and flowers resemble the Buttercup in form but are larger. Improved varieties have orange, gold, orange-red and lemon-colored flowers, often double. The commonest species is Trollius europwus, but while all the cataloged species resemble each other in form, the seasons and the colors of the flowers differ.
Classical Chinese flower arranging has an ancient history. Methods and techniques of arrangement have varied greatly along with aesthetic values over the years, as have preferred flower varieties. But a list of the most popular styles of arranging down through the centuries would be sure to include offertory flowers for religious ceremonies; the classical, full-bodied court flowers; decorative flower arrangements for display at banquets.
The botanical name of the sweet peas is Lathyrus odoratus - odoratus means scented, and these are beautifully scented flowers. They originated from Italy, and are grown in colours of purples, pinks, creams, salmons. They are available March to November.
The horse chestnut tree, which originated in the Balkans, was introduced to Britain in the 1600's as an ornamental tree. It grows so successfully here that it is hard to believe it is not native to the U.K. It allowed to grow freely it forms a magnificent tree and it is not surprising that it is widely planted in parks, large gardens, churchyards and village greens.
Mirabilis jalapa or four o'clock flower is the most commonly grown ornamental species of Mirabilis, and is available in a range of colors. Four O'Clocks got their name because it opens in mid-afternoon. The botanical name Mirabilis is Latin and means "wonderful." It refers to the flower color. This plant is a longtime favorite that prefers full sun to partial shade and is very tolerant of heat stress and pollution.
Passion Flower is a woody vine with intricate blue, purple, red, or white flowers. Passion flower is also known as maypop. It is a woody vine with flowers which reminded early pilgrims of the passion or suffering of Christ. The plant produces small berry-like fruit called granadilla or water lemon. The aerial parts of the plant are gathered during fruiting season and then dried for future processing.
The Witch Hazel (Hamamelis Virginiana, Linn.) is a small tree, or usually a stout shrub, rarely 25 feet high. Bark light brown, scaly or smooth. Wood close grained, hard, heavy, brownish red, with thick, white sap wood. Buds sickle shaped, pale brown, hairy, enclosed in leafy stipules. Leaves alternate, unsymmetrical, strongly veined, oval or obovate, wavy margined, or coarsely serrate, 4 to 6 inches long, rusty-hairy at first, yellow in autumn, often hanging all winter.
Some people want to smell like Elizabeth Taylor. Others would like to smell like Paris Hilton or Michael Jordan. Although it cannot perceive a benefit of smelling like a celebrity, there are probably a few. However, there are also some drawbacks. Perfume in the water supply can cause many a problem. It can damage the natural defense system of mussels. And other perfumes are made of petroleum products; some are made from synthetic materials that cause allergies and even worse things.
Cannas are tropical and subtropical flowering plants with large, banana like leaves. They can be grown as annuals in cooler regions, where they add an instant touch of the tropics to gardens. A surge in interest and hybridizing has resulted in a dazzling array of cannas to choose from.
Flower cookery has been traced at Roman times, and to the Chinese, Middle Eastern, Greek and Indian cultures. Edible flowers were especially popular in the Victorian era during Queen Victoria's reign. Many cultures use flowers in their traditional cooking think of squash blossoms in Italian food and rose petals in Indian food. Adding flowers to your food can be a nice way to add color, flavor, and a little whimsy. Some are spicy, and some herbaceous, while others are floral and fragrant. The range is pretty surprising.
Hydrangeas are fascinating in that, unlike most other plants, the color of their flowers can change dramatically. As with most other Hydrangea species, the inflorescence is composed of a combination of large, showy and small, inconspicuous flowers. While there are approximately 23 species of Hydrangea, only five are widely cultivated in the U.S.
A prairie is a region of flat, gently sloping, or hilly land covered chiefly by tall grasses and not many trees. Pioneers who first saw the flat prairies of the American Middle West called them a 'sea of grass.'
Smoke tree, a tall shrub from Europe and Asia, is multi-stemmed and deciduous with an open, spreading form. The smooth, satiny leaves are nearly round and are blue-green in color in the species, purple in some varieties. The flowers are borne in large, long-lasting, fawn-colored, feathery inflorescence's, appearing in summer and lasting through fall. Purple-leaved forms have purple inflorescence's. It can grow 15 or more feet tall but is easily pruned to a smaller size.