Flowers are often used to show appreciation, express love or to apologise for wrong doing however many people do not know the story behind the plants in their garden or the flowers they receive.

Mr Sean O’Brien, Hunter Valley Gardens’ Award Winning Horticulturalist says, "There are many fascinating stories relating to plants which are common to the Australian garden.

"Plants have been used in many ways throughout history, for example, as a source of food, miracle cures or even to poison one another!"

"In Victorian times rose petal sandwiches were viewed as a delicacy with wealthy people placing the dark red petals on sliced brown bread!"

There are many quirky facts relating to plants with some listed below:

• Eating the fruit of a miracle plant will enable you to eat a lemon or lime without the sour taste. The miracle plant removes the sourness and gives it a sweet taste.
• Flogging the bottom of your Citrus tree with your garden hose is a great way to bring it back to life! Once you have given it a good flogging the tree will then go on to produce a mass of delicious citrus fruit.
• The name tulip derives from the Arabic word for 'Turban' in reference to the flower shape and originated from Turkey! In fact while Holland is considered the Home for Tulips and other bulbs, no bulbous plants are actually native to them.
• Willow leaves and bark contains salicin. A natural compound very similar to Aspirin, which can be used to control the pain of tooth aches, headaches and other ailments.
• To remove a red mulberry stain from your clothing, simply rub over the stain with a green mulberry.
• Achillea may be a favourite plant for some men as it is believed to prevent baldness if used in shampoo!
• Most figs need to be pollinated by a tiny wasp that crawls into the flower. Once there, they pollinate and then promptly die inside the fruit!
• The pineapple was a symbol of Welcome in the 1700 –1800’s and in New England you will see many doorknockers in the shape of pineapples. Pineapples were also brought home by seafarers as gifts!
• Ginger has been clinically demonstrated to work twice as well as Dramamine for motion sickness

Beautiful flowers do not always have a meaning to match.

Flowers are often given as a gift without knowing the meaning behind them. Below is a list of flowers whose meanings do not necessarily reflect their breathtaking scent or blossoming appearance:

• Angels Trumpet has a meaning of separation, so it is not a flower you should give your loved one!
• While the white carnation means sweet, innocent and loving, a striped carnation is a refusal to marry or date someone.
• The Endive flower, which belongs to the Daisy family, has a meaning of frugality, a sentiment you would not wish to express when giving a gift!

"There are literally hundreds of thousands of interesting facts on the delights and dangers that one would never know is hiding in their garden," says O’Brien.

Hunter Valley Gardens spans over 300 hectares, and is set amongst the foothills of the Brokenback Ranges, in the heart of the Hunter Vineyards. There are over 25 hectares of international garden displays open to the public.

Five Ways to Make Your Garden Thrive

• Mulch, mulch, mulch - You would be surprised what a little mulch will. It not only holds the moisture in but also regulates the soil temperature and encourages micro organisms and worms with in the soil. This improves the soil structure and in turn encourages good root development.
• Fertilizing – most people tend to throw around fertilizers once or twice a year and then forget about it but to get the best results it is better to throw around a little more often. Small amounts of fertilizer every 8 weeks will keep the new growth and flowers coming out right through the year.
• Weeds – keep the weeds out. Weeds compete for fertilizer and water and can choke out you desirable plants. Get on to the weeds early and don’t let them flower if you don’t do this they will set seed and you will be weeding for years to come.
• Watering – water your garden regularly and slowly. Most plants respond well to a regular pattern of watering. Slow deep watering is the best way to go as it allows the water to soak deep through the soil profile.
• Planning – planning what you are doing in the garden is just as important as mulching, feeding and watering. People are time poor these days so you need to make the most of your time.

Five Tips for a Compost Heap

• Pick a warm sunny spot. Composts need heat to help everything break down but not too hot. Under a deciduous tree is the perfect with winter sun all day and a bit of protection from the hot summer sun.
• Turn the compost regularly. This will help blend all the ingredients and help it break down faster. Also ad a little bit of cow manure to speed up the process.
• Have a good mix of ingredients. Too much “wet” product such as kitchen scraps will make the compost sour and mushy while to much “dry” product such as leaves, trimmings and grass clippings won’t break down quickly.
• There is plenty that can go into the compost so don’t just limit yourself to veggie scraps. Stale bread, the kids leftover breakfast cereal, old pasta, shredded newspaper and egg cartons can all go in. the only thing to avoid are meat products and citrus.
• To stop you compost heap form going smelly add a few handfuls of garden lime. This will not only get rid of the smell but also sweeten the compost up.