Marigold

Why. it's been quite some time I've posted here, I've been very busy with my other blog, Well, here I come back with MARIGOLD!
It's a well known fact that the marigold flower is one of the favorites in the home garden, but as well as an attractive and useful bedding plant, the marigold has enjoyed continued use for culinary, medicinal, and cosmetic purposes as well.

The most common types of marigold are the wild marsh marigold, the tall African marigold, and the robust French marigold.
For centuries, it was believed that the marigold opened in the morning and closed at night. This trait has often been mentioned in literature, most notably by Shakespeare in "A Winter's Tale" where he wrote,

"The Marigold that goes to bed wi' th' sun,
And with him rises weeping"

As far back as the 15th century, Marigold was thought to be a remedy for a number of medical problems including headache, jaundice, red eyes, toothache, bee sting, sprains, wounds, and ague (chills and fever). However, it was noted by Stevens in Countrie Farm that, "It must be taken only when the moon is in the Sign of the Virgin and not when Jupiter is in the ascendant, for then the herb loses its virtue."

WONDERFUL!

Flowers Say It All

Some people find it difficult to put their
feelings of love in words. So one of the ways they can con-
vey their affectionon special occasions such as Valentine's
Day is to give flowers to the important ladies in their lives.

It can be just a single flower: a rose, carnation, or an ex-
quisite orchid; a few blooms in an elegant vase; an arrange-
ment, or bouquet.

Red is the traditional color for the lover's festival, since it
stands for deep passionate love. White represents pure love, thus
being suitable for a platonic friend, although a small bit of
white is often used to offset the deep red. Rosebuds can symbolise
a new love, and full-blown blooms a lasting relationship.

But you should also be flexible, and choose the colors that you
think your beloved would like, whether pink, peach, yellow, mauve
or combinations thereof.

Bear in mind that it's not only your girlfriend or wife who should
appreciate flowers, but also your mother, grandmother, sister, aunt
or cousin. And daughters will be thrilled to get a flower from their
dads!
Surprise her with a beautiful bouquet today, it's all about flowers!

Sunflower

These flowers always turn towards the sun. They originated in Central and South America, and were grown for their usefulness, not their beauty. European explorers saw their first sunflower in South America and Spanish botanists were among the first to receive batches of seeds brought back by the explorers, by 1580 the sunflower was a common sight in Spanish villages. From Spain, the sunflower spread to Italy, Egypt, India, China, and Russia where it was first grown commercially as an important oilseed crop.
Sunflowers represented different meanings in many cultures. In China they symbolized longevity. In the Andes Mountains, golden images of sunflowers were found in temples.

The American Indians grew the sunflower as a food crop and ate the calcium-rich seeds, the sunflower has more than one use. A yellow dye is extracted from the petals, oil is extracted and used for ceremonial body painting, Linoleic sunflower oil is also an excellent cooking oil with a neutral taste. This enhances the taste of food rather than overpowering it. The stalks produced are exceptionally light fibre - still said to be one of the lightest fibres known. Wow, what a flower to have!

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Orchids

Orchids are just beautiful, don't you agree? And you know what; they originated from Greece. Some orchids are called ladies' fingers, ladies' tresses, or long purples, wonder why. In times past Greek women thought that if the father of their unborn child ate large, new tubers, the baby would be a boy. If the mother ate small tubers, they would give birth to a baby girl! Aw aw!

The most famous orchid, the vanilla orchid, was said to give strength to the Aztecs, who drank vanilla mixed with chocolate. During the 19th Century, Orchids were widely collected. It’s reproductive behavior has fascinated botanists for years… to germinate, an orchid's seeds need to be penetrated by fungus threads! Orchids are among the largest and most highly developed of the plant families, with over thirty thousand known species.
Orchids are plants of the family Orchidaceae, widely considered to be among the most beautiful flowers in the world. Vibrant, delicate, and fragrant, orchids make a charming accent for any home or garden.Check it out!

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Violets

Traditionally flowers are grown with the belief that they create a special bond between each of us which is never broken. Violets in particular symbolize everlasting loyalty and devotedness.
Did you know that when Napoleon Bonaparte married Josephine, she wore violets, and on each anniversary Josephine received a bouquet of violets. Before he was exiled to the island of St Helena, Napoleon asked to visit Josephine’s grave. When he died, he wore a locket around his neck that contained violets he had picked from Josephine’s gravesite. Wow! How romantic.

Violets are about 500 species of temperate-zone flowers. Many species of violets produce two kinds of flowers: showy purple, blue, pink, yellow, white, or multicolored flowers are produced in the springtime,
Although most species are wildflowers, several have been cultivated; these include the PANSY, Johnny-jump up, V. tricolor, V. odorata. Leaves of sweet violets can be added to salads, and the flowers can be candied or used to make violet jelly.
Common sayings about Violets include: Dream of violets and advance in life. Violets are considered a good luck gift, Wish me well? Hey! send a violet.

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Dahlia

Dahlias were first discovered in the mountains of Mexico in the 16th century by a Spanish expedition and were later named in honor of Andreas Dahl, a Swedish botanist, because of his interest in the plant.

Dahlias come in a great many varieties, but one of the most popular varieties is the David George. The David George variety of dahlia features a bloom of deep red color and medium size. Other popular dahlia varieties include the Bonaventure, featuring large bronze colored flowers, and the Allie Yellow, with features a tiny yellow bloom. Dahlias are known as sun loving plants, and they definitely do better with sufficient sunlight

Dahlias are among the most beautiful and most exotic residents of any garden. The large blooms of the dahlia are impossible to ignore, and they stand out in any garden in which they are planted. The sturdy, large blooms of the dahlia are available in a variety of colors, and in sizes ranging from as small as an inch to as large as a foot. In addition, the flowers themselves come in a variety of shapes. Some dahlia blooms are shaped like baseballs, while others curve back on themselves to where they nearly touch their stems.
In addition to staples like orchids and roses, dahlias are often seen at flower shows, and many gardeners grow dahlias purely for these competitions. A prize dahlia can certainly be the star of any flower show, due to their striking beauty and large size.

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Flower Giving

Recently, at a wedding, the guests were asked to bring a flower to place on the arbor that the bride and groom would walk through. Each bloom was to be accompanied by a small note with best wishes for the new couple. Rather than choose a single bloom, a small nosegay was prepared with a selection of flowers that expressed our wishes. Happy Marriage (Stephanotis), Perfect Love (Tulip), Unity (White & Red Rose) Freindship (Ivy). To convey heartfelt thoughts, the meaning of each flower was written into the note attached to the flowers.

Through the ages, people have given flowers and herbs symbolic meanings. From these meanings, a language of flowers has evolved. Ancient Greeks dedicated flowers to the gods and crowned people of notoriety with wreaths of blossoms and leaves.Imagine receiving a small bouquet of violets and knowing that the person giving them to you was pledging their loyalty without uttering a word. It was common practise at the beginning of a courtship in the Victorian era for suitors to give their intended a tussie mussie. The types of flowers often changed as the relationship grew allowing the gentleman to say volumes without speaking a word! Today's society is no different than those of a few hundred years ago. Flowers still hold significant a meaning.

Flowers create a special language of their own. The meaning of flowers, herbs and leaves has been written about for centuries. Each book written may proclaim a different meaning, but the meaning of flowers are, after all, whatever you want them to be. The bloom of a dandelion given by a small child holds as much love as a rose given by an admirer. Definitions are dependant on color, size, buds or full blooms and whether they are alone, paired or in bouquets.
A lot to remember when trying to pick just the right flower for someone special. EH!

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