WELCOME TO MY GARDEN
I have always loved plants and flowers, both indoors and outdoors.
I have had a lot of wonderful people who greatly influenced me
in this. My dad was the first as he was an avid gardener who could
grow anything. He had all types of flowers - roses, wisteria,
dinner plate dahlias, tuberoses, columbines, oriental poppies,
tiger lilies, peonies, and the list goes on. He also had a
fantastic vegetable garden which kept us supplied with fresh
veggies all summer and canned veggies over the winter.
Besides my dad, there was Aunt Pat who dearly loved her flower
gardens and Mamie Dowdy, whom all of us used to tease about her
gardens. We told her we knew she must vacuum her flower beds
because they were always so neat with no trace of a weed anywhere.
Granny Phelps, a tiny elderly lady, had a beautiful wild flower
garden with little stone paths criss-crossing the bed so that she
had easy access to every flower to lend her tender touch. A lot of
my irises were gifts shared from Peggy Kitts' garden as well. Miss
Annie, my landlady at Charlottesville, also gave me some of her
irises and day lilies. Aunt Evelyn and Uncle Jack gave me many
house plants, grape vines, blackberry bushes, and a fig tree. After
my father's death, I always consulted Uncle Jack for answers to
my garden problems. All of these people were so willing to share
their knowledge of gardening and slips or seeds with others.
Although we have moved and all of these dear folks have passed
on, I still have irises, daylilies, berry bushes, etc. which they
so graciously shared.
 
SAY IT WITH FLOWERS
The motto of your friendly neighborhood florist and what could be
more appropiate since for centuries flowers have had a language all
their own. My florist of choice is Obenchain's which was started in
the 1940's by Frances Obenchain. It was owned and operated by her
until a couple of years ago when she decided to retire. Mark Frye,
formerly of Saltville, is now the proprietor and maintains the same
outstanding, friendly service although the name has been changed to
Creative Occasions.
The rose is considered the most beautiful of flowers and the one
that is most often given today. It is a flower which can convey
various messages. Everyone knows that the red rose signifies love
and respect, while the yellow rose means friendship. The red rose
worn on Mother's Day signifies that one's mother is still living
but a white rose indicates that she is deceased. A pink rose
means perfect happiness.
When we think of language, we usually think of the spoken or
written word; however, in earlier days, flowers were frequently
used to convey one's message. A means of communication which was
especially useful if, for instance, a young man was too timid to
express his love for a young lady face-to-face for fear of being
embarassed by her possible rejection.
The meanings of some of the most common flowers and/or plants
which are listed below are from "American Ettiquette and Rules of
Politeness" published in 1884 by Standard Publishing House of
New York. The authors were Prof. Walter R. Houghton,A.M.;
Prof. James K. Beck, A. B.; Prof. James A. Woodburn,A.B.;
Prof. Horace R. Hoffman,A.B.; A. E. Davis; and Mrs. W.R. Houghton.
|
Flower & Meaning |
Flower & Meaning | |
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Aloe - superstition |
Amaryllis - splendid beauty | |
|
Anemone-expectation |
Apple - temptation | |
|
Arbutus,trailing - welcome |
Azalea - romance | |
|
Bachelor's Button - hope in love |
Balsam - impatience | |
|
Basil - hatred |
Bell Flower - gratitude | |
|
Buttercup - riches |
Calla Lilly - feminine beauty | |
|
Camellia - pity |
Camomile - energy in action | |
|
Candytuft - indifference |
Canterbury Bell - gratitude | |
|
Cape Jasmine Gardenia -ecstasy |
China Aster - I will think of thee | |
|
Chrysanthemum,Rose - in love |
Chrysanthemum,white - truth | |
|
Chrysanthemum,yellow - slighted love |
Clematis - artifice | |
|
Coxcomb - foppery |
Columbine - folly | |
|
Columbine,purple - resolved to win |
Columbine,red - anxious | |
|
Coreopsis - love at first sight |
Cowslip - pensiveness | |
|
Crocus - cheerfulness |
Daffodil - chivalry | |
|
Dahlia - forever thine |
Daisy - I share your feeling | |
|
Daisy,white - innocence |
Forget-me-not - true love | |
|
Foxglove - insincerity |
Gardenia - ecstacy | |
|
Golden Rod- encouragement |
Hibiscus - delicate beauty | |
|
Hollyhock - fruitfulness |
Honeysuckle - the bond of love | |
|
House=leek - domestic economy |
Hyacinth - jealousy | |
|
Hydrangea - heartlessness |
Jonquil - return my affection | |
|
Lady's Slipper - capricious beauty |
Lantana - rigor | |
|
Larkspur - fickleness |
Laurel - glory | |
|
Lavender - distrust |
Lilac - first emotion of love | |
|
Lily of the Valley - return of happiness |
Lily,Day - coquetry | |
|
Lily,water - eloquence |
Lupine - imagination | |
|
Magnolia - peerless and proud |
Marigold - cruelty | |
|
Four o'clock - timidity |
Mimosa - sensitiveness | |
|
Mint - virtue |
Morning Glory - coquetry | |
|
Narcissus - egotism |
Nasturtium - patriotism | |
|
Pansy - think of me |
Passion Flower - religious fervor | |
|
Peony - anger |
Pennyroyal - flee away | |
|
Periwinkle - sweet memories |
Petunia - I am not proud | |
|
Phlox - our souls united |
Pink - pure affection | |
|
Plum Tree - independence |
Poppy - consolation | |
|
Pomegrante - foolishness |
Pomegranate Flower - elegance | |
|
Primrose - early youth |
Ragged Robin - wit | |
|
Ranunculus - radiant with charms |
Reeds - music | |
|
Rhododendron - agitation |
Rose - beauty | |
|
Rosemary - your presence revives me |
Sage - esteem | |
|
Snapdragon - presumption |
Snowball - thoughts of heaven | |
|
Spearmint - warm feelings |
Star of Bethlehem - reconciliation | |
|
St. John's Wort - superstition |
Strawberry - perfect excellence | |
|
Sumac - splendor |
Sunflower - pride | |
|
Sweet William - artifice |
Thistle - austerity | |
|
Thyme - activity |
Touch-me-not - impatience | |
|
Trumpet Flower - separation |
Tuberose - dangerous pleasures | |
|
Tulip - declaration of love |
Tulip Tree - rural happiness | |
|
Venus' Flytrap - caught at last |
Verbena - sensibility | |
|
Violet - love |
Yarrow - cure for heartache | |
Elaine, thank you so much for this beautiful award.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for this one, Elaine!
If you would like to contact me
feel free to email me.
I would love to hear what you think of my Garden
Please sign my Guestbook before you leave.
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