Posts filed under 'History of Flowers'
Near a misty stream in Ireland in the hollow of a tree
Live mystical, magical leprechauns
who are clever as can be
With their pointed ears, and turned up toes and little coats of green
The leprechauns busily make their shoes and try hard not to be seen.
Only those who really believe have seen these little elves
And if we are all believers
We can surely see for ourselves.
(Irish Blessing)
Shamrocks have been symbolic of many things over the years. According to legend, the shamrock was a sacred plant to the Druids of Ireland because its leaves formed a triad, and three was a mystical number in the Celtic religion, as in many others. St. Patrick used the shamrock in the 5th century to illustrate the doctrine of the Holy Trinity as he introduced Christianity to Ireland. In written English, the first reference to the Shamrock dates from 1571, and in written Irish, as seamrog, from 1707. As a badge to be worn on the lapel on the Saint’s feast day, it is referred to for the first time as late as 1681. The Shamrock was used as an emblem by the Irish Volunteers in the era of Grattan’s Parliament in the 1770′s, before ’98 and The Act of Union. So rebellious did the wearing of the Shamrock eventually appear, that in Queen Victoria’s time Irish regiments were forbidden to display it. At that time it became the custom for civilians to wear a little paper cross colored red and green.
As a symbol of Ireland it has long been integrated into the symbol of the United Kingdom, along with the Rose, the Thistle and the Leek of England, Scotland and Wales. So today, on St. Patrick’s Day, a member of the British Royal Family presents Shamrock to the Irish Guards regiment of the British Army. The shamrock became symbolic in other ways as time went on. In the 19th century it became a symbol of rebellion, and anyone wearing it risked death by hanging. It was this period that spawned the phrase “the wearin’ o’ the green”.
Today, the shamrock is the most recognized symbol of the Irish, especially on St. Patrick’s Day, when all over the world, everyone is Irish for a day!The original Irish shamrock (traditionally spelled seamróg, which means “summer plant”) is said by many authorities to be none other than white clover (Trifolium repens), a common lawn weed originally native to Ireland. It is a vigorous, rhizomatous, stem-rooting perennial with trifoliate leaves. Occasionally, a fourth leaflet will appear, making a “four-leaf clover,” said to bring good luck to the person who discovers it. (Source: Taunton.com and Funmunch.com) Take the shamrock personality test! Here’s mine:
| What Your Shamrock Says About You |
 You are brilliant, analytical, and somewhat of a perfectionist. You are ultra competent and knowledgeable.At times, people find you intimidating. You can be a bit sarcastic and harsh.
You don’t really consider yourself a lucky person. In your view, people create their own luck.
You are creative, innovative, and complicated. You definitely have a unique spin on the world.
|
Celebrate Saint Paddy’s Day with flowers from Eden Florist!
March 17th, 2008
Tulips – Perfect Love
Family: Liliaceae 
The history of the Tulip is filled with intrigue, skulduggery, thievery, instant fortunes and broken hearts. And, although these flowers are synonymous with the Dutch, Tulips did not originate in the Netherlands nor were the Dutch always at the forefront of breeding these beauties.
The Dutch obsession with Tulips belongs to the relatively recent history of the Tulip. If only Tulips could talk, they’d tell many interesting and twisted tales about their history. Unfortunately they can’t talk which makes tracing their history a “mission impossible” – although many have tried. The attempts to trace the exact history of the Tulip have been thwarted by a lack of reliable documentation over the centuries although art from as early as the 12th century does give some clues.
What historians have been able to establish is that Tulips probably originated thousands of years ago in a ‘corridor’ which stretches along the 40º latitude between Northern China and Southern Europe. It was first cultivated by the Turks as early as 1000 AD, The flower was introduced in Western Europe and the Netherlands in the 17th century by Carolus Clusius, a famous biologist from Vienna. In the 1590’s he became the director of the Hortus Botanicus, the oldest botanical garden of Europe, in Leiden. He was hired by the University of Leiden to research medicinal plants and, while doing so, he received some bulbs from his friend, Ogier de Busbecq, the Ambassador to Constantinople (presently Istanbul). He had seen the beautiful flower called the tulip, after the Turkish word for turban, growing in the palace gardens and sent a few to Clusius for his garden in Leiden. He planted them and this was the beginning of the amazing bulb fields we see today. In the beginning of the 17th century, the tulip was starting to be used as a garden decoration in addition to its medicinal use. It soon gained major popularity as a trading product, especially in Holland. The interest in the flower was huge and bulbs sold for unbelievably high prices. Botanists began to hybridize the flower. They soon found ways of making the tulip even more decorative and tempting. Hybrids and mutations of the flower were seen as rarities and a sign of high status.In the months of late 1636 to early 1637, there was a complete “Tulipmania” in the Netherlands. Some varieties could cost more than an Amsterdam house at that time. Even ordinary men took part in the business. They saw how much money the upper class made in the commodity and thought it was an easy way of getting lots of money with no risk. The bulbs were usually sold by weight while they were still in the ground. This trade in un-sprouted flowers came to be called “wind trade”.
The traders made huge amounts of money every month. People started selling their businesses, family homes, farm animals, furnishing and dowries to participate. The government could not do anything to stop “Tulipmania”; the trade was all about access and demand. Finally, the tulip did not appear to quite so rare as to justify such high prices. Over-supply led to lower prices and dealers went bankrupt while many people lost their savings because of the trade. This “Tulip Crash” made the government introduce special trading restrictions on the flower. It is said that the tulip became so popular because of its bright colours, dramatic flames and frilly petals. To have tulips in one’’ home was a way to impress and, when the wealth spread down the social ladder, so did the urge for tulips.
The period of absurd speculation became known as “Tulipomania” (officially 1636 – 1637) and the phenomenon was so intense that it still puzzles historians and economists until this day. Such was the absurdity of the period that, at the peak of Tulipomania, a single bulb could be sold for a price which could have purchased a house in the best parts of Amsterdam! (The equivalent of 15 year’s wages for the average bricklayer).
Over the following decades, interest in the Tulip rose and fell but the Dutch maintained a commercial devotion to these flowers (today they export 1.2 billion bulbs annually). In history, the Dutch will be remembered for their passion for tulips. After 400-plus years, theirs is an enduring love affair. First introduced to Holland in 1593, the tulip has become a symbol for the country. Today nearly half of Holland’s 47,150 acres of flower bulb farms are planted with tulip bulbs (23,412 acres).
Like many flowers, different colors of tulips also often carry their own significance. Red tulips are associated with true love, purple symbolizes royalty, yellow tulips represent cheerful thoughts and sunshine. White tulips signify worthiness or “will you forgive me?
Source: http://www.tesselaar.net.au and http://www.holland.nl)
Order Tulips at Eden Florist:
March 7th, 2008
Poppy
“Wealth and Success” Botanical Name: Bocconia Family: Papaveraceae
We are slumberous Poppies,
Lords of Lethe downs,
Some awake and some asleep,
Sleeping in our crowns.
What perchance our dreams may know,
Let our serious beauty show.
There are many kinds of poppy, including California poppies, Iceland poppies, and perennial poppies. Red poppies symbolize fantastic extravagance. On the other hand, yellow poppies stand for wealth and success. White ones can convey forgetfulness and sleep. Poppy is among the most loved flowers. These plants generally bloom during the spring and early summer.
The field poppy was grown by the ancient Egyptians.
The poppy plant was sacred to Ceres, the Roman goddess of grain. She was often depicted wearing wearing a wreath made of the blooms and carrying corn, which she would offer as a sacrifice to the Gods. The poppy has been called many names such as Thunder flower. The myth is that when children would pick the flower, the petals would fall and they would then be struck by Thunder. One of the old country names was Cheesebowl because there is a little round bowl in the bottom of the flower’s head, filled with seeds set in something that resembles cheese. The poppy has also been associated with fertility, and represented the blood of dead warriors. Because of the its strong smell, it has even been called the headache flower.
When you need flowers, remember Eden Florist & Gift Baskets
March 5th, 2008
Since March is Women’s History Month, I thought it only fitting to write about some famous women among the flowers.
Charlotte de Latour’s Le Langage des Fleurs in December 1819, was the beginning of the great proliferation of books about the Language of Flowers.
In fact, Latour’s book stimulated the publishing industry especially in France, England, and America, and also in Belgium, Germany and other European countries as well as in South America as Publishers from these countries produced hundreds of editions of language of flowers books during the nineteenth century. During its peak in America, the language of flowers attracted the attention of the most popular women writers and editors of the day, many of which are represented in the American floral dictionary.
They include:
Sarah Josepha Hale (best known for her poem, “Mary Had a Little Lamb,” published in 1830 in her book Poems for Our Children.) edited Flora’s Interpreter in 1832 which continued in print through the 1860′s. Hale was also the editor of the Ladies’ Magazine in Boston from 1828 to 1836 and co-editor of Godey’s Lady’s Book, the most widely read periodical in the United States from 1837 to 1877.
Catharine H. Waterman Esling wrote a long poem titled, “The Language of Flowers” which first appeared in 1839 in her own language of flowers book, Flora’s Lexicon. Lucy Hooper, an editor, novelist, poet, and playwright, included several of her flower poems in The Lady’s Book of Flowers and Poetry, first published in 1841.
Frances Sargent Osgood, a poet and friend of Edgar Allen Poe, first published The Poetry of Flowers and Flowers of Poetry in 1841.
Sarah Carter Edgarton Mayo, author of several flower books, was associate editor of the Universalist monthly, The Ladies’ Repository in Boston from 1839 to 1842. Her language of flowers book, The Flower Vase, was first published in 1844.
Caroline Matilda Kirkland, wrote Poetry of Flowers , first published in 1848 continued to be in print at least until 1886. One of the more comprehensive books, its 522 pages contained an extensive dictionary and numerous flower poems.
Source: Flowers, the Angels’ Alphabet : The Language and Poetry of Flowers by Susan Loy
March 3rd, 2008
SUNFLOWER – Botanical name Helianthus Their scientific name Helianthus comes from two words, Helios meaning sun, and Anthos, meaning flower. The sunflower often follows the sun which is how got its name.The Common Sunflower has a long history of association with people.
Nearly 3,000 years ago it was domesticated for food production by the Native Americans. The seeds of the wild type of sunflower are only about 5 mm. long. It was only through careful selection for the largest size seeds over hundreds of years that the cultivated sunflower was produced. Lewis and Clark made mention in their journals of its usage by the plains Indians. It was brought back to the Old World by the early European explorers and widely cultivated there also.
Long before corn and beans were brought to America, the Early American natives used the sunflower: they ate the seeds, ground the small kernels into flour, extracted oil from seeds for their hair, and used the seeds, flower petals, and pollen to make dyes for face paint, cloths and baskets.
The Aztecs (Peru) worshiped sunflowers, they placed sunflower images made of gold in their temples and crowned princesses in the bright yellow flowers.
Making their way to Europe in the early 1500’s sunflowers were used for gifts carried by Spanish settlers returning home. The sunflower is the National flower of RUSSIA. The great Russian ruler Peter the Great liked sunflowers so much when he saw them in Holland he took seeds back to Russia. By the 1700’s sunflower seeds were being eaten all over Russia.
In many parts of Europe sunflowers provide leaves for smoking, flower buds for salads, flowers for dyes, and oil for cooking.
The tallest sunflower grown on record was 25 feet tall and was grown in the Netherlands.
The largest sunflower head on record measured 32 1/2 inches across its widest point and was grown in Canada.
(source: http://www.gpnc.org/sunflower.htm and http://jstait.addr.com/sunflowers/info.htm)
Brighten someone’s day with Sunflowers from Eden Florist!
February 22nd, 2008
Yesterday’s Question: What spring flower was ‘born to be purple’?
“The blue flag,” a kind of iris. Henry Wordsworth Longfellow wrote a poem in which he referred to them as “born in the purple.”
In those days, the color purple was associated with royalty. The common people weren’t allowed to wear purple clothing.
Thanks to everyone for commenting!
Heidi
February 19th, 2008
DID YOU KNOW?
The oldest paper valentine still around is in the collection of the British Library in London . It was sent by Charles, Duke of Orleans, to his wife in 1415
Legend has it that Valentine’s Day is when birds find their mates Until the 1800s, the English made Valentine cards and shipped them all over the world
In North America, Valentine’s is the 2nd most popular time to send cards (Christmas is the first)
In Japan, girls give gifts on Valentine’s Day and boys reciprocate the gifts on White Day (March 14th)
In old Wales, wooden love spoons were often presented to sweethearts on February 14th
Italian couples announced engagements on Valentine’s Day.
Be sure to order your Valentine flowers early at Eden Florist!
February 9th, 2008
Scent has long been associated with cut flowers. When buying flowers we are buying stems, the first thing most people do is smell the blooms. Once fragrant flowers were very common.
Today, finding fragrant flowers is more difficult. But that isn’t true so much any more. As plant breeders in the 20th century concentrated on creating varieties with larger, more spectacular blossoms, they placed less emphasis on scent. Now the tide is turning, and scientists are studying what genes and processes in the plants are responsible for fragrance, and how they can breed the fragrant ones that consumers want.
Some fragrant flowers include Stargazer lilies, certain varieties of roses, premium carnations, calla lilies, Stock, daffodils, daylilies, sweet peas, and forsythia to name a few, many of which we carry at Eden Florist when they are in season.
February 5th, 2008
The real beauty in roses is the story behind them. For centuries, roses have inspired love and brought beauty to those who have received them. In fact, the rose’s rich heritage dates back thousands of years.
• People have been passionate about roses since the beginning of time. It is said that the floors of Cleopatra’s palace were carpeted with delicate rose petals, and that the wise and knowing Confucius had a 600 book library specifically on how to care for roses.
• Wherefore art thou rose? In the readings of Shakespeare, of course. He refers to roses more than 50 times throughout his writing.
• One thousand years old. That’s the age the world’s oldest living rose bush is thought to be. Today, it continues to flourish on the wall of the Hildesheim Cathedral in Germany.
• Why white roses are so special is no mystery — it’s a myth. Perhaps it started with the Romans, who believed white roses grew where the tears of Venus fell as she mourned the loss of her beloved Adonis. To read more about Roses, click here.
To order Roses, visit EDEN FLORIST
January 30th, 2008
1. In what religious tradition does the groom arrive at the ceremony on a white horse (often decorated with flowers)?
a) Muslim b) Baptist c) Anglican d) Hindu
2. True or false? Flowers are forbidden at Jewish funerals.
3. Catholic weddings are rarely held during Lent. When they are, the flowers used should be:
a) Purple b) Loose c) Understated d) Inexpensive
4. True or false? In the Islamic tradition, white flowers are especially suitable for funerals.
5. In which houses of worship are flowers not permitted in sacred areas?
a) Jewish b) Mormon c) Buddhist d) Methodist
6. What sort of flowers should never adorn a Buddhist altar?
a) Thorned b) Silk c) Chrysanthemums d) Potted
7. In which religious tradition do congregants construct an “epitapho,” or tomb of Christ, entirely from flowers during the Lenten season?
a) Catholic b) Mennonite c) Episcopal d) Greek Orthodox
8. In the Catholic, Episcopal and Anglican traditions, what color is especially appropriate for flowers used at Pentecost?
a) White b) Red c) Blue d) Multicolored
For the answers visit: EdenFlorist.com
January 24th, 2008
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