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Speaking the Language of Flowers: My Top Ten Flowers to Grow
Sometimes words just aren’t enough or may be too difficult to say. So here are my recommendations for adding the language of flowers to your life.
1) Red tulips to declare love – As James Taylor says, shower the people you love with love. You just can’t say it enough whether it’s for the first time or the hundredth. It’s best to plant in the fall, but you can sometimes find bulbs that can be planted in the spring for a May or so flowering. And there’s always the florist or grocery store.
2) White tulips for forgiveness - Whether you’re asking for it or granting forgiveness, this is a great way to express yourself when words fail. And it’s much better to live and let live than to poison your own soul with grudges. J
3) Rosemary to remember – This is a very easy flowering herb to grow as an annual, and it will last through the winter if it’s in a sunny but protected spot. Wonderful soft fragrance all year long and sweet purplish flowers in the summer. Run your hand along the stem and then sniff. Mmmmm. Do you remember anything?
4) Forget-Me-Nots for true love – These are very easily grown from seeds scattered as the soil warms. Lots of little clumps of beautiful blue that may reseed each year!
5) Lemon verbena for enchantment and to attract the opposite sex – Need I say more? This perennial herb has a luscious, citrusy scent. It also makes a great tea and is very fun to add to lots of recipes. A secret and potent ingredient!
6) Pansies for thoughts of you – They should be appearing in garden centers any time now. I love their sweet faces. In warmer climates like Virginia, you can plant them in the fall and they’ll come back in the spring, too. I love little pansy bouquets to let someone know they’re in your thoughts.
7) Sweet basil for good wishes - This is an easy greenery to add to any bouquet, and it’s great in pesto, too. Just watch out for regular basil…. (See my novel for why!)
8) Coreopsis means always cheerful – Lots of sunny little blooms will flower all summer long, and it’s a perennial that is heat tolerant. You can plant by seed or buy one at a garden center. Cut off the dead flowers – this is called dead-heading – and they will bloom even more.
9) Lily of the valley for the return of happiness – This lovely scented bloom will require some planning, because it is best planted in the fall. However, you can usually get some from an online retailer, like Laurel did in my novel, if you really need it!
10) Scarlet poppies for fantastic extravagance – These can be easily grown from seed in a sunny spot. Poppies come in a variety of colors and always seem to be having fun. We usually think of extravagance as having to do with money, but you can also be extravagant with your love, time, or cooking, I think. Poppies say, Live it up a little.
Hope this gives you some ideas for your garden! And thanks for having me, Hope!
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Now for those of you who don't know, Amy is doing a contest. Each blog that participates in her tour has their own flower. When the tour is over, you turn in your "bouquet" on Amy's website. The flower I chose for this post was the hollyhock. :]
hope.
2 comments:
Amy was a guest on my show yesterday (Saturday) very enjoyable and very interesting chat.
Barry
I am going to include some of these in my garden this year. It needs a serious overhaul. There need to be a show, like instead of extreme home makeover, extreme garden makeover.
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