Hi everyone,
It’s 5:10 Friday morning and my hubby and I are on our way to St. Louis. I thought surely there was something I could think of so you could all chat with each other. I really have missed writing a post every day but hope you understand…
So…since it is “trying” to be Spring, (we might get snow tonight!!!) why don’t you all talk about your favorite flower…and why you like them…
See you when I can,
Blessings, Jeanne
Dear Jeanne;
Praying for the best for George and that God will give you both the strength, love and healing to get through this.
Here in Michigan we awoke to a few more inches of snow. Winter just doesn’t seem to understand it’s time for Spring already! You have given us quite a challenge …. picking a favorite flower is like picking your favorite doll! I dearly love my Miss Kim lilacs with their sweet fragrance but that’s a shrub. I guess if I had to choose it would be the Casa Blanca Lilly – the flowers are so huge and impressive – pure white and did I mention the amazing fragrance??
Jeanne, we understand and miss you too but please don’t concern yourself at this time with missing some posts. As someone mentioned earlier, we can (and I have been) re-read older posts. Don’t over burden yourself at this time. We truly understand and just want the very best outcome for George and you.
P.S. Loved your post re: chanti and I think it looks divine. So wonderful when something we picked up and just knew it would fit in somewhere / sometime finally does!
Leigh said it was wonderful when something we picked up finally fits in. I have a couple of those things and she and Chandi are giving me faith that they will someday fit.
It’s nearly 8:30 and I’m the second person to write — I think we all knew you’d be too busy today, but you fooled us. The day is gray here and I’m afraid it probably is there as well, and 5:30 on a gray day can be a little grim. Perhaps it will be better coming home with your plans made.
As far as your question goes, I’m going to go with lilacs as well. Not only are they beautiful and fragrant with those perfect green leaves, they bloom just at the time of my favorite day, the day of Longmont’s Strawberry Festival. When I was working, the semester ended with needing to grade about 400 pages of term papers quite quickly — I took a vacation day from my first job to get the work done, and then graded dawn until past dark. I turned the papers back, figured the grades for the semester, turned them in, the lilacs bloomed, and my mother and sisters and aunt and cousins went to the Strawberry Festival, a big antiques show with lunch and strawberry shortcake, the only day of the year with no attached obligations, no grading the next day, no class prep, and lots and lots of pretty things to look at. Many of the dealers had bouquets of lilacs in pretty vases or metal containers of all sorts. Whether it was cool or warm, it was a lovely, peaceful day.
Marilyn, I just retired so no more grading for me. I remember those very longgggg days. Hang in there! Now, I spend my days watching Judge Judy and taking Afternoon Tea in my favorite tearoom. Heavenly (smile).
Right now I’m looking for my favorite tea cups. I believe that afternoon tea is a reward for all that work. I wish you a great retirement and, if reading is something you love, lots and lots of good books.
Good morning, Jeanne! So good to hear from you today!
I love ANY kind of fresh flowers, but I have two absolute favorites. My second favorite flower is the peony, which symbolizes good fortune, and is thus often used in wedding bouquets. Pink is my favorite color for peonies, but my all time favorite flower is the deep blue hydrangea, admired for its grace and beauty. “The Secret Language of Flowers” states that hydrangeas symbolize heartfelt emotions, which I think represent me well.
This spring, I have been decorating with a lot of white tulips and other white flowers. I love their look of purity and simplicity in our “new farmhouse” home. Tulips are a springtime favorite and are ranked as the third most loved flower worldwide. They originated from Turkey and Persia over a thousand years ago and were once traded like currency. Pink tulips can convey a message of encouragement, and so I send you and George “virtual” bunches of pink tulips today!
Speaking of the meaning of flowers, a quote from Mary Alice Michaels says, “Joyful thoughts are the flowers of the heart.” Sending you and George many, many “flowers of the heart,” and keeping you close in prayer. Blessings, Jeanne!
P.S. Just read Marilyn’s post, and oh my, how I would enjoy a lovely, peaceful day like she describes at the Longmont Strawberry Festival! I once was a teacher, too, and can relate to that end of the schoolyear rush. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could all go antiquing like that and enjoy some strawberry shortcake together?! If you happen to visit the festival again, Marilyn, please take some pictures and send them for Jeanne to share with all of us!
P.P.S. Some of your readers have mentioned this in the past, but I wanted to let you know, Jeanne, that today’s post did not show up in my email. I found it by clicking on the “Blog” tab under Wednesday’s post. I sometimes use this trick when a post doesn’t show up in my email as usual. Perhaps your other readers are unaware that you have made a new post. I’m sure they would respond with some encouraging thoughts, well-wishes and prayers if they had received it. Hope things are going smoothly.
It is after 3 a.m. .on Sat. 4/7, and your post only just showed up in My email! So, apparently there is a little hiccup in the system somewhere…..
Dear Jeanne, I think the others selected favorite flowers that they might grow in a garden. I mentioned previously that I am a non-cook and non-crafter, so it won’t come as a surprise that I am a non-gardener (smile). The flowers that I would purchase from a florist are yellow roses and blue irises, just thinking about them makes me happy.
I want you to know that your column has a wide appeal, even to us “non” people (chuckle).
Hi Jeanne,
Thinking of you and George today and holding you up in prayer.
It was a pleasent surprise to see a post from my fav blogger today. To answer you question … Freesias When I was a little girl back in the Netherlands my mother always had fresh flowers on the table. It’s a happy childhood memory. Mom loved Freesias although they come in many colors she always said the yellow ones were the most fragrant, I believe she’s right. To this day the smell of Freesias takes me back to a happy place. Tied for second would be roses and hydrangeas… I grow both, the deer don’t seem all to interested in them so it’s a win win for me!
Hugs, prayers and blessing
Ingrid
My favorite cut/purchased flowers are yellow roses (especially the old-fashioned ones with such a lovely scent). I have an assortment of favorites from the outside/home gardens. Those favorites are honeysuckle (which used to be planted by bathroom room window in our old house); tiger lilies and gladiolas to remind me of my maternal grandmother; Siberian iris, fushia colored fireweed, purple lupines, and tiny forget-me-nots to remind me of my time living in Alaska; old fashioned bleeding hearts and hydrangeas to remind me of my friend Bonny (who is deceased); carnations, tulips, clematis, dahlias and fushias to remind me of California; indian paintbrush, shooting stars, blue lupines and brown-eyed susans to remind me spring will come to Montana again (even if it snowed again last night). Don’t know if the link will work, but this is what I’m dreaming of under all of this snow https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwjR7I6i6qbaAhUo7YMKHUEWDSEQjhx6BAgAEAM&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffreshwallpapers.net%2Fnature%2Fspring-flowers-carpet-in-the-mountains.html&psig=AOvVaw2VpRFhGahvPr-9Fwi8rgN2&ust=1523144587810215
Oh, my. It worked, and that’s spectacular. I love the mountains above timberline, and the combination of rocky mountains and splendid flowers is enough to make us all want to be there. Many, many thanks.
Prayers for George, hope today is the start of blessings for good health.
Yes, we are waiting for the elusive spring. This has been a wild week. We had snow on Easter evening and then a deluge of rain on Tuesday, a bit of sn yesterday and today and snow expected again tonight. Some cities here even had tornadoes.
Well, how could a pick just one favorite flower. I practically love them all so let’s go seasonally. I love snowdrops, crocus, daffodils, tulips, grape hyacinths, lilacs, iris, chionodoxa “glory of the snow”, pansies (violas) ( I even have a perennial black one) and the pussy willows when the pussys come out.(missing some I know).
I always consider pussy willows the harbinger of spring since I first read this poem many years ago.
Pussy willow wakened from her cozy winter nap,
For the frolicking spring breeze, on her door would tap.
“It is chilly weather, though the sun feels good;
I will wrap up warmly and wear my furry hood.”
Mistress Pussy Willow opened wide her door;
Never had the sunshine seemed so bright before.
Never had the brooklet seemed so full of cheer;
“Good morning, Pussy Willow, welcome to you, dear.”
Never guest was quainter, than when Pussy came to town,
In her hood of silver gray, and tiny coat of brown.
Happy little children cried with laugh and shout,
“Spring is coming, coming,
Mistress Pussy Willow’s out.”
— Author unknown
I love lilies of the valley (my birth flower) and all cottage types and old-fashioned- coral bells, canterbury bells, larkspur (delphinium), foxglove, cowslips, violets, sweet woodruff, hollyhocks, peonies, wisteria, phlox, sweet william, lavender, asters, bachelor’s buttons, cornflowers, tSolomon’s Seal, catmint, columbine, Jacob’s ladder any aan all BLUE flowers and my ferns.
I have researched “The Secret Language of Flowers” that Anne mentioned a number of years ago. I fell in love with the Victorian/ Edwardian era many years ago from reading the Anne books so it was little wonder that Samantha and her collection became one of my favorites.
Another book that is delightful for those who like flowers and fairies is “The Complete Book of the Flower Fairies” by Cicely Mary Barker. I have it as well as some “scrap” that features her work Made in England. There meant for decoupage and although I bought a few duplicates, I keep a full set in a little pocket photo album to just look at because they are so pretty.
Wow! What wonderful answers to just a simple question… “what’s your favorite flower? ” I think just about every flower was named in the comments and I loved your reasons why you loved them so much. It makes me more than ready for Spring with all these pretty names and colors.
Christal, that picture on the link you sent was beautiful!! Loved those colors.
My hubby’s dr didn’t give us a date for his surgery. Instead he managed to get us in for a PET Scan and now we have to wait and see the results before we know what’s ahead. Waiting is the worst…
Blessings, Jeanne
Dearest Jeanne, Your email came in about 20 hours ago. I did not want to be first.
An appallingly difficult day for you and George. I send my love and Hope to you both.
My favorite flower is the peony. It had the most beautiful waxy perfection. It requires cold winters and hot summers.
It is also not easy to grow, a friend manages in this sub-tropical climate by icing the corms with iceblocks.
Apart from the flowers which I love love love, the roots have antibacterial and and inflammatory properties. Here in New Zealand a boutique label has been developed to aid eczema sufferers. Dove River is their brand. Their soap is so beautiful that I am tempted to try it although I do not need it.
So my dear Jeanne and George, I send to you a virtual bouquet of white Peonies. Love and Peace
Jane
Oh, and St Louis, pardon my ignorance, I thought it was in Missouri. Is it one of those straddling cities, partly in one state, partly in another. Or is there another St Louis?
Hi, Jane, St. Louis is in Missouri, on the West side of the Mississippi River, right in the middle of the country. There is also an East St. Louis, which is on the East side of the river. My Nana was born in East St. Louis, Illinois, in 1896. Where eo you live?
Thank you Susette, I live in Northland, New Zealand. I have an (involuntary) trivia brain, so when I read St. Louis I have an audio of ‘meet me in st.Louis -Louie’ or sometimes st.Louis blues. Also a visual image of the map I drew in geography in 1961.
My favorite flowers? Lilacs, the old-fashioned lavender ones, as they smell so good and are my favorite color. We even got married in May so we could have lilacs on the altar (along with glads and roses)!! That was the only time the florist could guarantee lilacs. However, God did a pretty good job, too, as many of our church members had lilacs blooming just then, so we had lilacs all over the church–even a small bouquet in the ladies’ room!! In the last few yers, our lilacs have mostly bloomed in April, though!
My other favorite flower also comes in lavender (among other colors)–the orchid! My son and his family gave me a small orchid plant for Mother’s Day a few years ago, and at the moment there are 7 or 8 buds on one stalk, and another stalk coming with more buds, I’m sure! Other years, I’ve had 3 or 4 blooms on it.
Thank you for the update; yes, waiting is the absolute worst!! Prayers continue.
(And, a small update from me–my first cataract surgery went well and I’m scheduled for the second on 4/18.)
Just received the e-mail stating that there was a blog posting…thanks for update on George and a lifeline to you, dear Jeanne… may you be happily distracted somehow in the wait for a surgery date.
My favorite flower is the purple violet. It comes out blooming at a time of year when we here in the northern Midwest need Spring cheer. I have a lovely memory of attending a friend’s birthday party in early Spring, when we were both much younger. Her mother took us out into the woods and we saw flowers, amongst them, the violets. We too had a woods to walk through and have many violets, bluebells, dutchman’s breeches, etc., but the royally robed violet has always caught my attention.
When in high school and graduation was about to take place, I was able to choose fabric to make a graduation dress with. What do you know? The fabric store (way back when and less available) had a gorgeous royal purple colored fabric with white blossoms/green sprigs dotted throughout. Ahhh…heaven…to see that beautifully colored fabric and eventually wear a treasured dress pattern with the fabric made into it….well, it’s always remained a favorite.
These days, our lawn is full of violets (after “winter” weather has passed) and I just swoon every time I go out to the yard and hang up laundry. It’s always a marvelous memory of special times of the past….treasured walks in the woods, proceeding through life, and here today….a “thread” of the past to the present. Violets….
Blessings.
I may be the latest of the late. Just received the email of a post this Saturday morning. Why the tardiness? Unknown.
I think flowers have been completely covered. I believe that the only flower that I don’t particularly like is the Petunia. They have a smell that is unappealing to me and virtually always develop bud worm. 🙁 I don’t use chemicals in my yard and fussing with spraying soap or whatever is not my thing.
I enjoy perennials the most and always look forward to them. Haven’t had time to do much of anything in the yard lately, but perhaps in the future.
Very sorry to hear that you didn’t receive a date for George. All the way to St. Louis and then yet another test. Hope the results are promptly received. I dislike waiting for anything. Please keep us updated.
Well for heavens sakes, I had no idea this blog was even here until this morning, when it showed up in my email, and I saw all those comments! I’m sorry I am late, but here goes!
My favorite flower is just too hard to say, since I love flowers, period! I do have my favorites, and will start with sweet smelling lilacs. Nothing says Spring like Lilacs!My grandmother had lilacs, and when I see or smell them, I think of her.
Next, irises. My father was a fabulous gardener, and had literally thousands of iris, or every color and variety. I did manage to get some of his iris,and when they bloom,they remind me of him and his love of flowers. And I did say “thousands”!
Next, are ivory cream colored roses, which I carried in my bridal bouquet. They matched up so well with my velvet gown, and had sprays of pine with them. Of course, it was a winter wedding,the day after Christmas, and I couldn’timagine a more beautiful and fragrant flower in my bouquet. However, nary a rose bush is in my yard, because I don’t like the thorns, or the way the bush itself looks, just the rose!
Turning to the present day, I must say my lilies are my favorite flowers, just because the look so elegant, area so easy to care for, and bloom for me year after year. It doesn’t matter what kind they are, special hybrid ones, or the spreading plain label lilies, they all are beautiful in my sight.
I was at my brother’s California home in March and he had a flower arrangement on a side table which was so perfect I had to touch it to be sure it was’t “faux”. Then later when I mentioned how beautiful the cala lilies were he pointed out the bunch growing in the yard beside the orchids on the fence. I also picked lemons there. It was very hard to return home to the Montana snow.
Your wedding sounds just beautiful, Linda! I’ve always thought a winter wedding, with a velvet gown, would be lovely!!
Your bouquet description reminds me: I love the smell of carnations and pine together! Spicy and tangy and wonderful!
Joy, nope, I am later than you. Like so many others (I’m glad it wasn’t just me), I didn’t receive notification until this morning (Saturday).
It’s kind of late maybe, but my favorite flower would probably be the lilac. I am also very partial to wild violets. I like flowers in general so this question caused great debate within my brain.
Thinking of you and George daily. Soon he will be on the road to recovery and this will become a distant memory.
Please don’t feel bad that you aren’t posting more. I think I can confidently say that we all wish we could do more for you. Just know that we are here for you in whatever ways we can be.
Hope you have a good day!
Take care –
Sorry to be posting so late. Yesterday was a bad health day but you deal and move on.
Oh the waiting is the worse part as I would rather just know. Good news or bad at least you know what you are dealing with. Hope the PET scan went well and a surgery date set soon. What a long day for you and George. Keeping both of you in my thoughts.
Well coming from a person that could kill a plastic flower and the only thing I’ve manage to grow was a tomato this is hard. But I have several that I love and for different reason. Gladiolas as they were the flowers that grandmother and I would purchase each week. Poppies in honor of our Veteran’s and it was my grandfather’s nickname and each memorial day he would purchase me one (not real of course) and that tradition still is on going. I will have 70 in May. Lilacs and Honeysuckle as the smell is amazing. I live in the tiny resort area Cape May and when we moved here in the ’80’s they grew like crazy everywhere and the smell was just fabulous. Now that summer home owners have taken over town each time a new house goes up more of these are cut and trashed. How sad. I am what my daughter’s calls a cheap date….take me to the diner for dinner and buy my a bouquet of carnations and I’m happy.
Boy I must really be late today. Enjoyed reading everyone’s post. I too, am thinking of you and George, hoping the days will go smoothly as best as they can. Keeping you both in my prayers.
I’ve always loved lilacs. My best friend went out to the countryside and picked a bunch of them for the tables at our wedding reception. I also love the Lilies of the Valley. My mother- in-law had a large patch of them in her beautiful garden. She often gave them to me for my birthday in June. And then I’ve always enjoyed violets and Forget-me-nots…the tiny little bluish flowers…so sweet and delicate looking.
I hope your day goes well, Blessings
Thanks for letting us know the results of your appointment. I can see that they want to know exactly what they’ll be facing when they do the surgery, but the waiting is miserable. It will help that it’s spring, when everything is so hopeful.
Didn’t you choose a wonderful topic? What a nice thing for us to think about. When I lived in New Jersey, I loved to see the dogwood coming out. If I drove south to Washington, I could see it coming in a wave from the warmer states. I loved the way the pink ones started out dark pink and got bigger and bigger and paler. Another NJ tree memory is not of blossoms but of a drive in fall, when we saw a huge tree full of small orange balls. We stopped the car to see what on earth they were. Wild persimmons. I’d never even seen a tame one then. We filled whatever bags there were in the car — two small plastic ones — and each of us went home to try making something with them. Mine was the steamed persimmon pudding from the Laurel’s Kitchen calendar. I still make it, but it was better with wild persimmons, which were small and full of seeds, and of course the fallen ones were very ripe and sticky, but they made good pudding (really more like bread).
The snow is melting here. It’s hard on the daffodils, but we need more.
I started a Comment and forgot to finish it yesterday. My favorite is the orchid. I was given a plant by a young friend for Easter in 1992. After it bloomed, the foliage was still good, so I put it out on the patio. The following spring, I was sitting in the living room, looking out the sliding glass doors and there were two 3′ bloom spikes sticking up. I now have about 25-30 orchid plants out on the patio, many divisions of the original. The El Nino we had in 1993 saved the orchid plant from dying as I did nothing to it. A good feature for me is most of them have no scent as I have allergies. I have one Odontoglossum that I can’t stay in the same room with.
Like many of the readers, my mother had many iris and they always remind me of her. Thanks again for the conversation and the memories.