VenetiaJane’s Garden
@venetiajane
Sharing the wonders of flowers and nature, gardening, plant history, folklore, art, and poetry. Bedfordshire photographer for the National Garden Scheme charity. #SolaceInNature #DailyBotanicalBeauty
Old folklore says the thorns of wild roses are fairy ladders, tiny steps that help the Little Folk climb, swing, and travel from place to place. Next time you pass a briar, look closely, for you may catch sight of a fairy slipping away on a thorn-tipped stair. #RoseWednesday
Greek myth tells that Chloris, goddess of flowers, found a lifeless nymph and transformed her into a flower. Aphrodite gave her beauty, Dionysus fragrance, and Zephyrus blew clouds away so Apollo’s sun could make her bloom. Thus the rose became ‘Queen of Flowers’. #FolkloreSunday
Herb Bennet, Geum urbanum, is sacred to St. Benedict, the patron saint of Europe, students and nettle rash, whose feast day is 11th July. The herb is said to protect against malevolent forces, and placed over an entrance will act as a talisman barring the devil’s entry. #folklore
Summer-flowering hedge bindweed (Calystegia sepium) is also known as “granny-pop-out-of-bed”. An old game played by children is to grasp the flower by its calyx and squeeze, making the corolla detach and ‘pop’ off, while chanting the words “granny, granny, pop out of bed!”.
I’ve found a copy of it for you, but in doing so I’ve realised I named it incorrectly! It is actually called ‘In Summer Fields’ 👇
“Sometimes, as in the summer fields I walk abroad, there comes to me So wild a sense of mystery, My senses reel, my reason fails, I am in such strange company.” — from ‘In Midsummer’ by Christina Liddell (née Fraser Tytler) (1848–1927). #InsectThursday
Beautiful roses photographed on a trip to Sussex last weekend. A happy #RoseWednesday to you all 🌹
In his celebrated 17th-century ‘Complete Herbal’, Nicholas Culpeper wrote that wormwood laid amongst one’s clothes would “make a moth scorn to meddle with the cloaths, as much as a lion scorns to meddle with a mouse, or an eagle with a fly”. #TuesdayTips
The wildflower Daucus carota is known as “Queen Anne’s Lace”. The name may refer to St Anne, “Queen of Heaven” and patron saint of lacemakers. Legend says the tiny red flower at the heart of its lacy white blooms marks a drop of blood that fell from her pricked finger. #folklore
Elizabeth Blackwell (c.1707–1758) created ‘A Curious Herbal’ to support her family, drawing, engraving, and hand-colouring over 500 medicinal plants. Her work was praised for its accuracy and beauty, and became a landmark of 18th-century botanical illustration. #FolkloreSunday
On 20th November 1986, the rose was declared the national flower of the United States. So today, a bouquet of roses from an English garden, sent with warmest wishes to all our friends across the pond for a very happy 4th of July. Have a wonderful Independence Day!
According to British tradition, the sweet pea, Lathyrus odoratus, is the final birth flower of July. In the language of flowers it symbolises “departure” echoing Keats: “Here are sweet peas, on tip-toe for a flight.” A fitting flower as the summer holidays begin. #FlowersOnFriday
The delphinium, or larkspur, is the second birth flower of July and is associated with those born under the zodiac sign of Cancer (21 June–22 July). In the Victorian Language of Flowers it symbolises swiftness while today it represents cheerfulness and goodwill. #FolkloreThursday
The water lily is the first of July’s three birth flowers. Nymphaea, its genus name, comes from the Greek ‘νύμφα’, the word for the nature spirits known as nymphs. This flower embodies feminine youthfulness and beauty. In the Language of Flowers, it symbolises purity of heart.
Other names for Chicory are ‘watcher-of-the-road’ and ‘blue sailor weed’. A legend tells of a maiden who waited by the roadside for her beloved, never knowing he had been lost at sea. Tears from her blue eyes became the flower, forever watching for his return. #FairytaleTuesday
June’s full moon is known in Europe as the #RoseMoon, named for the season when roses are at their glorious peak. In North America it is the Strawberry Moon, marking the strawberry harvest, while elsewhere it is called the Hot Moon, reflecting the arrival of summer heat in June.
One of summer’s simplest pleasures is making dolls from flowers like hollyhocks. Here’s Lady Hollyhock, wearing two blooms for her skirt, a bud for her head and flower centres carefully strung onto a cocktail stick as gloves. A fun activity to enjoy with children. #FolkloreSunday
The Seaside Daisy, or Beach Aster (Erigeron glaucus), thrives on windswept shores, sandy dunes, and rocky coastal slopes. In the language of flowers, it symbolises resilience, endurance, and beauty that blooms even in the harshest circumstances.
The botanical illustration of Lotus corniculatus in the collage is from ‘Bilder Ur Nordens Flora’ (1905) by Carl Axel Magnus Lindman.
In parts of England, bird’s-foot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus) was called Tom Thumb, after a pixie-like figure of folklore who inspired the fairytale character. He enjoyed playing pranks & took magical revenge when upset. For this reason, it was thought unlucky to pick his flower.
25th June is the feast day of St William of Vercelli. In the Saints’ Calendar of Flowers, sweet Williams (Dianthus barbatus) are dedicated to his day. Old folk names include “London tufts” and “painted ladies”. In floriography they symbolise gallantry & finesse. #FolkloreThursday
St John’s wort, sacred to St John the Baptist, whose feast day falls on #Midsummer Day, 24th June, is said to be most magical when gathered on this day. Care must be taken not to tread on it though, as Manx folklore says a fairy horse will rise from the ground and carry you away!
Tradition tells of a magical fern that blooms each year, at the stroke of midnight on #Midsummer Eve, the eve of St John’s Day. From its fleeting flower falls a seed that grants invisibility. Fairies and demons battle through the darkness, each striving to claim its hidden power.
“When once the sun sinks in the west, And dew-drops pearl the evening's breast; Almost as pale as moonbeams are, Or its companionable star, The evening primrose opes anew Its delicate blossoms to the dew;” – from the poem ‘The Evening Primrose’ by Emily Brontë (1818-1848)
A Welsh tale tells that at #Midsummer a tunnel to a fairy island appeared through which mortals might visit. When a girl tried to take a flower from the island, she was transformed into a hollyhock. Her pink dress became its petals, and the tunnel closed evermore. #FolkloreSunday
The botanical illustration in my collage is by Jacob Sturm (1771–1848), from Deutschlands Flora in Abbildungen nach der Natur. It depicts common vervain (Verbena officinalis), the species traditionally associated with the Midsummer folklore surrounding this magical herb.
Verbena is considered to be a magical plant, especially when gathered on the eve, or day, of the #SummerSolstice. Those who carry a sprig of Verbena will be protected from enchantment, and some say it has the power to bring happiness and joy when brought into the home. #Folklore
As the #SummerSolstice approaches, daylight nears its greatest length and meadows brim with flowers at the height of their beauty. In folklore, the solstice marks one of the turning points of the year, when nature’s abundance is celebrated before the slow return of longer nights.
The lily is one of the few flowers named in the Old Testament of the Bible. In Hebrew it is ‘shoshan’ or ‘shoshannah’, from which the names Susan and Susannah derive. In the language of flowers, the lily stands for beauty and purity. #FolkloreThursday