Paintings of flowers...

what are they trying to tell us?:

Meanings associated with various flowers and plants

Flowers have been irresistible to painters through the ages. These days we've lost much of the symbolism associated with them, but earlier painters chose flowers to convey very specific messages about their subjects. The meaning associated with a specific flower differs between cultures; the symbolism for each given here is from Western European culture unless specified otherwise.

* Bamboo: A symbol for longevity (it's always got green shoots) as well as strength and grace (it bends readily but doesn't break easily). In Chinese philosophy the straight stem of bamboo symbolises the path towards enlightenment, the segments of the stem being the steps along the way.

* Carnation: A symbol of betrothal or engagement. In China, a carnation is a symbol of marriage.

* Chrysanthemum: The national symbol of Japan, Chrysanthemums are a symbol for long life.

* Clover leaf: The three divided leaves of clover (also known as shamrock or wood sorrel) represent the Christian Holy Trinity of God the Father, Christ the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The national symbol of Ireland and of Ireland's patron saint, St Patrick (his feast day is 17 March). Four-leafed clovers represent luck.

* Daisy: The most basic of flowers, a white daisy is a symbol of innocence.

* Deadly nightshade: A highly poisonous plant (Atropa belladonna) with purple bell flowers and small black berries. A symbol of deception, danger, and death.

* Forget-me-not: A low-growing plant (Myosotis) with small, usually blue flowers. As the common name suggests a symbol of a plea for remembrance. "Forget me not" are supposed to have been the last words of young man who fell into a river and drowned while picking these flowers for his lover.

* Honeysuckle: A less-common symbol of love. Also of generosity.

* Iris: Associated with death as Iris was a Greek goddess of the rainbow, which she used to travel down to earth with messages from the gods and to transport women's souls to the underworld. The three upright petals and three drooping sepals are symbols for faith, valour, and wisdom.

* Jasmine: This strongly scented, white flower is used as a Hindu symbol for love.

* Juniper: Symbolises chastity (because juniper berries are protected by the tree's thorny leaves), Christ (an association with the crown of thorns place on the head of Christ), and eternity (juniper wood is supposedly never attacked by bugs or worms).

* Lily: Symbolises purity, chastity, and innocence. White lilies represent the purity of the Virgin Mary. The Angel Gabriel was often painted presenting Mary with a white lily when he announced to her that she would give birth to the Son of God.

* Lotus: A common symbol in Asian art, the lotus symbolises birth and rebirth through the fact that the petals open when the sun comes out and close when the sun sets.

Also a symbol for fertility, creation, and purity. The long stem symbolises our connection to our origins, while the flower represents the enlightenment to which we aspire.

* Mistletoe: Standing under the mistletoe at Christmas gives anyone the opportunity to kiss you.

* Orchid: A symbol of perfection. The spots on an orchid sometimes represent the blood of Christ.

* Poppy: A symbol of death. Red poppies are a symbol of Remembrance Day (11 November), which commemorates the dead of the First and Second World Wars.

* Rose: To symbolise love and passion, use red roses. For virginity and purity use white roses. To symbolise jealousy and infidelity, use yellow roses. In Catholicism, red roses are a symbol of the Virgin Mary.

* Rosemary: Included in funeral wreaths as a symbol of remembrance and in wedding bouquets as a symbol for fidelity. It's said that if you touch a lover with a sprig of rosemary, they'll be faithful.

* Sunflowers: As a flower which blindly follows the sun, sunflowers have become a symbol of infatuation or foolish passion.

* Thistle: A thorny plant with a beautiful flower, the national symbol of Scotland. Its thorns symbolise both evil and protection. In Christianity it represents the suffering of Christ.

* Violet: Symbolise faithfulness, humility and chastity.

The Native of Europe:

Foxgloves

The Digitalis purpurea, commonly known as the foxglove, is a native to most of Europe. The leaves are spirally arranged, simple, 10-35 cm long and 5-12 cm broad, grey-green, downy, and with a finely toothed margin; they form a tight rosette at ground level in the first year.

The flowering stem develops in the second year, growing to 1-2 m tall. The flowers are arranged in a showy, terminal, elongated cluster, each tubular, pendent, purple (also pink, rose, yellow, or white in selected cultivars).

They are also spotted inside bottom of the tube. The fruit is a capsule, which splits open at maturity to release the numerous tiny (0.1-0.2 mm) seeds.

There are three subspecies: Digitalis purpurea subsp. purpurea - most of Europe, Digitalis purpurea subsp. heywoodii - Iberia and Digitalis purpurea subsp. mariana - Iberia. The plant is sometimes grown in gardens.

In suitable conditions it generally seeds itself in partial shade, and can become a minor weed.

Saving seeds from the next crop - part 2

Cross-pollination is another concern for the seed-saving gardener. Cross-pollination often results in seeds, which have a different genetic makeup than that of the parent plant.

Pumpkins, squash and small gourds may cross-pollinate with each other, resulting in seeds that will grow to produce rather picturesque fruit. Sweet corn will cross-pollinate with field corn or popcorn, and your 6-inch marigolds will cross with your neighbour's 18-inch pompon marigolds. However, crossing will only occur within a species.

Cucumbers won't cross with squash, and cosmos won't cross with pansies. To avoid cross-pollination, keep two varieties of the same species separated by as much space as possible. Some species, such as corn, are wind-pollinated and the pollen can travel great distances.

These plants must be pollinated by hand and kept isolated from other varieties of their species. This can be done with corn, for example, by tying a small paper bag over selected ears before the silk emerges, then once the silk has appeared it is hand pollinated with pollen from the same plant or its healthy neighbours.

Seeds should be collected on a dry, sunny day. Frost doesn't hurt most seed as long as the seed remains dry. Vegetables such as cucumbers, peppers and tomatoes should be allowed to become slightly overripe before their seeds are collected. Flower seeds and vegetable seed such as lettuce should be collected after the seed heads have become dry, but don't wait too long, as many will shatter, meaning they'll be dropped from the seedpod or seed head if they remain on the plant too long.

Cucumber, squash and tomato seeds need an additional step before they are ready for storage. First the seeds must be separated from the pulp, then dried. Scoop the seeds from these vegetables, pulp and all. Place the whole mess in a container of water and give it a good stir, then let it settle a bit.

The pulp will rise to the top while the seeds will sink to the bottom. Carefully pour off the pulp, and repeat the process until most of the pulp has been poured off. Then strain out the seeds and set them on newspapers to dry.

Seeds should go into storage as dry as possible. Give all seed a post-harvest drying period of at least a week, just to be sure they're dry. Spread them out on a paper plate or newspapers in a warm area out of the sun while they dry.

It's very important to keep the seed dry during storage. Store your dry seeds in tightly sealed jars, metal film containers, or old vitamin bottles. To save space, smaller quantities of several varieties of seeds can be stored in separate envelopes inside a jar.

Be sure to label your jars and envelopes so when spring comes around again you'll know which flower seeds and vegetable seeds you're planting, and include the date the seeds were collected. Some seeds will remain viable for several years, but most will grow best if planted right away the following spring.

Try saving some vegetable or flower seeds from your garden this year and grow them next season. This endless cycle can allow you to realize the endless joy of gardening through all the seasons and all the stages of a plant's life.