MARCH FLOWER

The daffodil, also known as Jonquil or Narcissus, is often recognized as a yellow flower but other colour varieties are white and orange. It is a widely cultivated ornamental plant with clustered flowers and a trumpet shaped central crown. This fragrant flower is native to southern Europe.

Romans, who brought daffodils to Britain, believed the sap of the flower had healing powers and it is from Greek mythology that the word narcissus comes from. A nymph named Echo was in love with a young Greek named Narcissus but he ended their relationship. Heartbroken, Echo hid and died in a cave. The handsome, and somewhat egotistical, Narcissus saw his reflection in a pool of water and in an attempt to get a better look, fell in and drowned. The Greek myth says he then became the flower.

Christians have adopted the daffodil as a symbol of Easter as it was believed that the flower first bloomed during the time of Christ’s Resurrection. The legend says it was in the Garden of Gethsemane during the actual time of The Last Supper which symbolized great sorrow and hope for much better things to follow.

In Germany the flower is known as Ostergloken or ‘Easter bells’ and in England they are known as Lent Lillies where Prince Charles receives a single daffodil annually as a tradition. It is considered a rent payment for the unattended lands located in the Isles of Scilly.

The daffodil is also a symbolic flower for Wales while the national emblem is the Leek. In Welsh ‘cenhinen’ is leek and daffodil is ‘cenhinen pedr’ or Peter’s leek. Over time both were confused which is why each have been known as the official flower of that country.

The Druids saw that daffodils symbolized purity and accepted it as their national flower and Persians celebrate Nawruz (New Year’s) with daffodils. It is also a New Year’s decoration in China and Arabians used it as an aphrodisiac.

Daffodil juice was used as a cure for baldness by Medieval Arabs and Egyptians used narcissus as a wreath to hang at funerals.

It was believed that bad luck would occur if a single daffodil was taken into a home and the best way to avoid such misfortune was to give a full bouquet as a present and the household would be filled with good luck.

The word daffodil can be traced back to the 1500’s replacing the original name of ‘affodyle’, which meant ‘that which comes early.’ The word ‘de affodil,’ a Dutch adaptation of the Greek myth of asphodel is where the origin of the flower name is said to come from. The asphodel flower, according to the Greek myth, was associated with death as the flower blossomed over the meadows where the souls of the dead were said to wander.

The word ‘jonquil’ comes from ‘jonquillo’ a Spanish word meaning ‘rush’ as in a description of the leaves of the plant that are ‘rush-like.’

When giving a daffodil, the message being sent is “You Are An Angel.”

FEBRUARY FLOWER

The February flower is Violet.

This is a low, herbaceous plant that comes in various shades of blue, mauve, yellow and cream as well as several species identified as pansies and symbolize faithfulness, humility and chastity.

The violet has appeared in myth, paintings and literature in history.

Folklore tells us that Attis, a dying earth god, mutilated himself under a pine tree and as a result during spring equinox a felled pine tree would be brought to earth mother goddess Cybele. It would be wrapped in wool swaths decorated with violets, as it was believed they appeared from Attis’ blood on the ground.

A similar legend points to violets growing where Greek Ajax killed himself in shame over an act of cowardice. The Greek dramatist Aristophanes used the phrase “violet-crowned city” to describe Athens in one of his plays, and English historian Macauley did the same.

As the flower symbolizes love of truth, or the truth of love, the tomb of Roman tyrant Nero was said to be decorated with violets each spring by someone who had secretly admired or loved him.

In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, violets are used to convey constancy and devotion and appear in lyrics to a song sung in Act IV, Scene 5 that states, “I would give some violets, but they withered all when my father died.”

Violets were apparently used as a food source for the Tartans having been cooked down into a soup. In the Middle Ages, Monks called them the Herb of the Trinity and favoured the violet for its scent. Medieval herbalists believed violets had antiseptic properties and claim they soothed pain and also stopped the growth of malignant tumors. Romans believed they cured spleen disorders and gout.

The word ‘volet’ is believed to originate from the word ‘vias’ which translates to mean ‘wayside.’

Hidden messages of the Violet included “I’ll Always Be True” (violet) and “Let’s Take A Chance” (White/Cream).

In the United States, the violet is a popular symbol with four states adopting it as a state flower. Wisconsin chose the wood violet in 1909 as state flower; Rhode Island selected it in 1897 and adopted that choice in 1968.

Illinois picked the violet as their state flower in 1907 and the ‘common meadow’ violet became the official state flower of New Jersey in 1971.
The flower associated with St. Valentine’s Day has often been identified as the rose, but in actual fact, the violet is connected to the Christian priest who was imprisoned by a Roman emperor. As the legend goes, St. Valentine kept encouraging believers with messages of friendship and love.

He apparently crushed violet blossoms found outside his cell to make ink, which he used to write on leaves with a dove delivering the messages.

American poetess Phoebe Fulkerson Harris documented the tradition of sending postcards and letters on St. Valentine’s Day with violets with her poem “Lines accompanying a bunch of violets sent on St. Valentine’s Day” in 1900.

It is also a well-known practice in New England to decorate a Valentine’s Day gift of a box of chocolates with a bouquet of violets.

JANUARY FLOWER

The January flower is the Carnation.

The carnation, also known by the nickname ‘carn,’ has been cultivated for centuries for its ruffled blooms, favoured for its fragrance and hardiness.

The scientific name Dianthus caryophyllus contains the Greek word ‘dianthus’ which means “flower of the gods,’ and the original pink blooms of the flower led to its common name which is said to mean ‘flesh toned.’

Others believe carnation gets its name from the word ‘coronation’ or the Greek word for ‘flower garlands’ which is ‘corone.’

This Eurasian plant has a spice scent, and is also called the Clove Pink or Gillyflower, and can be found in numerous colours ranging from pink to purple-red and are said the symbolize love, fascination and distinction.

As legend has it, pink carnations were said to have appeared below the Virgin Mary’s tears as Jesus carried the cross and as a result, the pink variety symbolizes a mother’s love.

This connection between the carnation and Mary was immortalized in the 1475 painting “The Madonna with the Carnation” by Leonardo da Vinci. It is housed in Munich, Germany as part of a collection of famous works and is also called the “Munich Madonna.”

Carnations carried the meanings of love, fascination and distinction.

Some of the specific messages attaches to Carnations include “My Heart Aches For you” (red), “I’ll Never Forget You” (pink), “You Have Disappointed me” (yellow) and “I Wish I Could Be With You”. 

Other meanings attached to carnation colours include passionate love (red), rejection or distain (yellow), innocence and steadfastness (white) and whimsical and capricious (purple).