Floriography, by Gina Margolies — Roses

February’s Birthday Blossom is the lovely violet, but we think you will agree that the rose gets all of the attention when the 14th of the month rolls around. It will surprise no one to know that Valentine’s Day is the single largest day of the year for rose purchases (more than 250 million), and that the red rose is the most popular choice. To honor the romantic rose, Birthday Blossoms would like to share this short poem by D.H. Lawrence, written in 1923. Nature responds so beautifully. Roses are only once-wild roses, that were given an extra chance, So...

Sometimes, you just have to be patient.    Those who love a warm, sunny spring have not had an easy task this year. Here at Birthday Blossoms HQ, we have had a rainy, chilly, very dreary spring thus far. The temperature has been hanging in the 50s, it has rained more days than not every week, and the sun has been in a stingy mood. It feels like we have been waiting for spring forever. Rather than complain about the weather, we decided to plant a balcony garden. While we don’t love non-stop rain, the garden does. And the reward for...

Happy Birthday to all our beloved April babies! Your Birthday Blossom is the adorable daisy, carrying a message of happiness, loyal friendship and, of course, springtime. Spring has not quite sprung here at Birthday Blossoms HQ, but it’s close. The cold streak of winter has been interrupted here and there, by a day last week when it was only slightly chilly, two days in a row when it was warm in the sun, and day before yesterday it reached seventy degrees for a few fleeting moments in the late afternoon. Spring in a technical sense is just about to meet...

Today is my last chance to squeeze in one more paean to June’s lovely Birthday Blossom before I turn to my own Birthday Blossom in July.  On a recent Birthday Blossoms field trip to France, I had the privilege of visiting Musee Rodin in Paris.  Opened in 1919 the museum is dedicated to French sculptor Auguste Rodin.  It is housed in the building that served as Rodin’s workshop and was donated to the French State at his death, along with his entire collection.  The museum exhibits many of Rodin’s most significant sculptures, including The Thinker and The Kiss. The museum...

      In honor of June’s Birthday Blossom, I have been busy perusing books about roses. One of my new finds is the aptly titled Roses. The photographs are by Fabio Petroni and the text by Natalia Fedeli. Clearly meant to be a coffee table book, Roses is actually both visually stunning and a fascinating read.       The fruits of this crossbreeding are stunning. If you think that pictures of roses would be boring I can assure you that these are not.  The variety of style, the rainbow of hues, and the juxtaposition of each color-saturated rose...