Floriography, by Gina Margolies — Roses

June’s Birthday Blossom is the beautiful rose.  So much has been said of the rose. Poets have sung its glories, painters have displayed its beauty, and Cupid has single-handedly made it the most popular flower in the world. The star of the show on Valentine’s Day and at weddings, a popular addition on cakes, and a common motif on consumer goods, it does not seem an exaggeration to say there are roses everywhere. In the Western world of today, the rose represents love. Given as a gift or populating a bridal bouquet, roses prompt us to matters of the heart....

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...