Floriography, by Gina Margolies

As we embark on another autumn, I have been reflecting upon the different seasons. For those of us who live in a part of the world where the seasons change, we often have a preference for one over the other. Some love the cool crispness of fall and don’t enjoy the heat of summer while others revel in the flowers of spring and hibernate to avoid winter’s bite. We all have our likes and dislikes, things we lean towards and those we try to avoid. I find that trying to appreciate the beauty of seasons that aren’t my favorite, like...

I have been reading a lot about mindfulness lately, in magazine articles, the newspaper, blogs I follow, etc. Mindfulness is generally defined as the quality or state of being aware or conscious of something.  In plain language, one could say it means paying attention to or focusing on something.  Mindfulness is often mentioned as a way to bring calm and peace into ones life.  Sometimes it is suggested as an aid towards something like weight loss (mindfully focusing on what one is eating) or relationship building (mindful conversations).  I had my own experience with mindfulness this past weekend.  As part of the Birthday Blossoms team working...

I brought the August Birthday Blossoms tote shopping in Chelsea yesterday. It was the perfect size to carry all my goodies. I love the beautiful pinks of the gladiolus with my favorite white summer skirt.

August’s Birthday Blossom is the majestic Gladiolus. This Birthday Blossom is faithful, honorable, and strong. Did you know that at the first National Spelling Bee in 1925 the winning word was gladiolus? Isn’t that a funny bit of trivia! It is just one of the many interesting things about gladiolus. The scientific and common name are the same. The name gladiolus comes from the Latin word for sword, due to the spike or blade shape the flowers take. It is even sometimes called the sword lily. The artist Vincent Van Gogh loved painting flowers and one of his still life...

What’s in a name? In Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, Juliet famously asks, “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet. . .” She seems to be arguing that it doesn’t matter to her that Romeo is a Montague, the rivals of her family the Capulets. She loves him regardless of his name.   Family feuds aside, Juliet does raise an intriguing point. What is in a name? As I have become immersed in the world of flowers, I am often puzzled by the names of the various blossoms. All the...