Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Lycoris Squamigera


A pretty pink flower has appeared everywhere and out of nowhere I go and in my garden. I’m now fascinated by it. I’ve learned some of its names: The Naked Lily, Magic Lily and The Resurrection Lily which offer some clues to its temperament and its tendency to seemingly manifest itself out of thin air. Here’s a couple stories connected to its name and anatomy I uncovered for it:

It is named after an intriguing woman of the 1st century BC, Lycoris. She was an enigmatic freed slave-actress-courtesan of Hellenic origin who traveled to Rome and specialized in the art of Mime. Her lovers were some of the biggest names of the time: Gallus, Brutus, and Marc Antony.

Lycoris, the plant, originated in Eastern and Southern Asia. There its architecture inspired the bittersweet legend of MaƱjusaka. It’s a tale of two elves with the god given task of caring for the plant. Manju was to guard the flower and Saka the leaves. They became so overcome by their curiosity for each other they figured a way to meet and instantaneously fell in love. God annoyed for the disruption of their duties punishes the elves by having the leaves fall before the flower blooms so they may never have the ability to be together again till they die. Within Manja and Saku’s afterworld of Diyu they make the vow to meet through their reincarnations, but for one reason or another they never fulfill their oath.



Friday, August 13, 2010

Gustav Theodor Fechner


Might there not be souls, which bloom in stillness, exhale fragrance and satisfy their thirst with dew and their impulses by their burgeoning? Could not flowers communicate with each other by the very perfumes they exude, becoming aware of each other’s presence by a means more delightful than the verbiage and breath of humans?
-Gustav Theodor Fechner


Monday, August 9, 2010

So They May Find Your Way- Marigolds


Marigold Wine

2 quarts marigolds (use Calendula officinalis only)
1 gallon boiling water
1 campden tablet, crushed (sterilizer)
thinly pared peel and juice of 3 tangerines or other soft citrus fruit
thinly pared peel and juice of 1 lemon
5½ cups sugar
1¼ cups white raisins, finely chopped
wine yeast
yeast nutrient

Wash the flowers and put into a large container. Add the boiling water and stir in the Campden tablet.
Leave for 24 hours.

Draw off 1 cup of the liquid, add citrus peel and heat to just on the point of boiling. Add the sugar, stirring until dissolved. Cool to body temperature, then pour back into the original container. Add raisins, citrus juice, yeast, and nutrient. Cover and leave 5 days to ferment, stirring twice each day.

Strain through a double thickness of muslin. Pour into a fermenting jar fitted with a fermentation lock and leave to continue fermenting. Rack the wine as it begins to clear.

When completely clear, store in a cool, dark, dry place for six months to mature.


Marigolds make an especially good companion for tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, gourds, squash, broccoli, kale, and cabbage. But as a general rule plant them everywhere!

Friday, August 6, 2010

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Falling A Bit For This Dahlia



Lord Holland wrote to his wife,
one of histories rudest beauties,
the following verse:

"The dahlia you brought to our isle
Your praises for ever shall speak;
Mid gardens as sweet as your smile,
And in color as bright as your cheek”

There is no flower of such a decorating character as the Dahlia in its season; for, whether it finds a place around the limited ground of the city residence, or the open exposure of the rural cottage, its brilliant flowers shine unrivaled and attractive to every observer: by the roadside it invites and cheers the wearied traveler, and in the city it gives a lively conception to every passer by.

A treatise on the culture of the Dahlia and Cactus By Edward Sayers



Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Monday, August 2, 2010

Moon Gardening

It is not the light given or reflected by the moon,
its quantity or intensity that is concerned with planting,
but the quality of the rays.

Llewllyn George
Powerful Plants

Tuesday, January 26, 2010



Baldur, God of Light, discovered the Flower Princess Nanna as she bathed in a stream. In his presence Nanna grew. And then began the marriage of Flowers&Light.