Floral Facts (not all of these are in season or work well in central Texas):
Periwinkles – also known as blue Vincas. We have all heard the phrase, “Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue” in reference to marriage. The blue refers to periwinkle which was supposed to increase the love between the married couple (it was thought to be an aphrodisiac).
Daisies – The name actually historically was day’s eve, referencing the way the flower opens and closes with the sun. If you were an ancient “doctor” what would you use daisies for?…obviously for eye problems…so that’s what they did.
Tulips – Ever heard of the Tulip bulb speculative bubble from the 17th century? It is commonly referred to as the first speculative bubble in recorded history (think housing bubble, dot-com bubble, etc). Short version: At one point in 1637 people in the Dutch Republic paid 10 times the annual income of a skilled worker for 1 rare bulb! The bubble popped shortly thereafter and many people were ruined.
Violet – When Napoleon married Josephine she wore violets, so each year there after on their anniversary she received a bouquet of violets. The Bonapartists adopted violets as their emblem.
Vanilla – It actually comes from a rare orchid in South and Central America. Since discovery, most of the orchids have been grown in Madagascar – so much so that several years ago a large tropical storm knocked out a tremendous number of the plants causing prices to jump steeply in our grocery stores. 