Monday, August 22, 2011

Daisies: God's Smiley Faces

He loves me,
He loves me not ...

He loves me!

I'm sure we girls all remember sitting and plucking a daisy's petals one by one as we recited the above words to determine the sincerity of our current boyfriend's feelings for us. The custom was actually begun in Victorian times by young, heartbroken maidens who wished to be loved, and the custom is still in use today.

The name daisy comes from the Anglo-Saxon "daes eage," or "day's eye," which is in reference to the way the flowers open and close with the sun. Daisies (Bellis Perennis) symbolize innocence, gentleness, and purity, and never fail to brighten my day when I see them growing wild alongside a country road or in a flower bed in town.

Daisies are my mother's favorite flowers, so these are for you today, Mama— I love you!

2 comments:

RachelD said...

The cheerfulest, brightest little faces in the flower world, but somehow never considered as a "love" flower except in the game context.

Twining daisies into a clover-crown makes a glorious diadem, and a few in a little bottle transform any table. And when I see them, I spend the rest of the day humming, "DAYYYY-ZEEE, Day-zee . . ." Now you've gone and started it.

Richard Cottrell said...

I remember making daisy corsages and wedding bokays when i was a yongin and worked at the florist. each little head had to have a fine wire sent through it and down to the stem. I have daisy's finally in my yard and I love them. Richard from My Old Historic House.