Summer is here and my thoughts turn to flowers: All the flowers that we cultivate in our gardens, the wild flowers that grow in the parks and natural surroundings. I always look forward to seeing nature at work or should I say, at play.
I wonder just what flowers signify to us? We buy flowers for different occasions such as roses on Valentine’s Day, spring flowers on Mother’s Day, lilies on Easter, Poinsettias on Christmas. Also through the year for birthdays, anniversaries, hospitalized love ones, or just a thoughtful gesture of affection.
They brighten our day, make us feel good. What is it about flowers? Bright, cheery, they seem to illuminate the world with a warm nurturing glow. The colors are magnificent, from the subtle to neon.
I speculate how we as a society view different types of flowers. If it grows freely and with great vigor, it is considered a weed, and to be destroyed, because it will overrun other plants, yet if it is hard to grow, it is revered as exotic and to be prized at growing. What is a weed in one part of the country is deemed exotic in another. I gaze at the dandelion taking advantage of whatever environment it is presented and growing to bloom a vivid yellow flower. Actually in a bed of green lawn, a patch of yellow can be a welcome respite to the sea of green. And what about their medicinal qualities in herbal medicines?
Just this morning when I went outside, one of our wild flowers showed yellow blossoms peeking out, though I don’t know the name, it matters not; it brought a smile to my face and a happy feeling. Though I must admit, most satisfying is the cultivation of your own flower bed and watching the blossoms of your work-play spring forth.
From pumpkin flowers to roses to dandelions, flowers are Mother Nature’s way of interjecting joy into our lives. And as for myself, I am grateful!!
