News — Birth flowers

At the centre of a crime, an unlikely suspect; the birth flower of February. Near to our home in Devon were once many acres of land devoted to growing tiny violets, loved by Edwardians and a favourite of Queen Mary. Business thrived and bunch upon bunch of sweetly scented violets were loaded onto the flower train in Dawlish bound for London. So popular was the scent, in 1910 Devonshire Violets Perfume was created by Young's of Torquay and sold in Boots, labeled "the sweetest perfume I have ever used".  Then the war came and there was less call for flowers and...

When the hours of light and darkness are of equal length, people have for centuries celebrated the abundance of harvest on the Autumn Equinox. In days when our connection to nature was stronger, the harvest was a brief time of plenty, spent gathering food for the darker months to come. For me, this mellow season still brings to mind fruit-laden trees, fields of golden crops, hedgerows of berries, and fantastic, wheat-sheaf shaped loaves. I love this short poem which speaks so beautifully about this time of year. The Harvest The silver rain, the shining sun, The fields where scarlet poppies run, And...

If you have a birthday in August, you're in luck because this month has not one birth flower but two! First up, gladioli. In ancient Rome, victorious gladiators were showered in gladioli flowers. Said to symbolise strength, honour and integrity, gladioli are still sometimes given to sporting champions today. They’re named from the Latin word “gladius” meaning sword and can also symbolise infatuation as it’s said that the tall flower stems pierce the heart with love. Part of the Iris family, gladioli originate in South Africa and thrive in many parts of the world, blooming in a multitude of colours....