While the writer is writing this, August 22, his tall, pure white Anemone x Hybrida "Honorine Jopbert" are beginning to bloom. This old garden hybrid was first discovered in 1858 in Verdun, France.
They also come in pink.
The ancient Greeks believed that Anemones were the result of the tears of Venus when she began weeping for Adonis. Ovid tell us that she sprinkled nectar on his blood as he lay dying, and up sprouted anemone.
Anemone is Greek for "daughter of the wind;" hence, the English name windflower, a low-lying species.
There are over 120 species of the flower. Some are short and colorful and bloom during spring.
In the Greek legend dear, sweet Anemone was a nymph whom Zephyr loved. Zephyr was the Greek god of the west wind. Flora, the goddess of flowers, became jealous and turned poor Anemone into a flower. Thus, when the goddess Flora walked by, Anemone would have to bow to her.
A custom in Europe, where the flower was believed to product a poisonous scent, was to hold one's breath while walking or running through a field in which anemones grew. These were the short and very colorful species. It was believed that the poison in the air around the flower would kill them or make them terribly sick. We can't take chances, can we?
In England anemone were once worn around the neck or the arm as charms to protect the wearer against diseases.
They also come in pink.
The ancient Greeks believed that Anemones were the result of the tears of Venus when she began weeping for Adonis. Ovid tell us that she sprinkled nectar on his blood as he lay dying, and up sprouted anemone.
Anemone is Greek for "daughter of the wind;" hence, the English name windflower, a low-lying species.
There are over 120 species of the flower. Some are short and colorful and bloom during spring.
In the Greek legend dear, sweet Anemone was a nymph whom Zephyr loved. Zephyr was the Greek god of the west wind. Flora, the goddess of flowers, became jealous and turned poor Anemone into a flower. Thus, when the goddess Flora walked by, Anemone would have to bow to her.
A custom in Europe, where the flower was believed to product a poisonous scent, was to hold one's breath while walking or running through a field in which anemones grew. These were the short and very colorful species. It was believed that the poison in the air around the flower would kill them or make them terribly sick. We can't take chances, can we?
In England anemone were once worn around the neck or the arm as charms to protect the wearer against diseases.