In the 1600's, a language of flowers developed in Constantinople and in the poetry of Persia.
Charles II introduced the Persian poetry to Europe, and Lady Mary Wortley Montagu brought the flower language from Turkey to England in 1716.
It spread to France and became a handbook of 800 floral messages known as the Book Le Language des Fleurs.
Lovers exchanged messages as they gave each other selected flowers or bouquets. A full red rose meant beauty. Red and white mean unity.
Crocus said "abuse not", while a white rosebud warns that one is too young for love.
Yellow roses were for jealousy, yellow iris for passion, filbert for reconciliation and ivy for marriage.
- Valentine's Day Love Traditions
The garden should be adorned with roses and lilies, the turnsole, violets, and mandrake.
There you should have parsley, cost, fennel, southern-wood, coriander, sage, savory, hyssop, mint, rue, dittany, smallage, pellitory, lettuces, garden-cress, and peonies.
There should also be beds planted with onions, leeks, garlic, pumpkins and shallots.
The cucumber growing in its lap, the drowsy poppy, the daffodil and brank-ursine ennoble a garden.
Nor are there wanting, if occasion further thee, pottage-herbs, beets, herb-mercury, orache, sorrel and mallows, anise, mustard, white pepper and wormwood do good service to the gardener.
- Alexander of Neckham
Forsythia is pure joy.
There is not an ounce, not a glimmer of sadness or even knowledge in forsythia.
Pure, undiluted, untouched joy.
- Anne Morrow Lindbergh
Observe this dew-drenched rose of Tyrian gardens
A rose today. But you will ask in vain
Tomorrow what it is, and yesterday
It was the dust, the sunshine, and the rains.
- Christina rosetti