“If the English language made any sense, lackadaisical would have something to do with a lack of flowers.” ~Doug Larson
No shortage of those daisies around here! I’m talking about ox-eye daisies like these that jump up all over the place to cheer up a field or a roadside ditch. They are sometimes called field daisies, common daisies, dog daisies or moon daisies. I didn’t find an explanation for the name dog daisy, but they are called moon daisies because they are so white that at times, the flowers appear to glow in the night.
I like daisies and since I’m doing a giveaway right now where I’ve asked those who enter to share a favorite flower or vegetable, flowers are on my mind. A few people have mentioned daisies as that favorite flower. So, let’s talk daisies.
The name daisy comes from an old Anglo Saxon word that has interesting letters I don’t know how to type but it meant “day’s eye,” since daisies open at dawn. Middle English wrote it as dayesye which is a short step away from daisy. In Medieval Latin they were solis oculus which means “sun’s eye.”
While we look at the daisy and see one flower, actually a composite of tiny flowers make up the yellow middle that is surrounded by white “ray florets.” If you’re like me and most other kids, I’m sure you’ve picked daisies and plucked off those white florets one by one while saying, “He loves me. He loves me not.” This perhaps has been going on for centuries since that is a line in the song “Daisy Bell” written by Harry Dacre in 1892. Sometime I may do another post all about that song.
But it’s interesting that one of the flower meanings (according to the internet) is loyal love and “I will never tell.” So we pluck daisy petals to figure out if he loves me or not. Of course, if you wanted it to come out he does indeed love you and the petals didn’t cooperate, you just grabbed another daisy bloom and started over. 🙂 The daisy also symbolizes innocence and purity along with new beginnings. The innocence could be that we believe a daisy can tell us about our love life. Then, if it keeps turning up he doesn’t love you, that could be where the new beginnings come in. My interpretation only. 🙂
Daisies are so fresh and plentiful for anybody to pick and enjoy. Right now I could pick armloads out in our fields. The reason for the abundance of blooms could be that cows don’t generally eat daisies. It’s not that they are poisonous. Maybe all those petals tickle their tongues or they just don’t like the taste. I don’t know. But according again to the all knowing internet, daisies are edible and can be used in salads. I even found a recipe telling how to batter and fry the flowers. Supposedly you can pickle them too. Pickled daisies. Interesting, but I’m not going to try that anytime soon.
So now you probably know more than you ever wanted to about daisies. But until we’re “pushing up daisies” I hope we’ll keep wanting to read and learn more about all sorts of things.
If you would like to enter my giveaway for the cute Willow Tree gardening angel and a chance to win one of my books, all you have to do is send me an e-mail or leave a comment on this blog post. I’ll also be picking four additional winners who will get to choose one of my books as a prize. Any e-mail will get you entered, but if you want, you can tell me your favorite flower or vegetable. (I’m keeping a list and variety has been the name of the game so far. All kinds of favorites.) And if you have a fun gardening story, please share it. Be sure to let me know if your story is for my eyes only as I sometimes share the stories forward here on my blog. Contest is open to residents 18 years and older in the USA and Canada. Deadline for entries Midnight EST, May 31, 2017. Winners picked by random drawing.
As always, thanks for reading. Hope you don’t have any “oopsey daisy” moments in your day, but feel “fresh as a daisy” instead.
Comments 27
Growing just outside the little church I attended this past Sunday I saw a flowering bush of bleeding hearts. I remember my mother had some one year when I was a little girl and I have always thought they were so pretty. I would have to say though my favorite of all is the field daisy.
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Isn’t it great how flowers can make us remember back when we were younger? Somebody mentioned hollyhocks earlier and that takes me right back to when I was a kid and we had hollyhocks growing all over our backyard. But those daisies are hard to beat for a fun flower. My post was just right for your favorite flower, Barbra.
I just loved to garden. I would plant all types of flowers and vegetables when I was young. Now that we have downsized we have a few flowers and pots around our cottage. We have tomatoes and strawberries and also a few herbs I have grown so far in pots. They are pretty and make you feel grounded and part of the wonder of growth..
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Tomatoes and strawberries are two yummy things to keep growing, Rory. My husband and I don’t raised much garden but our son raised veggies in our garden spot now so I still get to have the fun of a garden without having to do all the work. And the grandkids get to be part of the wonder of growth. Not that they are always excited about that when it’s bean picking time. LOL
I enjoyed reading everyone’s comments. I love all flowers, but I have some favorites. My mom, who passed a couple of years ago, and I went hunting for Dutchman’s Breeches to try and transplant a couple of yeas before she died. I managed to get one to live and it comes up and blooms faithfully every spring. It is most treasured in my garden. I also live hollyhocks, which my dad loved and tended I. His flower gardens. Of course, I love daisies. I have Chinese Lanterns that have those lovely orange lanterns in the fall. I could go on and on, but I will stop here. Thanks for all your lovely writings. 💕
Author
My mom loved the Dutchman’s Breeches too, Linda. I used to pick some blooms to take her in the spring after she could no longer go to the wilderness area on our farm where they grew. I’ve never tried to transplant one, but my daughter keeps telling me I should start a wildflower garden here in my yard. I can understand why that is your most treasured flower. And I love hollyhocks too. So many great flowers. I do appreciate you reading my writings. 🙂
How I love to dig in the dirt!!!
We built a greenhouse where I start my flowers from seed in March and put them into the ground in mid May.
I have not been able to do this for the past few years due to medical issues, but I have not given up on the idea of getting to do this again soon~
Shasta Daises are my favorite flowers but I truly love all flowers!
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Judi, I hope you’ll be able to do that again soon too. Digging in the dirt and being rewarded with flowers and vegetables is the best.
Shasta daisies are extra pretty and bright. I’ve wintered a pot of them for several years. I need to thin them out now and share the bounty in other pots or my flower bed.
I love all kinds of flowers! This world certainly would be dull without them. Among the cultivated varieties roses are at top of my list, followed by (in no particular order) lilac, hydrangeas, columbine, Lily of the Valley, and pansies. Among the wild varieties I really like daisies and the lovely little spring-flowering Bluettes. I once had a flower garden that included Bells of Ireland, planted by seed, that was a conversation starter!
Author
Hi, Maria. You have a lovely list of flowers there. I need to add columbine to my flower garden. I’m not too good at growing roses but I do thing they are lovely and I enjoy visiting others rose gardens and going around sniffing. I’ll have to look up Bells of Ireland to see what they look like. Thanks for telling me about the flowers you love. My post about daisies worked right in with your likes. 🙂
Thanks for sharing all about daisies Ann! I love just about all flowers, but having a black thumb rather than a green one, I don’t keep any plants around very long. I do think it’d be wonderful to go to Holland during tulip growing season though…can you imagine how wonderful that must smell?!?!? 😀
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You know I don’t think I’ve ever sniffed a tulip, Robin. I’ll have to do that. I’ve always admired the beautiful colors of tulips and seen those pictures in Holland and like you, thought that would be an amazing sight. Do you think they probably take it for granted like seeing a broad field of bluegrass here? Always fun to hear from you.
I never thought about that Ann! I guess I’ll never know. 🙂
Hope you have a great weekend!
I’ve found that planting flowers in my vegetable garden really helps the vegetables! Marigolds are good for the soil. I had some Johnny Jump-ups show up as a volunteer flower (I love them. So pretty with their gold and purple and white). I even let a few dandelions grow because the bees like them. I have a brand new lavender plant in a pot that I started from the neighbor. It’s ready to go in the ground soon. Love the smell and the bees love the flowers. Of course, the real gems are those fresh tomatoes and cucumbers! Coming in strong in Texas!!!
Author
Good to hear from Texas, Maria. You obviously know your flowers and what makes them good to plant. Lavender is supposed to keep the deer away, I think. We have plenty of deer here to keep away. We had to put up a tall fence in order to keep them from eating our garden. Tomatoes do make gardening worth it. And I like cucumbers too. I used to pick them when I was a kid, dust them off and chow down.
Love them all, especially Pacific giant delphiniums and Shasta Daisy, but also lilies of the valley and columbines too….love flowers, especially perennials.
Love perennials, especially Shasta Daisy and Delphiniums, the Pacific Giant kind…reminds me of my childhood….but then again….I love flowers and gardening! Is soooo relaxing! and flowers…are a sign of GOD’s beautiful creation, whether a teardrop in the snow or a sunflower, love them all!
Author
You sound like a true gardener, Lori. Everybody should get the chance to dig in the dirt, right? And the Lord did pick some good decorations for His world.
I am a fan of perennials and have a hoard of favorites –usually what is blooming. A successful garden is to have blooms all season. But, the one plant I can absolutely NOT do without is a pot full of BASIL. The crushed leaves send up an aroma that calms, makes me hungry, and invites friends to stop by to snip a sprig for their own need. Is there a way I might place a leaf of basil near my nose to breathe in all day?
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You are about to convince me to go back to the garden center to buy some basel, Lou Anne. I’ve been trying to plant a few perennials in my flowerbed each year to make an ongoing flowerbed, but I do like annuals too.
Could be you could try one of those pouches my father said his mother made him wear during the flu epidemic back in 1918. Of course that was filled with garlic. Not as sweet a scent for sure. 🙂
That’s sweet Betsy!
I said last time Lilacs but I’m also fond of lily of the valley. We had them growing at the side of the house among the ferns. Beautiful! I used to wear the cologne by Coty but it’s hard to find anymore.
Vegetable favorite has to be asparagus. I remember picking wild asparagus when we were at Bible College in N. Dakota! Nice treat, since we were poor students. My friend has a field of lamb’s quarters and has given me a bag for my birthday. I’m sure she will keep me well supplied this summer! They are known as wild spinach and have to be picked through but worth it! Free is good! We are retired so every bit helps.
I have several willow angels( hint, hint) . I picked one up at a garage sale, one at a thrift shop and one my Daughter-in-law gave me and another I won as a door prize! I collect all kinds of Angels!
Which reminds me of your book Angel Sister. One of my all time favorite books! Blessings from long-winded ME!
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Always enjoy your comments, so don’t think you’re too long winded, Paula. I’ve never cared for asparagus, but I know many people love it. And my mother used to have some of that lily of the valley perfume. I remember the sweet picture of the flowers on the bottle. I have gathered lamb’s quarter along with poke sallet in the spring for greens for my husband. I never cared for them either. I let it get too big before I thought about gathering it this year. Besides, I was too busy trying to get my book finished.
Good luck in the drawing. If you should win, it sounds as if my little gardening angel would have found a perfect home.
I have always loved daises and roses. My mother use to have a yard full of daises so many pictures were taken there.
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Both beautiful flowers, Melanie. I just posted a picture of one of my granddaughters in a field of daisies on my facebook author page today.
My favorite flower is Lily of the Valley! My grandmother had them in her flower garden & they usually bloomed around the time of my birthday in May! Grandmother would give me hand full to take to my teacher. I remember one teacher had a special little vase that was a perfect fit for them! I was so proud to have “my” flowers on the teacher’s desk!!!
Author
What a sweet story, Betsy, and a great way for your grandmother to make you feel special. I’m sure your teachers loved them too.