Saturday, September 13, 2014

Are They Weeds or Flowers-- And How They've Changed

By Miralee Ferrell

My current series of historical romances are based around flower themes-the Dandelion, Buttercup, Forget Me Not, and Daisy. I did a little research and was surprised at how our viewpoint of some of them have changed over the years.


Take the dandelion--I'm constantly fighting them in my lawn, and as far as I'm concerned, they're an obnoxious weed. Not so prior to the 20th century. In fact, people would pull out grass and work to get dandelions to take over, as they viewed them as medicinal and food plants, not weeds. In Europe, they were renowned for their beauty, and their stalks were used as a cleansing herb. To this day, herbalists hail the dandelion as the perfect plant medicine. In fact, (this one truly surprised me) the plants are good for your lawn, as their wide-spreading roots loosen hard-packed soil and help aerate the earth. Who would'a thought it!

The most surprising flower info I found was on the buttercup, as I had no idea the entire plant is poisonous--not only if eaten, but if rubbed on the skin. In ancient days, people thought that rubbing it on plague sores would lessen the pain of the plague, when what it actually accomplished was to double the pain. It won't cause harm by simply picking and holding the flower, though. Children used to hold it under their chin to see if the person holding it 'liked butter', not realizing that the bright yellow would simply reflect on their skin, making it appear yellow like butter.

I love some of the stories and legends associated with the Forget Me Not--as well as the fact that it grows in shades of blue, lavender, pink and white--where I always envisioned it only in blue. A German legend tells that after God had created all the flowers and assigned them colors, He heard a small whisper from a tiny plant, "Forget me Not"....the only color that remained was pale blue, but the flower was happy to accept it, and so the Forget Me Not was created.

My final flower is a daisy, and the one used in Dreaming on Daisies, releasing October 1. I imagine many little girls over the years have made daisies chains to wear around their necks, or as my heroine did as a child, as a wreath on their hair. What I didn't know is a Daisy is considered to be a flower of children and innocence, and that Daisy is used as a nickname (at times) for girls named Margaret, due to the French origin of Margaret--oxeye daisy--or Marguerite.

I have a garden full of flowers and love the vast variety of colors God has given us to enjoy, but surprisingly enough the only one of the four found in my yard or flowerbeds is the dandelion!

Here's a picture of one of my flower beds.



Dreaming on Daisies, Releasing October 1

When her father's debts, brought on by heavy drinking, threaten Leah Carlson's family ranch, she fights to save it. When handsome banker Steven Harding must decline her loan request, he determines to do what he can to help. Just as he arrives to serve as a much-needed ranch hand, Leah's family secrets—and the pain of her past—come to a head. They could destroy everything she's fought for. And they could keep her from ever opening her heart again.

This is western historical romance that offers hope and healing to the deepest wounds in a woman's past.

13 comments:

  1. I had no idea the buttercup was dangerous , the forget me not is my mom's favorite flower, the daisy is mine and I've always loved dandelions, but then again I've never had a lawn of my own to have overrun with them! I'm loving your series, by the way!

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    1. Kam, I'm like you, I never knew buttercups were poisonous, either....or would cause a rash or blisters on the skin. Thank you for your comment...and I'm so glad you're enjoying my series!

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  2. Miralee, I loved this. Lots os things we love are poison. Peach seeds are supposedly poison and lots of other seeds to fruits we love. And I have sucked on some to get the good fruit off. As for the Dandelion I knew people used to cook them for greens and salads. I have a Mountain Man pioneer cookbook. To me they had always been a pest in the yard. I can remember saying tey ought to be good for something since there ate so many. Well, I tried cooking some in WYO. and no one cared for them. My girls told someone their mom was cooking weeds. LOL I'm not for sure at what age they should. be picked. Anyway I tried. I think GOD made lots of plants meant for medical use, just never understood why HE would make some that was poison. But, if you remember, there was a time when people thought tomatoes were poison. And that is my favorite, fresh from the garden. I remember with daisies little girls were always picking the petals off to see if their boyfriend loved them. Remember "He loves me, he loves me not"? Thanks for this post. Maxie > mac262(at)me(dot)com <

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    1. Hi Maxie, Yes, peach seeds are poisonous, but only the very center of the pit if you break it open, not the outside part, from what I've been told. I wondered if dandelion greens were actually good or if they ate them because they didn't have a lot of things to choose from...now I know from you! Yes, I love tomatoes fresh from the garden, too. Store bought ones aren't the same! Oh....and the tall blue flowers are delphenium that went crazy and got really tall last year. Love them!

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  3. By the way, what are the tall blue flowers in your garden? Maxie

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  4. Love this post, Miralee! Your flower bed is gorgeous!

    texaggs2000 at gmail dot com

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  5. Love all the flowers. =) truckredford(at)Gmail(Dot)com

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  6. Have a huge flower garden but always pulled the dandelions. Used to decorate the mud pies with them.

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    1. Dawn, it sounds like you were a very creative little girl! Thanks for stopping by!

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  7. I've enjoyed reading and reviewing all 4 books and also read Finding Jenny. I really like the bright blue tall flower in your garden-what is it please? Like the new website hhhhistory.com sm wileygreen1(at)yahoo(dot)com

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    1. Hi Sharon, thank you so much for your reviews of my books, that means so much to an author when a reader cares enough to leave a review! The tall blue flowers are delphinium. Last year one plant grew taller than any I've ever seen. I had to transplant it this year, so it did very little, but I'm hoping it comes back again next year.

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