April Showers Bring May Flowers

April showers bring May flowers,

That is what they say.

But if all the showers turned to flowers,

We’d have quite a colourful day!

There’d be bluebells and cockleshells,

Tulips red and green,

Daffodils and Chinese squill,

The brightest you’ve ever seen.

You’d see tiger lilies and water lilies,

Carnations pink and blue,

Forget-me-not and small sundrop

Glistening with the dew.

We’d have fireweed and milkweed

And many more different flowers.

Mexican star and shooting star,

Falling in the showers.

And if all the showers turned to flowers

On that rainy April day,

Would all the flowers turn to showers

In the sunny month of May?

Well, actually, I think in our case it was the April snow and May showers that brought the flowers to us, but regardless of the cool damp spring we have had, the flowers are thriving, and I simply can't get enough of the them, both the cultivated varieties in my gardens and the wild flowers growing in the fields and woods (and even the ones in my lawn). The teeny-tiny forget-me-nots are on my list of favorites. These dainty little flowers are so sweet and unassuming, easily passed by for the larger, more brilliant flowers blooming in nearby gardens. They remind me of May baskets and running bare foot for first time after many months of snow and ice.   My daughter grabbed her camera on of one of our sunny afternoons and took some macro photos of a few flowers we have blooming right now.  As I looked at her photos, I stood amazed at the intricate details of even the simplest of flowers. 

I found some neat flower facts that I thought would be fun to share with you.

~  In the 1600's tulips were more valuable than gold in Holland.

~  The very expensive spice, saffron, comes from a type of crocus flower.

~  When the Vikings invaded Scotland, they were slowed down by the thick patches of wild thistle, allowing the Scots time to escape.  The thistle is now Scotland's national flower.

~  Sunflowers move through-out the day in response to the sun's movement from east to west.

~  Dandelions aren't just weeds.  Their flowers are an excellent source of vitamin A, C, iron, calcium and potassium, and one cup of dandelion greens provide 7000-13,000 I.U. of vitamin A.

~  Some plants produce toxic substances that kill other plants around them.  The sunflower is one example of this.

~  Foxglove was named after the belief that foxes slipped their feet into the leaves of the plants to sneak up on their prey.

~  Yarrow, known for its healing properties, was used during World War I to help heal the soldiers' wounds.

I love the flowers, and I am so thankful that I have the privilege of having them all around me. My perennial gardens are a work in progress.  Each year I do a bit of rearranging, transferring flowers from one spot to another, finding an arrangement that I like best.  I love puttering in the flower gardens...I actually prefer it to vegetable gardening, so I have actually enjoyed the little extra time I have had to play around with my flowers while I wait to start working in the more utilitarian, vegetable gardens. 

  

I would love to see what you may have for flowers this season, whether in a garden, a pot, or simply in a vase.  Please, feel free to leave a comment with a link or description of the posies that are making you smile this month.