DID YOU EVER WONDER WHY we mark various holidays with different plants or flowers? Why do shamrocks symbolize St. Patrick’s Day, lilies mean Easter or carnations represent Mother’s Day? The universal answer seems to be that different flowers have specific meanings. Roses symbolize romantic love. Snapdragons mean I’m sorry. And then there are the special plants we buy to celebrate special days during the year. By Lorraine Hunter
◗ The shamrock was a sacred plant in ancient Ireland symbolizing the rebirth of spring. By the 17th century it had come to represent emerging Irish nationalism and as the English began to seize Irish land and institute laws against the use of the Irish language and Catholicism, many people in Ireland began to wear the shamrock as a symbol of pride in their heritage. Shamrock or seamróg is the Irish word for young clover. It is said that St. Patrick used the three-leaved clover to explain the concept of the holy trinity to the pagan Irish in the 5th Century. Since then, other plants have come to represent the shamrock including white clover (Trifolium repens), red clover (Trifolium pretense), wood sorrel (Oxalis acetosella) and false shamrock (Oxalis triangularis). Oxalis is commonly grown as a houseplant all over the world and is usually available in time for March 17.
◗ These pure white lilies symbolize purity and hope and thus represent the resurrection of Christ. According to legend, the first lilies appeared when Eve shed tears of repentance when cast out of the Garden of Eden. Other stories claim that lilies sprang up when Jesus shed drops of sweat upon the earth during his crucifixion. However, because Easter is celebrated in the spring many other flowers are now included in Easter bouquets such as daffodils, tulips, hyacinths, daisies and irises.
◗ Mother’s Day became a national holiday in North America in 1912 after a woman named Anna Jarvis sent 500 white carnations to her local church for the mothers in attendance. Carnations have since come to signify purity, faith, love, beauty and charity—all traits representing the virtues of motherhood. Pink carnations, considered the most significant flowers for Mother’s Day symbolize pure love and affection. Red carnations mean deep admiration and love. And, white carnations are often used to remember a mother who has passed away. TO LEARN MORE on how to choose the right flower for every occasion see the book Flowerpaedia 1000 flowers and their meanings by Cheralyn Darcey. An A to Z reference guide, this comprehensive dictionary includes correct botanical names, meanings and lots of interesting flower facts. (Rockpool). TORONTOBOTANICALGARDEN.CA
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