Tuesday, April 21, 2015

Lovely spoils and unwanted beauty…

The tulip's petals shine in dew,
All beautiful, but none alike.

~ James Montgomery


I really, really like tulips.  Maybe they aren’t my very favorite flower, but they are right up there on my list of favorites.  One of the things I like about tulips is that they look good even when they are on their way out of this world.  I’ve taken quite a few photos of tulips in their various stages of life.  The other day, I came across some photos I took when we were in Norway in 2013.  I edited the photos and stuck them in a folder on my hard drive and they have yet to see the light of day except in my cluttered office.  I am going to fix that right now.  Here they are.





It's true that I really like tulips, but I’m going out on a limb here to say that it's entirely possible that my very favorite flower is one many people would like to see eliminated from this world.  It is this:



Yes, it’s the lowly dandelion, one of the most charming and most cursed flowers on earth.  We yank it out of the ground and mow it down only to have it pop up time and again.  It is an elegant, beautiful thing in the early spring when it is caught by hoarfrost on a cold but sunny morning.  It also has an elegant and beautiful history and is sometimes described as "a plant for which we once knew the use but we've forgotten it."  Many cultures have used the dandelion in salads and soups and to make wine.  AND, get this, a coffee substitute can be made from the roots.  However, I’m not sure I’ll go there.  I like my caffeine too much.

  Andre Mason said, “If dandelions were hard to grow, they would be most welcome on any lawn.”

  I think he’s right.  It seems to be human nature to want things that are more rarefied and hard to get than the likes of the humble dandelion.

Okay, so I’m a little weird about flowers.  Are you?  What’s your favorite flower?


10 comments:

TexWisGirl said...

my father made dandelion wine. we kids would go out and pick the bloom heads for him. :)

tulips have such color and variety. hard not to love 'em.

RobertN said...

Wonderful series.
Have a great day!

eileeninmd said...

Lovely series of images.. I read that the dandelion is important to the bees.. And we need the bees to be happy.. Enjoy your day!

kat from ky. said...

I love dandelions too Barb. Violets are beautiful as well. I have a neighbor who used to spray with roundup until I told her that it poisons everything. Birds, the water etc; She no longer uses it. Thank goodness someone listened. Beautiful tulips!

Debbie said...

I am not as weird as you are!! I love tulips but I like growing daffodils better because they always come back and the multiply each year. After about a year on two all the tulip bulbs need to be replanted!! I think I prefer the look of a daffodil as well, the two toned trumpet ones I have in my garden.

I am not a fan of dandelions!!

Tina Fariss Barbour said...

Hi, Barb! I'm sorry it's been so long since I've visited.

I love tulips too. I planted some bulbs one fall at a duplex I was renting many, many years ago. The next spring, I had to travel out of town for work. I arrived back home after dark. I will always remember the beauty of those pink/lavender tulips caught in the headlights.

The iris is probably my favorite, or very near the top of the list.

MadSnapper said...

I am weird or out of the ordinary on flowers, my least favorite flower is a orchid, my favorite is daisy and sunflower, and I love dandelions to. I also love the bark on the tree in your header. and i have always loved weeds more than the hard to grow orchids or roses... and i do love your dying tulips. i have never owned a tulip, picked or growing but i like them a lot.

Nicki said...

Love tulips, adore gerber daisies, but nothing swells the heart like a bouquet of picked dandelions from your child. (fond of Queen's Ann Lace and wild iris).

Rose said...

I like tulips just cause they stand up so pretty and make such a nice bright spot after a long, dreary winter.

And as for dandelions, we used to cook them like you do mustard greens. We would 'pick' them and this other little plant. And I think young polk plant and cook it in a pot....served with cornbread and whatever else. But I was happy if I just had it and cornbread and maybe bacon.

Janice / Dancing with Sunflowers said...

Lovely macro shots - especially the dandelions. I love them too! :)