Felicia and the Pot of Pinks was another of my favorite fairy tales. I always wondered- why a pot of pinks? Why not a pot of, say, geraniums? Through my research this week one of the things that I discovered is this from a book entitled Flower Lore by Hilderic Friend: It has been generally supposed that the name has reference… Continue Reading…
Aelfrida would have been unfamiliar with the plant that I so enjoy, as this cultivated variety didn’t appear until the 1450’s.Here is a nice article on the search for the original medieval pink. In Shakespeare’s time, the gillyflower was a symbol of promiscuity because of how easily it hybridized.Today, the carnation has come to be a symbol of many different movements,… Continue Reading…
The Carnation has been used medicinally for approximately 2000 years, at least in China. This site gives a good account of its use there. Gerard tells us of the carnation:“The conserve made of the floures of the Clove Gillofloure and sugar, is exceeding cordiall,and wonderfully above measure doth comfort the heart, being eaten now and then.”and“It prevaileth against hot pestilentiall fevers, expelleth… Continue Reading…
Before we start cooking, I would like to point out that this is one of those cases where parts of a plant are edible and parts are toxic. It is not uncommon. Just please be aware that the leaves of Dianthus are mildly toxic. Eat only the flowers. You might want to try only a small amount of those to test… Continue Reading…
The Dianthus genus is made up of over three hundred species. The wild form of the species can be found in the Mediterranean and Middle East. Most sources say it was first documented by Theophrastus around 300 BCE but at least one source reports that this statement has been proven false. The first documentable instance of cultivation occurs around 1450 CE.
![Sten [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (https://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], from Wikimedia Commons](https://www.echoesofthegarden.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Dianthus-plumarius-web-300x250.jpg)
This plant is one of my personal favorites. The scent of the heirloom varieties is delicious and they are visually pleasing. The family is a large one and includes the familiar carnation. I must confess that the reputation of some of the members of this family amuses me. It’s always nice to meet another rebel.
