Giverny sits on the right bank of the River Seine, fifty miles outside France's capital city of Paris. It is a modest place, small and sparsely populated. Having existed since neolithic times, there is much history to be found in the quiet, charming village, but it is most well known for the French painter Claude Monet's incredible garden and the exquisite work he accomplished there.
           According to art mythology, Monet saw the village from the window of a train and decided right then and there to live in Giverny. First he rented a house and some land, but in 1890 he could afford to buy it. He then immediately set out to design and plant the magnificent gardens that have become famous through his paintings. 
           When Monet first settled at the long, pink crushed brick house in Giverny, there was an apple orchard and a kitchen garden. Called the Clos Normand, this two and a half acre (or one hectare) walled garden immediately enamored Monet, with its organized cypress and spruce trees, its fairytale flowerbeds.
           Monet worked tirelessly to improve his Clos Normand, uprooting trees (including his wife, Alice's, beloved spruces, despite many arguments between them), installing metal arches, and replacing the apple trees with cherry and Japanese apricot trees. He planted nasturtiums, fragrant roses, daffodils, tulips, narcissus, iris, oriental poppies, peonies, and countless other flowers, coloring in the landscape as he would a canvas.
           Beyond the Clos Normand lies the Water Garden, which truly demonstrates Monet's expertise in both color and light. He created the Water Garden by diverting the river Epte, creating the pond that has become the centerpiece of Le Jardin d'Eau. Aligned perfectly in the center is the famous Japanese bridge, painted green by Monet's specific instruction instead of the traditional red, and framed by bamboos, ginkgos biloba, maple trees, Japanese peonies, white lilies, and weeping willows. Monet then planted nymphéas in the pond itself, later stating, "I love water, but I also love flowers. That’s why, once the pond was filled with water, I thought of embellishing it with flowers. I just took a catalogue and chose at random, that’s all."
            These gardens lie just beyond Monet's pink stucco house, which in itself is deserving of mention. The dining room is painted entirely yellow, and the kitchen entirely blue. The walls are decorated with beautiful Japanese prints, and shiny copper pots contrast against the blue French wall tile. 
           It was in Monet's kitchen where I first caught a glimpse of Katsushika Hokusai's The Great Wave, a woodblock print that has since become a great source of both creativity and tranquility.
           Over five hundred of Monet's paintings were inspired by Giverny and his personal gardens. Now a museum, his home in Giverny has been refurbished exactly to its original glory, from Monet's own designs and plans. It has never been more true that a person's home reflects his or her mindset and life. Looking at photographs of Giverny, and some of Monet's paintings, it is clear that his mindset was magic. 

Happy planting.
-GU

​In today’s attempt to Lead a Horticulture, I will be talking about flowers that any visitor of India can’t help but notice adorning temples and filling open-air markets: marigolds and lotuses.
            The Calendula officinalis of the Tagetes genus are herbaceous plants in the sunflower family, native to North and South America but naturalized globally. Marigolds are exceptionally vibrant, in vivid gold, oranges, and yellows. Though the name “marigold” is derived from Christianity (“Mary’s gold”), the flowers have become culturally important to many other religions, particularly Hinduism, starting when they were incorporated into Indian culture by Portuguese colonization.
            Padma, or Nelumbo nucifera, refers to the lotus, though it has many different names: the “Indian Lotus,” the “Sacred Lotus,” and the “Bean of India” being a few. The lotus is an ancient symbol in Asian culture. Like the marigold, it is polyvalent, which means that it has a plethora of different interpretations and meanings.
            Just the color of marigolds is partially what makes the flowers symbolic. In Hinduism, yellow is the color of purity, victory, chastity, and sensuality. Unmarried girls wear yellow clothes in the spring, and some communities believe that the color can ward off evil spirits. Spiritual Gurus tie holy golden thread around the wrists of disciples to protect them, and, in the south of India, grooms tie yellow threads around their wives’ necks to symbolize marriage and its sanctity.
            Yellow is also the color of Lord Vishnu, one of the most prevalent deities. In sacred texts he is typically described as holding a padma in his lower left hand, and the Kaumodaki gada, a mace, in his lower right hand. In his upper hands, he has the Panchajanya shankha--a conch—and a discus weapon. Oh yeah, by the way, Vishnu has four arms. Each of these objects is an emblem of his divinity. Therefore, yellow marigolds and lotuses are both widely used in religious rituals in India.
            The origin behind the lotus’s position as an emblem is fascinating. When Vishnu was contemplating the creation of mankind, a lotus popped out of his bellybutton, blooming to reveal Brahma, the four-faced creator god, sitting upon it—in the lotus position, no less. This is where Vishnu’s hilarious nickname Padmanabha, or lotus-navel, came from.
            Brahma and the lotus made the world bright, allowing for the creation of mankind, which is why the lotus is now associated with the sun in Hindu tradition. Because of its role as the catalyst for the creation of humans, the lotus is a symbol of fertility.
            The lotus in Vishnu’s hand is also representative of his companion, the feminine force from which he gets his powers, the goddess Lakshmi. Lakshmi herself sits on a lotus in Hindu iconography and holds its stalks in her hands.        
            The environment in which a lotus grows has additionally led to different interpretations of its imagery. Though lotuses grow in muddy waters, once they are picked, there is neither water nor dirt evident on its beautiful petals. Therefore, they are used to represent the ideal of detachment, enlightening us to enjoy life’s pleasures without ever getting trapped by them. Interestingly, Chinese cultures and Buddhist symbolism have also gathered this same interpretation from the muddy-water-but-still-clean phenomenon. Furthermore, the way in which it’s petals blossom, unfurling and unfolding, insinuate the expansion of the soul.
            At Christian weddings, marigolds are considered to be harbingers of misfortune, but at Hindu weddings marigolds are the most commonly employed flower. This is because Vishnu and his wife Lakshmi are worshipped with marigolds, so using the same kind of flower at a wedding is symbolic of divine blessings for the newlyweds. Like the lotus, the marigold, because of its yellow brilliance, represents the sun. The sun is a vessel of positive energy, and any of its symbols bestow good vibes upon the couple.
            Marigolds are actually popular all across South Asia, particularly in Nepal. Garlands of these flowers are hung in almost every household in Nepal, especially during the Tihar festival, a five day long Hindu celebration that lights the sky day and night as a reverent act towards humans, gods, and culturally significant animals like crows, cows, and dogs. Using flower petals, people make patterns on the floors of living rooms or courtyards called Rangoli to welcome the gods and goddesses. On one day of the festival, called Gai Tihar, the people worship cows, showing their gratefulness by garlanding the dear animals with sayapatri, another word for marigolds.
            Though every vendor in India earns a magnificent profit selling marigold garlands and souvenirs ornamented with lotus motifs, they are more than just moneymakers. Weddings, festivals, and religious events all incorporate these flowers to demonstrate honor and goodwill. They are offered as respect, to gods and humans alike, and are often used to welcome visitors. Their beauty and vivacity reflect the country in which they are so popular: both the flowers and the region are enormously bright, lively, and loving.
 
Happy celebrating.
-GU  

​Dorothy Parker is one of the most quotable people, which is why this is the second time I’ve quoted her on Girl Unaffiliated. This time, I’m paraphrasing an amazingly clever answer Parker gave in a game of Can-You-Give-Me-A-Sentence? When asked to use the word “horticulture,” she responded, “You can lead a horticulture, but you can’t make her think.” While I adamantly disagree with the underlying sentiment here, I can’t pretend that it’s not good wordplay.
            I’m wandering from the real topic. That is, flowers. Like, actual horticulture.
            I mentioned in a previous post that my mother is a florist. My entire life has been a series of the passing seasons and a cacophony of cut stems, of filling vases with water and pouring sticky flower food into buckets.
​            Unfortunately, I didn’t pick up an advanced knowledge of horticulture or the art of flower arranging during my childhood. But as my mother says when asked why she is still a florist after all this time, “I never tire of the flowers.”  
            And it’s true. No one ever seems to tire of flowers. Perhaps it’s because of their ephemeral nature: they grow; they bloom; they die. There’s no time to become sick of a certain species or color. Then new batches of flowers arrive, ever exciting, ever mutated and unusual, ever arranged in endless combinations.
            This love and fascination for flowers is not solely observed in the United States. After all, flowers grow everywhere, and to appreciate their beauty does not require a certain language. 
            This train of thought led me to research how flowers are utilized in different traditions. Of course, the results were captivating. Over the next couple of weeks, I will overview some of the notable examples, outlining but a fraction of the numerous ways in which flowers have been and continue to be significant to human life. 

​      Queen Victoria’s reign from 1837-1901 ushered in a new growth of proper etiquette amongst the upper class, limiting people from doing the most fun stuff, such as flirting. Inspired by Persian traditions, the practice of conveying secret messages via flowers reached England and became popular. Large records of flower interpretations were then compiled in several volumes, culminating in the creation of a language of flowers, or floriography.
      Any topic or sentiment that was deemed inappropriate by Victorian etiquette rules could then be sent and received through flowers. But it was not just the type of flower that determined the meaning of the message. The arrangement, presentation, and even the way in which they were received all contributed to what the flowers were actually saying. This sounds convoluted to me, but I guess if we got Victorian people to start texting in modern slanguage they would be just as confused.
      The etiquette system in England during this period was complex. There were different rules based on class, gender, and circumstance. Asking openly about relationships was taboo, and all flirtation was done with extreme discretion. Of course, for the poorer classes, the proper etiquette system was a distraction and a waste, and therefore unused. 
      The first flower dictionary was written in Paris in 1819, called La Langage des Fleurs and written by Louise Cortambert under the pen name Madame Charlotte de la Tour. Following this publication, a flood of floriogaphy dictionaries inundated the market, arming Victorians with plenty of interpretations of flower meanings. Apparently, some people even carried their dictionaries around with them. I guess in such rigid society, you wouldn't want to misunderstand those orange lilies someone just threw at you (I do not actually think this is how it would've been done). 
      Contrary to modern traditions, giving someone flowers was not just about romance or love. For example, though a red rose denoted love (which just proves once again how us modern folks are so unoriginal), if the shade was too dark a red, it actually expressed shame. In fact, a lot of flowers could suggest an insult. If a sender wanted to question someone’s masculinity, a jab that was seriously offensive in that time for who knows why, they would literally just send them grass. Even garlic was sent, to express that the garlic-receiver was evil and needed to be warded off (or to make them smell).
      Inexplicably, the flower that most represented pure hatred was the orange lily. Though flower dictionaries have really detailed meanings in each entry, there aren’t really any clear reasons as to why.   
      Floriography was not just a formal affair. Victorian people often exchanged “talking bouquets,” also called nosegays or tussie-mussies, which were carried and worn as fashion accessories. These were small flower bouquets of posies. The term “nosegay” for this accessory refers to it being a “gay,” an antiquated synonym to the word ornament, for the nose—an ornament for the nose’s enjoyment. Tussie-mussie is specific to Queen Victoria’s reign, but indicates the same thing, though with considerably more floriography and panache.
      Nearly every type of flower had a plethora of associations attached to it, making this form of communication unwieldy by the end of the Victoria period, which is perhaps why only some meanings have lasted. Take a gander at some of the fun meanings associated with unlikely flowers, derived from The Old Farmer’s Almanac:

​Happy stopping to smell the roses.
-GU