This file includes Apple Blossoms, Asters, Azaleas, Bluebells, Bluebonnets, Bougainvillea, Carnations, Cherry Blossoms, Chrysanthemums, Columbines, Cornflowers, Crocus, Daffodils and Jonquils, Dahlias, Daisies, Dogwood, Forget-Me-Nots, Fuchsias, Gardenias, Gladiolas, Heather, Heliotropes, Honeysuckle, Hyacinths, Jasmines, Laurels, Lavender, Lilacs, Lilies, Lotuses, Magnolias, Moonflowers, Morning Glories, Oleanders, Orange Blossoms, Orchids, Passion Flower, Peonies, Periwinkles, Petunias, Poinsettias, Poppies, Primroses, Sage, Sunflowers, Tulips, and Violets.
Also see Flowers and Wildflowers, Gardening, Spring, Roses, and Trees.
Apple Blossoms
(Letitia Elizabeth Landon)
The apple blossoms' shower of pearl,
Though blent with rosier hue,
As beautiful as woman's blush,
As evanescent too.
Songs about Apple Blossoms
- Apple Blossom Wedding, An - Sammy Kaye Orchestra (1947)
- Apple Blossoms - Andy Stein (2003)
- Apple Blossoms and Chapel Bells - Wee Bonnie Baker (1940)
- Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White - Brave Combo (2005)
- I'll Be With You in Apple Blossom Time - Rich O'Brien (1996)
- Wind in the Apple Blossoms - Paul Sullivan (1991)
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Purple Aster
(May Riley Smith)
Bravely my sweet flower resists
Heat of August, autumn cold;
And though she has amethysts
For her dower, and some gold,
Never roadside beggar passed her
Without nod from purple aster.
Dear plebeian, but for thee
And thy lover, golden-rod,
Lonesomer the road would be
Which the country folk must plod;
And each little maid and master
Would regret thee, purple aster!
When November winds blow chill,
And the fields are brown and sear,
You will find her, cheerful still,
With her lover standing near,
While old Winter fast and faster
Comes to claim brave purple aster.
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from Spring Scatters Far and Wide
(Dora Read Goodale)
And in the woods a fragrance rare
Of wild azaleas fills the air,
And richly tangled overhead
We see their blossoms sweet and red.
Songs about Azaleas
- Azalea Waltz - Butch Baldassari (1994)
- Pink Azalea - Dave Rosenholz Orchestra (2009)
- Waiting for the Azaleas - Belltower (2006)
- When the White Azaleas Start Blooming - Wilf Carter (1940)
- When the Wild Azaleas Bloom - Paul Smith and Friends (1999)
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Bluebell
Bluebell softly, gently sways
Through the long hot summer days;
Lives where nothing else can grow,
That's why we all love her so.
Songs about Bluebells
- Bluebell Blues - Rob Colley (2008)
- Bluebell Meadow - Celestial (2007)
- Bluebell Morning - Ooberman (2006)
- Bluebells - Kevin Kendle (2001)
- Bluebells of Scotland - Kenneth McKellar (1994)
- Virginia Bluebell - Miranda Lambert (2009)
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Everyone in Texas paints fields of bluebonnets until the real thing resembles picture postcards and motel art instead of the other way around.
Page Toppers
- Bluebonnet Beauty
- Lone Star Splendor
- Texas Treasure
Songs about Bluebonnets
- Bluebonnet Blues - Eddie Kirk (1951)
- Bluebonnet Lady - Riders in the Sky (1979)
- Bluebonnet Lane - J.D. Crowe and the New South (2006)
- Bluebonnet Schottische - The Pinetoppers (1950)
- Bluebonnets in Her Golden Hair - Stuart Hamblin (1963)
- Bluebonnets in Her Hair - Stuart Hamblen (1947)
- Our First Bluebonnet Spring - Junior Brown (2001)
- Texas Bluebonnets - Laurie Lewis (1989)
- Way Down in Texas Where the Bluebonnets Grow - Robertson (1940)
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Page Toppers
- Bougainvillea: A dance of colors.
- Bougainvillea: Nature’s confetti.
- Bougainvillea: Nature’s palette in bloom.
- Bougainvillea: A symphony of colors.
- Bright blooms for brighter days.
- Colors that dance in the sunlight.
- Nature’s artwork in full bloom.
- Nature’s masterpiece in every petal.
- Floral fantasies come to life.
Songs about Bougainvillea
- Beneath the Bougainvillea - Compass Rose Quintet (2007)
- Bougainvillea - Great Southern (1977)
- Bougainvillea at Twilight - Colophon (2002)
- Bougainvillea Sunset - Leeann Atherton (2009)
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from A White Sport Coat and a Pink Carnation
(Marty Robbins)
A white sports coat and a pink carnation
I'm all dressed up for the dance
A white sports coat and a pink carnation
I'm all alone in romance.
Once you told me long ago
To the prom with me you'd go
Now you've changed your mind it seems
Someone else will hold my dreams.
A white sports coat and a pink carnation
I'm in a blue blue mood.
Songs about Carnations
- Blue Skies and Pink Carnations - Jon Travers (2006)
- Carnations and Pearls - Walking Wounded (2009)
- Girl With a Red Carnation - Acoustic Alchemy (1986)
- Pink Carnation - Jared Mason (2004)
- Pink Carnations and Yellow Roses - Ray Campbell (1960)
- Tulips, Carnations, Chrysanthemums - Zoe Lewis (1997)
- White Sport Coat and a Pink Carnation, A - Marty Robbins (1957)
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Quotes about Cherry Blossoms
- What a strange thing to be alive beneath cherry blossoms. (Kobayashi Issa)
- Light as feathers, as fleeting as Zephyr, one moment they breathed pink, the next they faded. Cherry blossoms were as much an inspiration for beautiful verse as they were a reminder of life's fickleness. (Alice Poon)
- Suddenly she was seeing the buds on the cherry trees around her; she could feel the energy packed within them, a bouquet of fireworks whose fuse had already been lit. She could smell them, too, a subtle essence of pink and lollipops, the sweetness deepened by the scent of the slowly warming earth below them. (Erica Bauermeister)
- A cherry tree was coming into bloom, shooting out a froth of sugar-pink blossoms. She could see from its size and the gnarled branches that it was a mature tree, yet still capable of putting on such a wonderful show. A new beginning every spring, even from an old tree. (Maggie Alderson)
Songs about Cherry Blossoms
- Amidst the Cherry Blossoms - Dan Gibson's Solitudes (2001)
- Below the Cherry Blossoms - Julia Hart (2004)
- Cherry Blossom - Jerry Harris (2001)
- Cherry Blossom Festival - Seaborn Jones (2008)
- Cherry Blossom Spring - Mary Stuart (1973)
- Cherry Blossoms Falling on Water - Brian Henke (2008)
- Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White - Brave Combo (2005)
- Falling Cherry Blossoms - Maro (2010)
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Chrysanthemum
(Hattie L. Knapp)
The rose is called the queen of flowers,
Surrounded by her sisters fair,
A lovely throng of beauties rare,
She holds her court 'mid summer bowers,
'Neath smiling skies of sunny blue,
Gayly they bloom the summer through
Brightening all the golden hours.
But when the autumn days have come
Then blooms our sweet Chrysanthemum.
As we watch the summer days depart
And the painted leaves in silence fall,
And the vines are dead upon the wall;
A dreamy sadness fills each heart,
Our garden seems a dreary place,
No brilliant flowers its borders grace,
Save in a sheltered nook apart,
Where gay beneath the autumn sun
Blooms our own Chrysanthemum.
Ah! she is not a 'Summer Friend,
She stays when all the rest have flown,
And left us flowerless and alone;
No singing birds, or blooms to lend
Their brightness to the autumn haze,
'Tis she who cheers the dreary days;
'Tis joy to know so sweet a friend;
No fairer flower blooms 'neath the sun
Than autumn's queen Chrysanthemum.
Songs about Chrysanthemums
- Chrysanthemum - Jim McLennan (2009)
- Chrysanthemum Tea - Alvin Ing (2005)
- Chrysanthemums and Hummingbirds - Conni St. Pierre (2006)
- Chrysanthemums and Orchids - Mark Deutsch (1999)
- Chrysanthemums and Roses - Danny Bakan (2003)
- Pink Chrysanthemum - Kevin Hume (2006)
- Tulips, Carnations, Chrysanthemums - Zoe Lewis (1997)
- White Chrysanthemum - Van Dyke Parks (2007)
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Columbines
(Teresa Hooley)
Airily poised in the garden bed,
Delicate saffron, white and rose,
With gossamer petals lightly spread
The columbines flutter upon their toes.
Wait, till the moonlight sets them free!
They'll stir, they'll shake off the dew, they'll go
Dancing, dancing (but you'll not see--
You'll be too busy asleep to know).
Someone surprised them once in May,
Glimmering ivory, gold, and pink,
Dancing under the moon. That way
Columbines found their name, I think.
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Quotes about Cornflowers
- Big cornflowers balanced aloft their light blue caps which looked as if they would fly away at every breath of air…. (Émile Zola)
- The color blue is a quality which belongs equally to the cheerful sky, the cornflower, the sea, certain eyes, and many military uniforms. (Max Simon Nordau)
- Cornflower, a flower blossoms for it’s own joy. (Oscar Wilde)
- Her blonde hair shone like gold in the sun; her eyes, bluer than the cornflower, reflected the sweetness of her angelic disposition. (Eugène Sue)
- It was a gorgeous end-of-summer-just-starting-to-befall day. The trees swayed in the breeze. The sky was the color of cornflowers. (Jacqueline Davies)
Songs about Cornflowers
- Blue Cornflowers in Bloom by the Roadside in Mid-September - Pat Kinsella (2010)
- Cornflower - Blair Harris (2008)
- Cornflower Blue - Laurie McClain (2005)
- Cornflowers - Zina Pavlova (1995)
- Cornflowers Falls - Hexade (2010)
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Crocus
(Mary Havran)
Crocus flowers daring tiny warriors
Fighting their way up through
The winter ice
Crocus darling early Spring harbingers
Promising days will soon
Be turning nice
Tiny Crocus flowers grow in close groups
Strength in numbers seeking
Where winter snows still may lie
Encircled encampment of floral troupes
"We march onward to spring"
They raise this brave battle cry
Bold strength contained in Crocus so small
Should winter challenge again
They simply refuse to die
Delicate blossoms possess such wherewithal
I cannot help but wonder then
Should not likewise you and I?
Songs about Crocuses
- Autumn Crocus - Michael Stairs (2008)
- Crocus - Anne Sylvestre (2009)
- Crocus Field - Ross Thompson (2008)
- Crocus in the Snow - Stephanie Davis (2004)
- First Crocus - Different Skies (2005)
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A Daffodil Day
(Teresa Hooley)
All day long blew the daffodils,
Oh, what a sight to see,
A myriad gold-gowned daffodils,
Moved to a rhythmic glee.
Night drew down on the daffodils;
Gold was the moon on high,
With a golden star-crowd twinkling--
Daffodils in the sky.
All night long blew the daffodils,
All night long on the lawn;
Pale grew the stars in their courses--
Up came a daffodil dawn.
The Daffodils
(Aileen Fisher)
The daffodils, the daffodils,
they plan it all ahead:
they bottle yellow sunshine up
to take along to bed.
They know that they will sleep for months
till cold and snow are gone,
and so they bottle sunshine up
before they start to yawn.
And then when spring is not-quite warm,
and days are not quite mellow,
they poke up little goblets full
of yellow, yellow, yellow.
Legend of the Daffodil
(author unknown)
Each time
a guardian angel
notices
a good deed--
a prayer,
kindness
or sacrifice--
she plucks
a gold star
from the heavens
and sends it to earth,
where it blooms
as a golden daffodil.
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I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud
(William Wordsworth)
I wander'd lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the Milky Way,
They stretch'd in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.
The waves beside them danced; but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company:
I gazed--and gazed--but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:
For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.
Songs about Daffodils
- Butterflies and Daffodils - Stacey Cargal (2004)
- Daffodil Hill - Elysium Calling (2004)
- Daffodils - Kevin Kendle (2001)
- Daffodils A-Blowing - Felicity Palmer (2007)
- Dancing With the Daffodils - Ian Anderson (2004)
- Daydreams With Daffodils - Yacht (2004)
- I'm Sending You Daffydills - Maddox Brothers and Rose (1949)
- Jonquil - Pietr (2004)
- Jonquil Dream - Keydragon (2005)
- Lovely Daffodil - Uncle Mountain (2006)
- Seven Daffodils - Jonathan Edwards (1985)
- Seven Golden Daffodils - Kenny Ball and His Jazzmen (1964)
- To Daffodils - Cambridge Singers (2003)
- Violets and Daffodils - Barefoot Jerry (1974)
- Where the Daffodils Grow - The Carny (2008)
- Wild Daffodil - Kenny Ball and His Jazzmen (1968)
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My advice to the women of America is to raise more hell and fewer dahlias. (William Allen White)
The Dahlia
(Lord Holland)
The Dahlia you brought to our isle
Your praises for ever shall speak:
Mid gardens as sweet as your smile,
And color as bright as your cheek.
Songs about Dahlias
- Blue Dahlia - Luke Doucet (2007)
- Flor De Dalia (Dahlia Flower) - Armando Arciniega and Santiago Jimenez (2005)
- Peonies and Dahlia Petals - Stamen and Pistils (2005)
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Page Toppers
- Crazy Daisy
- Daisy Day
- Seize the Daisies
Daisies
(Frank Dempster Sherman)
At evening when I go to bed
I see the stars shine overhead.
They are the little daisies white
That dot the meadow of the night.
And often while I'm dreaming so,
Across the sky the moon will go.
It is a lady, sweet and fair,
Who comes to gather daisies there.
For, when at morning I arise,
There's not a star left in the skies,
She's picked them all
and dropped them down
Into the meadows of the town.
Thoughts of a Little Girl
(Maria Enriqueta)
I think flowers can see
and clouds play a game,
that when the wind whispers,
the leaves understand.
They sway and they dance
in the mad-cap breeze.
Sometimes in the morning
to the meadow I go,
where the daisies are playing
in the wind.
First the wind whispers,
then runs, jumps and tickles their feet.
And the daisies, their heads sweetly nodding,
laugh, sway and shiver in glee.
Songs about Daisies
- Cry Behind the Daisies - The Jaynetts (1964)
- Daisies and Poppies - Wil Maring (2003)
- Daisies Won't Tell - The Norman Petty Trio (1957)
- Daisy a Day, A - Jud Strunk (1973)
- Daisy Petal Pickin' - The Fireballs (1964)
- Diamonds and Daisies - The Anniversary (2008)
- Field of Yellow Daisies - Charlie Rich (1974)
- Indigo Daisies - Des'Ree (1998)
- Sugar and Daisies - 3 of Hearts (2001)
- Sweet Bunch of Daisies - Roy Crawford (2003)
- Where Lazy Daisies Grow - Johnny Maddox (1956)
- Where the Daisies Grow Wild - Leon Everett (1977)
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Quotes about Dogwood
- After all, I don't see why I am always asking for private, individual, selfish miracles when every year there are miracles like white dogwood. (Anne Morrow Lindbergh)
- To see a hillside white with dogwood bloom is to know a particular ecstasy of beauty, but to walk the gray Winter woods and find the buds which will resurrect that beauty in another May is to partake of continuity. (Hal Borland)
Songs about Dogwoods
- Dogwood - Greg Yarber (2008)
- Dogwood's a'Bloomin' - Annie Moses Band (2008)
- Fairest Dogwood Bloom, The - Patti Casey (2000)
- Lilac and Dogwood - Anne Marie Menta (2003)
- Under the Dogwoods - Steven K. Smith (2005)
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Wild Forget-Me-Nots
(Patience Strong)
When bees hum in the linden tree
and roses bloom in cottage plots.
Along the brookside banks we see
the blue wild forget-me-nots.
Shy flowers that shun the prying eye--
content to let the daisy hold,
The glances of the passers-by--
with brazen stare of white and gold.
Forget-me-not!
From long ago it stirs the thought
of happier days.
For memories like wildflowers grow--
along the heart's untrodden ways.
Songs about Forget-Me-Nots
- Down Forget-Me-Not Lane - Flanagan and Allen (2008)
- Forget-Me-Not - Leah Waybright (2000)
- Forget-Me-Nots - Lee Ritenour (2006)
- Forget-Me-Nots in Your Eyes - Perry Como (1946)
- Moonbeams and Forget-Me-Nots - Black Tie (2006)
- Promises and Forget-Me-Nots - Silent Escape (2007)
- Sweet Forget-Me-Nots - Gina Joyce (2009)
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Facts about Fuchsias
- Fuchsias symbolize elegance and beauty. The plant owes this to its graceful growth habit and beautiful flowers with delicate shapes. In addition, fuchsias are seen as the symbol of joy in life, happiness and positivity.
- Almost 110 species of Fuchsia are recognized; most are shrubs from 8 inches to 13 feet tall. They can be either deciduous or evergreen.
- The flowers are very decorative; they have a pendulous teardrop shape and are displayed in profusion throughout the summer and autumn, and all year in tropical species. They have four long, slender sepals and four shorter, broader petals; in many species, the sepals are bright red and the petals purple (colours that attract the hummingbirds that pollinate them), but the colours can vary from white to dark red, purple-blue, and orange. A few have yellowish tones.
- The fruit is small (less than an inch and most way smaller) It is usually a dark reddish green, deep red, or deep purple berry, containing numerous very small seeds. The fruit of the berry of F. splendens is reportedly among the best-tasting. Its flavor is is like a blend of citrus and black pepper, and it can be made into jam. The fruits of many other fuchsias are flavorless or leave a bad aftertaste.
Songs about Fuchsias
- Confucius' Fuchsias - Amy Fabry (2002)
- Fuchsia - Kevin Kendle (2001)
- Fuchsias - The Jeff Babko Group (2000)
- Wilting Fuchsias - Janet Buck (2006)
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A Little White Gardenia
(song written by Sam Coslow)
For I bring a little white gardenia
As refreshing as a day in May
You may wear it if you care
Or toss it away.
If you look into this white gardenia
There's a message there I dare not say
That I'll let this little white gardenia convey.
Who knows tomorrow we may be
Together or so far apart
Take this token of my love
Cherish it and keep it close to your heart.
If our paths should ever cross again dear
Accidentally, or by fate designed
If you wear a little white gardenia
I'll know you are mine.
Songs about Gardenias
- Blue Gardenia - Chris Byars (2006)
- Blue Shadows and White Gardenias - Alyce King (1942)
- Gardenias in My Garden - Johnny Bozeman (1961)
- Girl with Gardenias in Her Hair - Marty Robbins (1967)
- Little White Gardenia, A - The Demensions (1964)
- White Gardenia - Bobby Ray and the Cadillacs (1962)
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Facts about Gladiolas
- The gladiolus is a member of the Iris family and is native to Africa, the Mediterranean, and southern Europe, with more than 300 species that come in a range of vibrant colors.
- Also known as “sword lily,” the gladiolus got its name from the sword-like appearance of its leaves. 'Gladiolus' itself comes from the Latin word gladius, meaning 'sword'. Roman Gladiators would wear the flowers around their necks in competitive games.
- Gladiolus one of Augusts birth flowers (the other is the poppy)
- The gladiolus has long been a symbol of strength, victory, healing, and honor. It has also been associated with moral character, remembrance, and intelligence.
- In Victorian times, romantics believed that the beauty of the gladiolus could pierce another’s heart with love. In floral meanings, the flower also came to symbolize infatuation, love at first sight, and faithfulness.
Songs about Gladiolas
- Gladiola - Helen Reddy (2005)
- Gladiola Time - Elton Britt (1936)
- Gladiola Waltz - Cowboy Ramblers (1951)
- Gladiolas - Ida (2001)
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Chartless
(Emily Dickinson)
I NEVER saw a moor,
I never saw the sea;
Yet now I know how the heather looks,
And what a wave must be.
I never spoke with God,
Nor visited in Heaven;
Yet certain am I of the spot
As if the chart were given.
Songs about Heather
- Heather and Sage - David Anthony (1999)
- Heather Meadows - Larry Knechtel (1979)
- Purple Heather - Rod Stewart (1995)
- Tulips and Heather - Perry Como (1952)
- White Heather - Conni St. Pierre (2006)
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A Quote and a Poem about Heliotrope
- Heliotrope. To be sowed in the spring. A delicious flower, but I suspect it must be planted in boxes and kept in the house in the winter. The smell rewards the care. (Thomas Jefferson)
- As the waves of perfume, heliotrope, rose,
Float in the garden when no wind blows,
Come to us, go from us, whence no one knows;
So the old tunes float in my mind,
And go from me leaving no trace behind,
Like fragrance borne on the hush of the wind.
(Sara Teasdale)
Songs about Heliotropes
- Heliotrope - Backlash (2004)
- Heliotrope Bouquet - Steve Hunter (2006)
- Heliotrope Portrait - Abbie Gale (2007)
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Quotes about Honeysuckle
- The air is life-giving, humid, fragrant. How honeysuckle smells! The leaf bends down with its tip and drops pearls from the tip. (Vladimir Nabokov)
- A day so happy. Fog lifted early. I worked in the garden. Hummingbirds were stopping over honeysuckle flowers. There was no thing on earth I wanted to possess. I know no one worth my envying him. (Czeslaw Milosz)
- I sat me down to watch upon a bank With ivy canopied and interwove With flaunting honeysuckle. (John Milton)
- The scent of honeysuckle hangs in the darkness like the thick glob of sugar at the bottom of a glass of lemonade. (Erika Robuck)
- I took in the thick night air, the sweet smell of honeysuckle, the chirping of frogs, to impress the moment in the folds of my memory, preserve it like a flower between pages of a book. To remember: This is how it feels to be happy. (Laura McHugh)
Songs about Honeysuckle
- Honeysuckle - Eliza Lynn (2005)
- Honeysuckle Madness - Davin James and His Band (2006)
- Honeysuckle Rose - Willie Nelson (2003)
- Honeysuckle Sweet - Jessi Alexander (2004)
- Sweet Honeysuckle - Danny Morris Band (1996)
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My Lady Hyacinth
(Nellie Seelye Evans)
Jars of purple, pearl, and blue,
Quick she fills with nectared dew;
All the odors Summer knows
On cold April she bestows.
Lifeless though the garden be,
Here she holds a quaint levee;
Lords and ladies, courtiers gay,
Nodding plumes in rich array.
Now within my quiet room,
Two in royal colors bloom,
Sent by neighbor kind and wise,
Prophecy of Paradise!
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The First Jasmines
(Rabindranath Tagore)
Ah, these jasmines, these white jasmines!
I seem to remember the first day when I filled my hands
with these jasmines, these white jasmines.
I have loved the sunlight, the sky and the green earth;
I have heard the liquid murmur of the river
through the darkness of midnight;
Autumn sunsets have come to me at the bend of the road
in the lonely waste, like a bride raising her veil
to accept her lover.
Yet my memory is still sweet with the first white jasmines
that I held in my hands when I was a child.
Many a glad day has come in my life,
and I have laughed with merrymakers on festival nights.
On grey mornings of rain
I have crooned many an idle song.
I have worn round my neck the evening wreath of
bakulas woven by the hand of love.
Yet my heart is sweet with the memory of the first fresh jasmines
that filled my hands when I was a child.
Songs about Jasmines
- Jasmine - Kevin Kendle (2001)
- Jasmine and Jade - The Swamp Coolers (2010)
- Jasmine Flower - Lei Qiang (2000)
- Jasmine Tea - Red Richards (2008)
- Winter Jasmine - Kevin Kendle (2001)
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From Green Grows the Laurel
(song by Cara Dillon)
Green grows the laurel, soft falls the dew,
Sorry was I love when parting from you,
But at our next meeting I hope you'll prove true,
And we'll join the green laurel and the violet so blue.
Songs about Laurels
- Autumn Laurel - Ray Solis and Spectrum (2000)
- Blue Laurel - Joe Battaglia (2007)
- Green Grow the Laurels - Dolores Keane (2010)
- Laurel and Oleander - The Peach Truck Republic (2005)
- Mountain Laurel - The Bailey Brothers (1975)
- Laurels for Laurel - Monty Montgomery (2005)
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Lavender Seller's Cry
(author unknown)
Here's your sweet lavender
sixteen sprigs a penny
that you'll find my ladies
will smell as sweet as any.
Lavender
(Caryl Battersby)
Ladies fair, I bring to you
Lavender with spikes of blue;
Sweeter plant was never found
Growing on our english ground.
Songs about Lavender
- Field of Lavender - Solar Mariel (2007)
- Lilac and Lavender - The Hit Crew (2004)
- Lavender's Blue - Nick Weldon Trio (1994)
- Sweet Blooming Lavender - The Revels (1998)
- When the Lavender Blooms - Patrice O'Neill (1996)
- Who'll Buy My Lavender? - Grace Moore (2008)
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Song of the Lilac
(Louise Imogen Guiney)
Above the wall that's broken,
And from the coppice thinned,
So sacred and so sweet
The lilac in the wind!
And when by night the May wind blows
The lilac-blooms apart,
The memory of his first love
Is shaken on his heart.
In tears it long was buried,
And trances wrapt it round;
O how they wake it now,
The fragrance and the sound!
For when by night the May wind blows
The lilac-blooms apart,
The memory of his first love
Is shaken on his heart.
Songs about Lilacs
- All the Lilacs in Ohio - John Hiatt (2001)
- Green Grow the Lilacs - Douglas Jimerson (1998)
- Jeannine, I Dream of Lilac Time - Jimmy Rowles (1994)
- Lilac Lane - Smiley Burnette (1962)
- Lilac and Dogwood - Anne Marie Menta (2003)
- Lilac and Lavender - The Hit Crew (2004)
- Lilac Blooms - Tina Malia (2004)
- Lilac Bush, The - Wylie and the Wild West (2002)
- Lilacs - Ron Rich (2000)
- Lilacs and Fire - George Morgan (1970)
- Lilacs in Spring - David Timothy (2008)
- Lilacs in the Rain - Carl Perkins (1983)
- Lilacs in Winter - Ronnie Dove (1973)
- Lilacs in Your Hair - Mustard's Retreat (2005)
- Straw Hat Full of Lilacs, A - Barbara Lea (1956)
- When the White Lilacs Bloom Again - F. Zabach (1956)
- White Lilacs in the Rain - Chuck Baker (2008)
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The Lily
(William Blake)
The modest Rose puts forth a thorn,
The humble sheep a threat'ning horn:
While the Lily white shall in love delight,
Nor a thorn nor a threat stain her beauty bright.
Songs about Lilies
- Autumn Lily - Nathan Bigman (2005)
- Dove and the Lily, The - Karen Parks (2008)
- Lilies - Ashley Hamner (2008)
- Lilies and Ivy - Paul Fine (2006)
- Lilies and Ribbons - Baker Street Irregulars (2006)
- Lilies by Monet - The Happenings (1966)
- Lilies Grow High - Keeter Stuart (2000)
- Lilies on a Pond - Mark Andersen (2008)
- Tiger Lily - Rusty Draper (1957)
- Water Lily - Priscilla Herdman (1976)
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The Lotus
(Li Bai)
In the deep sequestered stream the lotus grows,
Blooming fresh and fair in the morning sun.
Its glowing petals hide the clear autumn water,
And its thick leaves spread like blue smoke.
Alas! in vain its beauty excels the world.
Who knows? Who will speak of its rare perfume?
Lo, the frost will come, chilling the air,
And its crimson must wither, its fragrance fade.
Ill it has chosen the place to plant its root.
Would it could move to the margin of a flower pond!
Songs about Lotuses
- Blue Lotus - Bruce Arnold Trio (2007)
- Lotus Blossom Days - Ronald Douglas (2005)
- Lotus Blossoms - Andrew Brel and Hugh Burns (2006)
- Lotus Flower - The Souljazz Orchestra (2010)
- Lotus Morning - Llewellyn (2007)
- White Lotus - Johnny Todd (2009)
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Poem to the Magnolias Grandiflora
(Christopher Pearce Cranch)
Majestic flower! How purely beautiful
Thou art, as rising from thy bower of green,
Those dark and glossy leaves so thick and full,
Thou standest like a high-born forest queen
Among thy maidens clustering round so fair,--
I love to watch thy sculptured form unfolding,
And look into thy depths, to image there
A fairy cavern, and while thus beholding,
And while thy breeze floats o'er thee, matchless flower,
I breathe the perfume, delicate and strong,
That comes like incense from thy petal-bower;
My fancy roams those southern woods along,
Beneath that glorious tree, where deep among
The unsunned leaves thy large while flowercups hung!
Songs about Magnolias
- Magnolia - Davin James Band (2001)
- Magnolia Wind - Shawn Camp (2004)
- Magnolias - Stone Country (1968)
- Sugar Magnolia - The Grateful Dead (1973)
- Sweet Magnolia Blossom - Billy Craddock (1974)
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Facts about Moonflowers
- The moonflower is a vinning plant that lights up dark skies with large white flowers that bloom only at night. They do this because night-flying insects mostly pollinate them.
- Each moonflowers blossom opens only once. During the day, moonflowers are no larger than an inch or two wide, but when the sun sets, they open up to a six or seven inch bloom. Even though the flowers close during the day, the plant’s heart-shaped leaves offer appeal during the day.
- Oddly enough -- even though it only blooms at night -- the moonflower vine grows better when planted in full sun.
- If you watch a moonflower bloom light up in the moonlight and smell the sweet scent, you can’t help but feel a hint of intrigue and romance. Therefore, it’s no surprise that these plants symbolize romance as well as mystery.
- Since they bloom in the darkness, moonflowers are also symbols of the ability of beauty to emerge in dark times. They can provide hope for people who are going through tough times and encourage them to seek positivity.
- The sap of the moonflower vine was once used to harden the sap of the rubber tree. People indigenous to present-day Mexico made rubber balls using these two plants as early as 1600 BCE.
Songs about Moonflowers
- Flor D'Luna (Moonflower) - Norm Peterson (2008)
- Moonflower in a Moonless Night - Yosuke Kurita (2007)
- Moonflowers - Peggy Lee (1952)
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from Beautiful Morning Glory
(song by Buck Owens)
Beautiful morning glory
Kissed and caressed by the dew
Beautiful morning glory
Good morning glory to you.
Quotes about Morning Glories
- A morning-glory at my window satisfies me more than the metaphysics of books. (Walt Whitman)
- The morning glory which blooms for an hour differs not at heart from the giant pine, which lives for a thousand years. (Alan Wilson Watts)
Songs about Morning Glories
- Beautiful Morning Glory - T. Texas Tyler (1945)
- Mornin' Glory - Bobbie Gentry and Glen Campbell (1968)
- Morning Glory - Blood Sweat and Tears (1968)
- Ode to Morning Glories - Luther Cole (2009)
- What's Your Story, Morning Glory? - Gary Crosby (1959)
- When the Last Morning Glory Blooms - Peter Ostroushko (2010)
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Lawn Boy
(Phish)
Throughout the night
When there's no direct light
And a thin veil of clouds
Keeps the stars out of sight.
I can smell the colors
Outside on my lawn
The moist green organic
That my feet tread upon.
And the black oleander
Surrounded by blues
I'm soon overwhelmed
By olfactory hues.
Songs about Oleanders
- Black Oleander - Sderiza86 (2007)
- Laurel and Oleander - The Peach Truck Republic (2005)
- Oleander - Sarah Harmer (2006)
- Oleanders and Orange Blossoms - Vivek Maddala (2006)
- Pink Oleander - Richard Bennett (2010)
- White Oleander - Obsidian Blue (2080)
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Orange Blossom Lane
(Glenn Miller)
When I kissed you in Orange Blossom Lane
I could hear this heart of mine sing a refrain
I remember the moon was on the wane,
It was time to say goodbye,
And our song became a sigh,
Where are the blossoms that hung on the bough?
Where are the love songs and where are you now?
I'll be waiting till you come back again
Just to kiss you in Orange Blossom Lane.
Songs about Orange Blossoms
- Oleanders and Orange Blossoms - Vivek Maddala (2006)
- Orange Blossom - John Bishop (2006)
- Orange Blossom Honey - Lawrence Blatt (2009)
- Orange Blossom Special - Charlie Daniels Band (1986)
- Orange Blossoms - Rex Willis (2005)
- Orange Blossoms in Summertime - Leah Kline (2006)
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Wild Orchid
(Helen M. Fleet)
"The flower that walks", the Indian said,
And walking spreads its crown-like roots
Through forest glades and upland dales.
Moccasin flower or Lady's Slipper,
It matters not the name
Or if it be fair white or rose or tiny yellow kind
Tis ever rare and wondrous there
This woodland beauty Bequeathed us from another age.
A Heritage to guard with care
And cherish for posterity
That other eyes in future years
May see this Orchid walk the trails
As did our native Indian braves
And shy-eyed maidens of the tribe.
Songs about Orchids
- Black Orchid - Blue October (1998)
- Blue Orchid - The White Stripes (2005)
- Blue Orchids - Jeff Barnhart (2006)
- Chrysanthemums and Orchids - Mark Deutsch (1999)
- I Overlooked an Orchid - Mickey Gilley (1974)
- Orchids in the Moonlight - Raymond Scott (1958)
- White Orchid - Donnie Brooks (1959)
- White Orchids - San Remo Orchestra (2006)
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Passion Flower
(Sir Aubrey De Vere)
Art thou a type of beauty, or of power,
Of sweet enjoyment, or disastrous sin?
For each thy name denoteth, Passion flower!
O no! thy pure corolla's depth within
We trace a holier symbol; yea, a sign
'Twixt God and man; a record of that hour
When the expiatory act divine
Canceled that curse which was our mortal dower.
It is the Cross!
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Regret for Red Peonies
(Bai Juyi)
A melancholy walk among red peonies;
When evening comes, only two flowers remain.
They will not survive the morning wind;
I regret their passing by the campfire's light.
Songs about Peonies
- Peonies and Dahlia Petals - Stamen and Pistils (2005)
- Pink Peonies - Truth About Daisies (2007)
- Poppies and Peonies - Christian Kjellvander (2007)
- White Peony - The Stamic Quartet and New Prague Trio (2009)
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The periwinkle is also known as vinca.
Quotes about Periwinkles
- I say Periwinkles: The white, blue and purple, are the most beautiful flowers; roses and daffodils cannot compare… (Leslie Alexis)
- It’s an odd thing, happiness. Some people take happiness from gold. Or black pearls. And some of us, far more fortunate, take their happiness from periwinkles. (Patricia A. McKillip)
- So, apparently, one can hear the language of flowers, the sigh of a periwinkle, when the sickle of a scythe flashes above it. (Ernst Jünger)
- Through primrose tufts, in that sweet bower, The periwinkle trailed its wreaths; And 'tis my faith that every flower Enjoys the air it breathes. (William Wordsworth)
Songs about Periwinkles
- Perfect Periwinkle Blue - Pushcar (2001)
- Periwinkle - Jessamine (1996)
- Periwinkle and the Primrose, The - Galiana, Boulanger, Morando and Wiener (2008)
- Periwinkle Blue - Rebecca Oswald (2005)
- Periwinkle Springs - Goodbye Sons (2005)
- Watering the Periwinkles - Marc Reift Orchestra (2008)
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from I'm a Lonely Little Petunia in an Onion Patch
(author unknown)
Of all the saddest words
That I have ever heard
The saddest is the story
Told me by a bird
He had spent about and hour
Chatting with a flower
and here is the tale the flower told
I'm a lonely little petunia in an onion patch,
an onion patch, an onion patch
I'm a lonely little petunia in an onion patch
and all I do is cry all day
Boo hoo, boo hoo
The air is so strong it takes my breath away
I'm a lonely little petunia in an onion patch,
oh won't you come and play with me
Songs about Petunias
- I'm a Lonely Little Petunia in an Onion Patch - Earthlings Electric Washboard Band (2008)
- Lonely Little Petunia - Melissa Lancaster (2009)
- Petunia in the Wilderness - Cabin in the Sky (2005)
- Petunias - Matt Roberts (2006)
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Poinsettia
(Charles Woo)
Poinsettia smiles in winter.
People know Christmas is nearer.
Yellow pistil with red leaves appear
In all greeting cards every year.
Songs about Poinsettias
- Cheap Poinsettias - Good Morning Passenger (2010)
- Poinsettia - Patrick McCormack (2010)
- Poisonous Poinsettia - The Thaddeus White Trio (2008)
- Red Poinsettia - Ruth Elaine and Scott Schram (2007)
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Remembrance Day
I'll wear a little poppy,
As red as red can be,
To show that I remember
Those who fought for me.
Songs about Poppies
- Cosmos and Poppies - Michael Allen Harrison
- Daisies and Poppies - Wil Maring (2003)
- Field of Poppies - Sophie Bancroft (2003)
- Little Purple Poppy - Frank Lewin (2005)
- Pickin' Poppies - Gene Vincent (1967)
- Poppies and Peonies - Christian Kjellvander (2007)
- Poppies in a Jar - Benjamin Stecker (2010)
- Pretty Little Poppy - Jimmy Dorsey (1941)
- Red Poppy - Virginia Morley (2002)
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Evening Primrose
(John Clare)
When once the sun sinks in the west,
And dewdrops pearl the evening's breast;
Almost as pale as moonbeams are,
Or its companionable star,
The evening primrose opes anew
Its delicate blossoms to the dew;
And, hermit-like, shunning the light,
Wastes its fair bloom upon the night,
Who, blindfold to its fond caresses,
Knows not the beauty it possesses;
Thus it blooms on while night is by;
When day looks out with open eye,
Bashed at the gaze it cannot shun,
It faints and withers and is gone.
Songs about Primroses
- Evening Primrose - Jimmy Kaleth (2009)
- Hemlock and Primrose - The Clinch Mountain Boys (1967)
- Periwinkle and the Primrose, The - Galiana, Boulanger, Morando and Wiener (2008)
- Primrose Jill - Roger Cook (1970)
- Primrose Lane - Ray Cooper (2007)
- Primrose Path - David Gerlach (2010)
- Sweet Primroses - Shirley Collins (2002)
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Silver Stars, Purple Sage, Eyes of Blue
(Cliffie Stone)
Silver stars, purple sage, eyes of blue
Prairie skies, tender sighs, hearts so true
Out where mother nature's really given
All the things that make a heap of living
Silver stars, purple sage, eyes of blue
Got my horse, got my dog, and got you
Do I really love it here?
Yes, indeed I do
Silver stars, purple sage, eyes of blue
Songs about Sage
- Heather and Sage - David Anthony (1999)
- Purple Sage - Adam Klein (2008)
- Silver on the Sage - Ben, Brendan and Gabe Booher (2007)
- Silver Stars, Purple Sage, Eyes of Blue - Hanson Family (2009)
- Stardust on the Purple Sage - Joe Price (2000)
- When the Bloom is on the Sage - Horse Crazy (2009)
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Ah Sunflower
(William Blake)
Ah Sunflower, weary of time,
Who countest the steps of the sun;
Seeking after that sweet golden clime
Where the traveler's journey is done;
Where the Youth pined away with desire,
And the pale virgin shrouded in snow,
Arise from their graves, and aspire
Where my Sunflower wishes to go!
Songs about Sunflowers
- China Cat Sunflower - The Grateful Dead (1969)
- Little Sunflower - Ray Blue (2010)
- Sunflower - Glen Campbell (1977)
- Sunflower Song - Eddie Noack (1960)
- Sunflower, Sunflower - P.F. Sloan (1967)
- Sunflowers at Midnight - Dayton Rich (2001)
- Wasp Lands on Sunflower - Tom Alford (2008)
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The Tulip
(Emily Dickinson)
She slept beneath a tree
Remembered but by me.
I touched her cradle mute;
She recognized the foot,
Put on her carmine suit, --
And see!
The Yellow Tulip
(George Swede)
For weeks
it struggled
through the hard crust
of the spring earth
and a foot
of air
Just to be
scorched
by the sun
jolted
by raindrops
blasted
by the wind
But on this gentle
May morning
as it opens
yellow petals
to the sky
Nothing else matters
Songs about Tulips
- Honey Bees and Tulips - Whitey Shafer (1968)
- Tiptoe Through the Tulips With Me - Tiny Tim (1968)
- Tulips - Renee Smith (2006)
- Tulips and Heather - Perry Como (1952)
- Tulips, Carnations, Chrysanthemums - Zoe Lewis (1997)
- Tulips in a Vase - Leslie Alexander (2004)
- Tulips in June - Rob Lynch (2003)
- Tulips in Springtime - Alfonso D'artega Orchestra (2006)
- Tulips in the Spring - Brooks Williams (1991)
- Tulips Two-Step - Paul Minor (2006)
- When You Wore a Tulip and I Wore a Big Red Rose - J. Lewis (1970)
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How cunningly nature hides every wrinkle of her inconceivable antiquity under roses and violets and morning dew! (Ralph Waldo Emerson)
The Violet
(Jane Taylor)
Down in a green and shady bed,
A modest violet grew;
Its stalk was bent, it hung its head
As if to hide from view.
And yet it was a lovely flower,
Its colour bright and fair;
It might have graced a rosy bower,
Instead of hiding there.
Yet thus it was content to bloom,
In modest tints arrayed;
And there diffused a sweet perfume,
Within the silent shade.
Then let me to the valley go
This pretty flower to see;
That I may also learn to grow
In sweet humility.
Songs about Violets
- African Violet - Jeff Agler (2005)
- Blue Are the Violets - Liz Anderson (1968)
- Blue Violet - Guy Mitchell (1963)
- Shy as a Violet - Carole Bayer Sager (1974)
- Sweet Violets - Jerry Naylor (1967)
- Violet and a Rose, The - Mel Tillis (1958)
- Violets and Cheap Perfume - Margie Bowes (1958)
- Violet and the Rose, The - Macalias (2000)
- Violets and Daffodils - Barefoot Jerry (1974)
- Violets of Dawn - Eric Andersen (1966)
- Where the Shy Little Violets Grow - R. Puckett (1941)
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