Wednesday, August 18, 2010

He Loves Me ♥ ♥ ♥ He Loves Me Not


Who hasn't, on a warm Summer's day,
thrilled in sitting on the garden's lush green grass
slowly plucking the petals of a single daisy 
one by one
while reciting the words...

He loves me, He loves me not...

in hopes of magically discovering your own true love?



He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not  

is a game of French origin.

A young maiden would pluck a daisy's petals 
one by one and sing,
  
"He loves me, He loves me not"

for each petal plucked.

The phrase sung on the last petal picked 
predicted the future of their love.

What an enchanting whimsy!




A Daisy is a symbol of innocence and purity. 
It can also symbolize new beginnings.

The origin of the word Daisy 
is Anglo Saxon “daes eage” or “day’s eye”
which refers to the way daisies open at dawn.

 The name is said to originate 
from the tale of tree nymphs, or Dryads,
who presided over forests, meadows, and pastures. 

Legend tells us that the nymph Belides,  
caught the eye of Vertumnus, the God of the Orchards
as she danced with the other nymphs at the edge of the forest.
 . 
To escape from his unwanted attention, she transformed herself into the flower Bellis, 
which is the Daisy's botanical name. 

♥    ♥    ♥


Daisies are delightful in the garden and so easy to grow.

Most types are perennials, appearing each Spring and growing quickly into a spreading shrub that blossoms in late Spring or early Summer. 

After blooming, I cut my daisy plants down to the ground.
The plant will quickly begin to grow and leaf again 
sometimes blossoming twice if the season is long enough.

  After a few years, in the Spring or Fall, 
the plant will need to be dug up and the roots divided to to prevent these lovely blooms from taking over your garden.



9 comments:

  1. I played that game often, although if it didn't turn out the way I wanted, I would try another flower or else pick petals two at a time :)

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  2. I played that game..and yes i would pick two petals at a time if needed too!

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  3. I feel like a little girl again. If we weren't playing 'he loves me, he loves me not' we were making daisy chains out of the flowers. Thanks for stirring up the old memories!

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  4. What a lovely post, Carolyn! I didn't know any of that about the name's Anglo-Saxon history. Charming.

    As for "easy to grow," well, I have heard it said that only a couple of varieties do well in the hot and humid South. My mother is a daisy fan, though, and grows one of the tough girls who have proven they can stand the conditions. :)

    Gorgeous photos!

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  5. Loved that post, and your photos collages are beautiful.

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  6. Hi Meredehuit, What a lovely blog!!! Should have dropped by sooner. Love your collages, your style.

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  7. Dear Kat, I'm quite sure I played the game the same as you! You made me smile!

    Hazeltree, it seems there were a lot of little tricksters playing the game!

    Debbie,old memories are the best!

    Meredith, Daisy has always been my favorite flower. So glad your mother can grow them!

    Africanaussie, my first attempt at photo collage and it took me f.o.r.e.v.e.r! So glad you like them!

    One, welcome to my blog. Do come again!

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  8. "He loves me" and Daisy Chains, which we'd make into wreaths and wear in our hair, are two of my favorite flower memories from childhood. (Another was the buttercup, where you'd hold the buttercup under an unsuspecting soul's chin and then "accidentally" get the pollen all over them.) Wasn't there a rhyme for that one, too? Love the collage, too.

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  9. I learned some new facts about a Daisy. Very interesting history! Thank you for commenting on my blog about this plant.

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