Hidden Floral Treasures

There's something about flowers in bloom that simply makes me smile. It's the same kind of smile I felt inside when I last received a bouquet of flowers many years ago.

When I first came to the cottage, I strived for a a well manicured flower garden and herb garden. Beds of gladioli standing in attention like soldiers. Sunflowers so high a shadow would cast over me and dahlias that bloomed far larger than I ever thought possible. I planted roses that to this day gives me hundreds of blooms in one season. Zinnias ballooned into clusters of petals and lavender. Lavender everywhere.

The flower garden as well as the orchard and the vegetables are hit or miss year after year. This year the flowers garden was a miss.

Sometimes life is just that, life. As I age I am learning to accept when to give certain things a rest.

The weather has been unlike past years. Just a few weeks ago, smoke was billowing from chimneys in the area as temperatures dropped before sunset, leading to frustration as conversations centered around our weather, while Ireland and England experienced a historic heatwave.

And there has been rain, lots of rain, more rain than I can remember from recent memory.

I have come to embrace it as part of the galician charm of the northen lands where unpredictability is standard.

With my flower garden being minimal this year, wildflowers have taken over everywhere. Some are so tiny that I need to bend down and use my reading glasses to appreciate their petals, while others spread rapidly across the meadow like wildfire.

I knew of many of the blooms and have read about them in sonnets and poems when a kid. Some blooms are considered weeds like the dandelion, other lovely blooms are not often requested and may very well not be marketable to the ever so demanding consumer.

I have come to the conclusion most everything that grows has purpose since literally digging in the dirt. Purpose for attracting polinators and bugs that are beneficial for the ecosystem. Many help with erosion, some thrive to alert of immenent drought and others just show off and overrun areas when ignored creating a blanket over the soil.

Just as I initially identified monstrous bugs when I first moved to the woods so long ago, I now do the same with flowers that are unfamiliar at first glance. Once I identify them, I realize they existed in some form and I regretfully pulled them from the soil in seasons past. I now see the blooms and it brings a smile to my face, as if I've just received a bouquet of flowers.

During this exploration of sorts amongst many other things I have going on right now in my life, the Hidden Floral Treasures was born. A collection of dish towels, each representing the first flowers I see when walking out the back door to start my day.

Once the artic air blew threw and the rain reduced to ocassional rain fall I tended to the vegetable garden until the UV rays became dangerously high for me. During this time the blooms will appear and I will look them up and I am surprised of how many are just labeled as "bad", but each one serves a purpose.

Spending hours indoors while the sun beamed high above waiting for dusk to venture out other blooms will appear at nightfall.

Nature is magic!

Bramble Vines

Despite the thorny vines throughout the year the sweet blackberries to be harvested are testament to the impeding danger of its protective prickly thorns- there is beauty and sweet nourishment when gently appraoching the entangles vines. 

Discover our Bramble Dish Towel

Dactylis

Meadow Grass is known for its contradictions..

It is invasive, yet it serves it purpose.

It grows effortlessly and is a natural erosion control for the soil.

Representing vitality, it dances in the wind amongst wild flowers, cats love it and makes great nests for chickens because of it soft and fluffy tips. 

Discover our Dactylis Dish Towel

Fento

In Galicia, ferns symbolize humility, sincerity, and magic, with deeper connections to folklore, rituals, and even protection against evil spirits. It is one of the main components of "La Herbas de San Xuan". They are also associated with new beginnings, resilience, and the ability to thrive in challenging condition. Some Galician legends mention that it blooms on the night of San Juan.

Discover our Fento Dish Towel

Golden Poppy

The yellow poppy is often associated with positive memories, especially of those who have passed away, and can also represent friendship and goodwill. 

Long used by Native Americans for medicinal purposes and ceremonies. Believing it is the final plant created by the Tongva's god of creation,

"It is golden as the sun,

bringing beauty to the world."

Named "La Copa de Oro" by Spanish settlers in the late 1700´s

To become the State flower of California since 1903.

Discover our Golden Poppy Dish Towel

Evening Primrose

The Evening Primrose with its nocturnal charm has a deep rooted connection with human nature. 

Blooming as the sunset these delicate flowers showcase their splendor at dusk with its dusty purple petals. Historically, the primrose has a romantic connection with emotions. 

Discover our Primrose Dish Towel

Marigold

Marigolds are synonymous with the sun, warmth and energy.

It is utilized for so many purposes:aside from being edible it is a natural food colouring and fiber dye, offering an vast colour pallette from light yellow to dark greens.

Has culinary uses and used in infusions.

Greatly associated with cultural celebrations. The Day Of The Dead: remembrance, spirituality, and celebration. In Hindu ceremonies, they represent auspiciousness, purity, and the sun's energy.

Discover our Marigold Utility Towel

Marguerite

The vivid yellow hue of daisy petals is naturally linked to sunshine and warmth, bringing about a sense of joy and cheerfulness.

Yellow daisies are closely connected to friendship and are frequently gifted as a symbol of affection to friends.

Discover our Marguerite Dish Towel

Moonflower

Moonflowers revolve around dreams, intuition, and the mysteries of the night. Their association with the night, coupled with their pure, white color, also links them to purity, feminine energy, and mysticism. In most cultures the moonflower symbolizes transformation, romance, a hidden or secret love, due to their nocturnal blooming.

Discover our Moonflower Dish Towel

Pink Clover

The pink Clover is to be admired and valued. It attracts pollinators. In doing so it has been believed to attract life and hope in folklore.

 In some cultures, pink clover has been associated with good luck and protection. 

Discover our Pink Clover Dish Towel

Trevor

A three-leaf clover, the Trevo in Galician and for the Irish the Shamrock.  It is deeply rooted in Celtic traditions and christianity.

A symbol of faith hope and love and   associated with the Holy Trinity in Christianity. Each leaf is said to represent the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  In more popular culture it will always be considered "The luck of the Irish"

Discover our Trevor Dish Towel

It's uncommon for anyone to claim they dislike roses. I don't remember when my appreciation for roses started, but my understanding of the flower deepened into a more philosophical one when I became captivated by the works of William Butler Yeats when I was in my teens.

I read and re-read the Rose of Battle, memorizing the second half of the first stanza:

The poetic lines and symbolic phrases about the rose symbolize beauty in the midst of adversity, war, sorrow, and loss.

Midnight Rose

A bloom full of contradictions, beautiful and dangerous, refined yet turbulant.

Symbolizes love and loss.

Passionate love, sacrifice, and enduring affection in Greek Mythology and an

emblem of a 30 year war between the Yorks and the Lancasters 

But shakespeare said it best:

"A rose by any other name would smell as sweet"

Discover our Midnight Rose Dish Towel

The saying "stop and smell the roses" is an expression that urges individuals to take a moment to slow down, value the little things in life, and avoid becoming overly absorbed in the hustle and bustle of everyday life. It serves as a reminder to discover joy and beauty in the present and to avoid hurrying through life without pausing to observe the beauty that surrounds us.

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