Few flowers are more symbolic for me than these two. Liljekonvalj, or Lily of the valley, represents my Swedish childhood. Wherever we lived, from the baltic island of Gotland, to the coastal area of southern Halland and the tenant house we rented on a southern estate, there vas always an abundance of liljekonvalj both wild and cultivated. It is my favorite flower and I am lucky to find them quite content in my current garden. The delicate bells have a divine scent, that now fills up my studio. The dogwoods are the essence of my life in Virginia. They are currently in full bloom all around town, along the highways, and scattered in the woods. We have two old trees in our front yard, magnificent despite their relative smallness. The blooms seem to hover on almost bare twigs and the branch structure is very sculptural. In the fall the shapely leaves will turn bronze and burgundy for yet another time in the limelight.
Friday, April 25, 2008
liljekonvalj and dogwoods
Few flowers are more symbolic for me than these two. Liljekonvalj, or Lily of the valley, represents my Swedish childhood. Wherever we lived, from the baltic island of Gotland, to the coastal area of southern Halland and the tenant house we rented on a southern estate, there vas always an abundance of liljekonvalj both wild and cultivated. It is my favorite flower and I am lucky to find them quite content in my current garden. The delicate bells have a divine scent, that now fills up my studio. The dogwoods are the essence of my life in Virginia. They are currently in full bloom all around town, along the highways, and scattered in the woods. We have two old trees in our front yard, magnificent despite their relative smallness. The blooms seem to hover on almost bare twigs and the branch structure is very sculptural. In the fall the shapely leaves will turn bronze and burgundy for yet another time in the limelight.
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I'm in love with Lily of the Valley as well! Andrew and I were married last summer, at the end of May, a perfect time for Lily of the Valley in the north reaches. I gathered huge bouquets of the flowers. They were divine! Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteIt is nice to have small reminders of home. These are beautiful ones.
ReplyDeletewhat a beautiful post!
ReplyDeleteI love your Lily of the Valley photo :-)
Two of my favorite as well. Presently I'm lucky to have two dogwoods in my garden but I have to start developing some Lily of the Valleys as well.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I have a huge Magnolia tree (inherited from the previous owner) that is another favorite. Project for this spring is to plant a kwanzan cherry tree. That's the one with the pink double flowers that dangle down - just love it!