We at Higgledy love cornflowers. It is a little known fact that native sites where cornflowers grow has declined from 264 to just 3 in the last 50 years! The conservation charity plantlife has named it as one of the 101 species it is trying to bring back from the brink.
In folklore, cornflowers were worn by young men in love; if the flower faded too quickly, it was taken as a sign that the man’s love was not returned…bless his little cotton socks.
In France it is the symbol of the 11th November 1918 armistice and, as such, a common symbol for veterans (especially the now defunct poilus of World War I), similar to the poppies worn in the United Kingdom and in Canada.
So there you have it…Cornflower trivia…you don’t get that with your No Frills baked beans.
We did an autumn planting of ‘Black Ball’ from Mr Fothergills seeds.
Ranners and his omlete tossing bear.
(Illustration by Otto Thome 1884)
Locally Grown Wedding Flowers. | Higgledy Garden
November 24, 2010 @ 8:53 pm
[…] in your high street florist but also many more you wouldn’t. Think velvety snapdragons, vibrant cornflowers, love-in-a-mist and campanulas. Or towering delphiniums and clouds of bishop’s lace flower, bound […]
Attracting Bees To Your Garden | Higgledy Garden
November 22, 2010 @ 6:44 pm
[…] Cornflowers. Another nectar rich plant which delights the senses of both man and bee. Lots of cornflowers will get your garden ‘all a buzz’. (Tee hee!) […]
English Cut Flowers. Which One Is King? | Higgledy Garden
November 12, 2010 @ 1:57 pm
[…] for myself I opted for the humble cornflower. I just love those cheeky little chaps. Simple cottage style fellas that greet the eyes like an old […]
Scorchio! | Higgledy Garden
November 6, 2010 @ 6:09 pm
[…] enemy infiltrators of which there were many. Generally that bed is looking great with calendula, cornflowers and one other mystery crop coming […]