Carnation (Dianthus caryophyllus)
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| Source: www.flickr.com/photos/mrhayata/494923616 |
“… the fairest flowers o’ the season
Are our Carnations and streak’d Gillyvors”
- The Winter’s Tale, Act IV, Scene 3
MERCUTIO:
ROMEO:
MERCUTIO:
Carnations have been a popular English flower for hundreds of years. Some say they were introduced into Britain by the Romans who used them to make crowns, wreaths and garlands. Carnations were also known as Coronations or Cornations. Others say that the flowers were naturalized by the Normans as they first seemed to proliferate in the Norman built castles of Dover, Rochester and Cardiff.
"Nay, I am the very pink of courtesy.
Pink for flower.
MERCUTIO:
Right."
- Romeo and Juliet, Act II, Scene 4
Carnations have been a popular English flower for hundreds of years. Some say they were introduced into Britain by the Romans who used them to make crowns, wreaths and garlands. Carnations were also known as Coronations or Cornations. Others say that the flowers were naturalized by the Normans as they first seemed to proliferate in the Norman built castles of Dover, Rochester and Cardiff.
Carnations and Gillyvors belong to the same species, as do Sweet Williams. The name Gillyvor is thought to be a corruption of caryophyllus. Other names for the Carnation include Pink, Gillyflower, Picotee and Sops-in-Wine. Picotee comes from the French picoté, meaning marked with points around the edge and Sops-in-Wine comes from the tradition of using the flowers to flavour wine and beer. The Carnation has a rich pungent clove like scent, the second part of its botanical name, caryophyllus comes from the Latin for clove and was a name that was first given to the Indian clove tree, before being transferred to the Carnation. Carnations were also sometimes referred to as Clove-Gillyflowers or Clove-Gillofloures.
There are over three hundred species of Carnations with hundreds of hybrids, each coming in a variety of colours. Even in 1636 the herbalist John Gerard remarked “how infinite they are … every yeare every clymate and country bringeth forth new sorts.”
Type: Annual, Biennial and Perennial
Height: 18 to 24 inches
When to Plant: Early spring, after the threat of frost has passed
When to Plant: Early spring, after the threat of frost has passed
Flowers: Spring and Summer. Carnations can bloom until Autumn if they are protected from harsh weather and strong winds.
Lady Smocks (Cardamine pratensis)
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Source A. Lance distributed under a CC-by 2.0 license
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"And lady-smocks all silver white
And cuckoo buds of yellow hue
Do paint the meadows with delight."
And cuckoo buds of yellow hue
Do paint the meadows with delight."
- Love's Labour's Loss, Act V, Scene II
Lady-smocks are an early spring meadow flower. Although they
have a faint pink or lilac hue when spread across a meadow they appear “silver
white”. Their name comes from their
resemblance to the white smocks of Elizabethan ladies who would leave them out
to dry and bleach in the sun. Further along in the Song of Spring it mentions when
“maidens bleach their summer smocks”.
It is more commonly known as the Cuckoo flower because it is in bloom
when the first sounds of the cuckoo are heard. Other names for the
flower are Spinks, Meadow Cress and Milkmaids.
Type: Perennial
Height: 8 inches to 2 feet
When to Plant: Spring, when the soil is warm
Flowers: April to May
With regards to the cuckoo buds mentioned in the above quote, there is some confusion as to what flower Shakespeare is referring to. Some believe it is the Buttercup (Ranunculus bulbosis), this would be appropriate as Buttercups are meadow flowers. However the Buttercup is also believed to have been the Crowflower, mentioned in Ophelia's garland. It is possible that these were two names for the same flower.
Type: Perennial
Height: 8 inches to 2 feet
When to Plant: Spring, when the soil is warm
Flowers: April to May
With regards to the cuckoo buds mentioned in the above quote, there is some confusion as to what flower Shakespeare is referring to. Some believe it is the Buttercup (Ranunculus bulbosis), this would be appropriate as Buttercups are meadow flowers. However the Buttercup is also believed to have been the Crowflower, mentioned in Ophelia's garland. It is possible that these were two names for the same flower.