Friday Flowers…climbing roses

2017 was a good year for roses. Climbing roses were everywhere, some climbing two stories.  They were gorgeous!  This spray was somewhat smaller, but it was beautiful and in a place where we could stop so I could get a photo.  🙂

Friday Flowers…poppies in the village

Many villages in France have wonderful floral decorations and there’s even a designation for those with the most attractive displays.  But sometimes you find beautiful flowers tucked into corners or off to the side.  I saw these in Mélisey as we walked back to our parking spot after yet another wonderful lunch at Chez Mimi.  What a glorious sight!

If you’d like to read more about the towns awarded the Ville Fleurie designation, go to France This Way by clicking here.  The author says:

The ‘towns and villages in bloom’ award (ville fleurie) is given to French places that make a special effort to create a pleasant natural environment for both residents and visitors by focussing on plants, flowers and open areas within the town.

Even if a town doesn’t have this designation, you’ll find plenty of flowers and arrangements in many places and of course, you can always keep checking on my blog.  🙂

Friday Flowers: beautiful but deadly

(I know I said I’d be featuring art today, but I forgot it was the day for Friday Flowers.  The art will be up tomorrow.  Sorry.)

Throughout history, there have been many famous poisoners using a variety of poisons, some easily obtained from nature.  Digitalis is one such poison, a poison that can also be useful in treating certain cardiac conditions.   To make it worse, it comes in such an beautiful, inviting package: the foxglove plant.

Friday flowers: purple rain

This isn’t just an example of a Friday flower, it’s a fabulously fantastical Friday flower from France.  🙂  I think my language nerd self is taking over: yesterday puns, today alliteration.  (There’s even an “The-Artist-Formerly-Known-As” reference.  What’s that all about??) Who knows what tomorrow might bring other than the weekend?  Whatever it brings to you, I hope it’s wonder-filled!

If anyone knows what this flower is, please let me know in your comment.  Thanks!

People from a planet without flowers would think we must be mad with joy the whole time to have such things about us.
~Iris Murdoch

I love the smell of rain and growing things.
~Serina Hernandez

Friday Flowers…a rose by any other name

These days, I’m not sure “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet” is true.  Many of today’s hybrid roses have no scent at all, something that brings me much sadness.  It’s true that they’re still beautiful, but appealing to only one sense is not nearly as wonderful as touching both sight and smell.

Although you can’t smell these French roses, (I haven’t figured out how to add smell to my posts, yet), I hope you enjoy the sight of them.

It was June, and the world smelled of roses. The sunshine was like powdered gold over the grassy hillside.
~Maud Hart Lovelace, Betsy-Tacy and Tib

 

Friday Flowers…French meadow

Most of my time in France is spent either in the country or small towns, so I have lots of photos of flowers, plants, and landscapes.  This beautiful bit of meadow was not far from my s-i-l and b-i-l’s house.

Silent Sunday…purple