FAIRYTALE GARDENS
With spring rapidly approaching on March 20th, we’re all eagerly awaiting her return and, along with her, the arrival of flowers burgeoning from the ground. While April and May truly herald in the bloomers, it’s never too early to anticipate new life. With the jonquil and daffodil as March’s birth flowers, there are many others that burst forth as well (like the crocus, snowdrop, witch hazel, camellias, hyacinths, and tulips). This reminded us here at Chelsea Flowers how much we miss the spring season and how much we relish it each year. In preparation for new growth, why not daydream about your favourite flowers and their enchanting qualities? There’s really no better way to do so than to look through old picture books and reread favorite fairytales. Alice in Wonderland’s magnificent meadow of living flowers is a prime example of springtime magic.
In Lewis Carroll’s “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland,” there is a whimsical place where, when shrunk to the size of an insect, Alice interacts with flowers that talk and sing. This is called the “meadow of living flowers” where roses, daisies, pansies, violets, blue bonnets, thistles, and sweet peas come to life. While many of these flowers in Alice’s magical garden thrive during late spring and summer, some of our favourites flourish in spring, such as pansies, lily of the valley, and tulips. The tulip was where Hans Christian Andersen imagined that his tiny character Thumbelina emerged from; this is no surprise considering tulips are common in the author’s homeland of Denmark. We mostly associate tulips with the Netherlands because of the endless fields and the fascinating history of tulip mania.
Tulips come in a variety of shapes with a single cup that blooms in early spring or a double cup that comes later. Parrot tulips have petals with ruffled edges, and the ever infamous “broken tulips” are what inspired what we now know as “tulip viridiflora,” or ones with stripes. These broken tulips with striped petals looked this way because of a virus, and, due to their exotic appearance, people became transfixed by them in 17th-century Holland. This led to the tulip mania in Holland, where prices were astronomically high. The “demand for unusual tulips among the wealthy began to exceed the supply, and prices for individual bulbs climbed. Given that the virus responsible for the flowers’ intricate colours also weakens the bulbs, the supply of any given broken tulip strain was constantly under gradual decline, thus contributing to the ever-increasing prices.” Viridiflora tulips have been bred to look like this highly desirable type of flower and are known for their “feathered green markings and striations on petals of various hues.” They have been made immortal by Dutch artists like Jan van Huysum.
Pansies play a pivotal role in one of our favorite fantasies of all time: Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” It’s the juice of this flower sought out by Puck in service of Oberon that, when sprinkled on eyelids, makes one go mad with desire. This is why Titania—queen of the fairies—falls deliriously in love with Bottom when she awakens and he’s the first creature she sees. Pansies are known for their hardiness and ability to spread quickly. Even in cool weather, they thrive. These are annuals (which means they need to be replanted every year) that come in a variety of colours and grow well in pots or a garden bed. Pansies love the shade and need rich soil that’s watered often but not to the point of oversaturation. Since they are “heavy feeders,” compost is always a good idea when first planting.
For tulip bouquets—and other spring favorites—Chelsea Flowers has you covered. For more floral tips, check out the blog and links below:
https://gardenofeaden.blogspot.com/2008/12/old-broken-and-unusual-dutch-tulip.html
https://www.britannica.com/story/tulip-mania-how-a-plant-virus-fueled-a-speculative-frenzy
https://www.thespruce.com/pansies-growing-a-cool-weather-favorite-1402913