During certain times in my life, I have been fortunate to have access to backyard gardens for personal “floral therapy.” But, living in bustling Manhattan, we all must express garden creativity with small—really small—patches of land. It’s true that most New Yorkers consider Central Park a community garden shared by all, just as the creators Frederick Law Olmstead and Calvert Vaux intended. But locals in my neck of the woods must satisfy their private agrarian urges with tiny potted plants on steps, window boxes, or floral edgings around trees. But we make due.
As I strolled home the other day, walking the 2 or 3 miles from Midtown to the Upper East Side, I relished the minature gardens all around. This reminded me of a vintage-inspired book that I came upon in my wedding work– I Do! I Do!, by Susan Waggoner which explained the particular “meanings” that popular have represented over the years. And on this March day, the symbolism made the minute gardens even lovelier.
Consider the symbolism of some favorite flowers: daffodil….devotion; lavender….luck; dark pink rose….gratitude; bluebell…..gratitude; orchid….rare beauty; lily….majesty; violet….simplicity; light pink rose….grace; iris….warmth of affection.