by cmoneyspinner » 13 Aug 2020, 19:59
In the family of my youth, my late mother was the one with the green thumb. She loved to grow flowers and plants. I did not appreciate her gift then, but I do now. She had a way of rearranging our front yard based on the season of the year. I don't know what season of the year it was, but I have a memory of going outside in our front yard one evening. My mother and some of her friends were sitting outside talking. There was a wonderful smell in the air. I had to interrupt the adult conversation and ask my mom what was that delightful odor I was smelling. She told me it was the gardenias she had planted and in the evening was the best time to smell their fragrance.
My mother sometimes created a corsage and wore these flowers when she attended church services. Later on in life (in my teens), I learned about a jazz singer named Billie Holiday and she loved using gardenias to adorn her hair. I must say that she looked quite stylish. When Diana Ross played her part in the movie, “Lady Sings the Blues”, about her life, Ms. Ross also looked very stylish. For a while there I started wearing gardenias too. Although they were fake hair ornaments. By the time I decided to use them as my fashion statement, my mother had already changed her garden and was planting different flowers. LOL.
- billie.jpg (38.63 KiB) Viewed 223 times
DID YOU KNOW?* Gardenia plants are native to tropical and subtropical regions in Africa, Asia and Australia.
* The flower is called gardenia jasminoides and also gardenia grandiflora. The Chinese call it Zhi zi and the Japanese call it Kuchinasi. There are lots of species and hybrids of this flower and also lots of names.
* Dr. Alexander Garden was a Scottish physician and naturalist, who lived in Charleston, South Carolina. The first gardenia jasminoides in America was planted in his garden in 1762.
*
Gardenias come in different colors but it is the white gardenias are extremely fragrant. Extremely? Believe it. My mother grew white gardenias and the scent was unbelievable and unmistakable. You could not possibly mistake the gardenia's scent for the scent of any other flower.
* In the Pacific Islands, there is a custom of wearing a gardenia to indicate whether a woman is married or single. A flower on the right ear means she's single. A flower on the left ear means she is married or “unavailable”.
* Obviously, such an intoxicatingly fragrant flower is made into perfume.
The Grandma-Perfume Trend We Should All Get Behind* Zhi zi or the gardenia is used in Chinese medicine. They create a poultice or cream and use as a topical application. They also use it to treat ailments that stem from excessive heat. By contrast, to name a few of the health benefits in Western medicine, the gardenia is used to lower blood pressure, treat insomnia, combat influenza and even lower cholesterol. Gardenia essential oil is used in aromatherapy to decrease anxiety and get you to relax.
According to Dr. Axe, it may reduce obesity and improve your libido.* The gardenia symbolizes joy, purity and gentleness. But it also has a secret. It symbolizes secret love. I find a little humor in this symbolic meaning. After all, one can't really hide the scent of a gardenia. Give a flower with a fragrance of a gardenia and your secret love is sure to be exposed. LOL.
* * *
Seems like a pretty amazing flower huh?
It does so much more than make smell pretty and look pretty.
Do you have any memories of particular flowers from your childhood?Are there particular flowers you use for medicinal purposes?* Image credit: Photo of Billie Holiday found
here.
In the family of my youth, my late mother was the one with the green thumb. She loved to grow flowers and plants. I did not appreciate her gift then, but I do now. She had a way of rearranging our front yard based on the season of the year. I don't know what season of the year it was, but I have a memory of going outside in our front yard one evening. My mother and some of her friends were sitting outside talking. There was a wonderful smell in the air. I had to interrupt the adult conversation and ask my mom what was that delightful odor I was smelling. She told me it was the gardenias she had planted and in the evening was the best time to smell their fragrance.
My mother sometimes created a corsage and wore these flowers when she attended church services. Later on in life (in my teens), I learned about a jazz singer named Billie Holiday and she loved using gardenias to adorn her hair. I must say that she looked quite stylish. When Diana Ross played her part in the movie, “Lady Sings the Blues”, about her life, Ms. Ross also looked very stylish. For a while there I started wearing gardenias too. Although they were fake hair ornaments. By the time I decided to use them as my fashion statement, my mother had already changed her garden and was planting different flowers. LOL. :D
[attachment=0]billie.jpg[/attachment]
[u]DID YOU KNOW?[/u]
* Gardenia plants are native to tropical and subtropical regions in Africa, Asia and Australia.
* The flower is called gardenia jasminoides and also gardenia grandiflora. The Chinese call it Zhi zi and the Japanese call it Kuchinasi. There are lots of species and hybrids of this flower and also lots of names.
* Dr. Alexander Garden was a Scottish physician and naturalist, who lived in Charleston, South Carolina. The first gardenia jasminoides in America was planted in his garden in 1762.
* [b][url=https://homeguides.sfgate.com/different-colors-gardenias-83459.html]Gardenias come in different colors[/url][/b] but it is the white gardenias are extremely fragrant. Extremely? Believe it. My mother grew white gardenias and the scent was unbelievable and unmistakable. You could not possibly mistake the gardenia's scent for the scent of any other flower.
* In the Pacific Islands, there is a custom of wearing a gardenia to indicate whether a woman is married or single. A flower on the right ear means she's single. A flower on the left ear means she is married or “unavailable”.
* Obviously, such an intoxicatingly fragrant flower is made into perfume. [b][url=https://www.whowhatwear.com/best-gardenia-perfumes]The Grandma-Perfume Trend We Should All Get Behind[/url][/b]
* Zhi zi or the gardenia is used in Chinese medicine. They create a poultice or cream and use as a topical application. They also use it to treat ailments that stem from excessive heat. By contrast, to name a few of the health benefits in Western medicine, the gardenia is used to lower blood pressure, treat insomnia, combat influenza and even lower cholesterol. Gardenia essential oil is used in aromatherapy to decrease anxiety and get you to relax. [b][url=https://draxe.com/essential-oils/gardenia/]According to Dr. Axe, it may reduce obesity and improve your libido.[/url][/b]
* The gardenia symbolizes joy, purity and gentleness. But it also has a secret. It symbolizes secret love. I find a little humor in this symbolic meaning. After all, one can't really hide the scent of a gardenia. Give a flower with a fragrance of a gardenia and your secret love is sure to be exposed. LOL. :D
* * *
Seems like a pretty amazing flower huh?
It does so much more than make smell pretty and look pretty.
[b]Do you have any memories of particular flowers from your childhood?[/b]
[b]Are there particular flowers you use for medicinal purposes?[/b]
* Image credit: Photo of Billie Holiday found [b][url=http://plantcurator.com/creatives-plants/]here[/url][/b].
