ph: 361-935-1556
nancyk
May 25, 2018
By Charlie Neumeyer - Victoria County Master Gardener
Edited by Charla Borchers Leon
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO BY CHARLA BORCHERS LEON/VICTORIA COUNTY MASTER GARDENER
Spectacular red Flanders poppies are planted to form a lawn blanket outlining a red carpet leading to the Royal Hospital in Chelsea, England to remember those who both served their country and gave the ultimate sacrifice in the World Wars. Two years ago this month, Master Gardener Charla Borchers Leon and husband Robert Leon, attended the Chelsea flower show in Chelsea London on an anniversary trip. Flanking the showgrounds was this incredible sight, the Figure Court of the Royal Hospital, a retirement and nursing home for some 300 veterans of the British Army.
PHOTO COURTESY OF AGGIE HORTICULTURE WILDSEED FARMS
The famous Common/Red Corn Poppy is native to Europe and the subject of the poem "In Flanders Fields" describing the Belgium battlefields with poppies where soldiers were laid to rest after battle during World War I. This poppy has been the symbol of Remembrance since Nov. 11, 1921, as its seeds can lie dormant in the soil for many years but will germinate if the soil is disturbed. Such was the case of the churned up battlefields with fallen soldiers where poppies have bloomed for years thereafter.
By JOHN MCCRAE
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie,
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
The poem, “In Flanders Fields,” was written by Canadian physician Lt. Col. John McCrae in 1915 after presiding over the funeral of friend and fellow soldier Lt. Alexis Helmer. It was inspired by the red poppies that were the first flowers to bloom among the fresh graves in Flanders, a region of Belgium.
In February 1924 the name “Buddy Poppy” was patented to guarantee that the disabled and needy veterans would be aided financially by the VFW Buddy Poppy program. Today, these poppies are still assembled by disabled and needy vets in VA hospitals and they are compensated for their work by the donations citizens make to the VFW on Buddy Poppy Day.
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO BY TORIN BALES
Tulips, like Forget-me-nots, are associated with the meaning of love. Both are associated with Memorial Day (in Canada and Newfoundland) involving both World Wars. As an expression of gratitude for safe haven in WWII and helping liberate The Netherlands, Princess Juliana sent 100,000 tulip bulbs to Canada in 1945, and 20,000 have been sent annually since then. Shown here are tulips of all colors as seen by Torin and Melissa Bales this spring near Amsterdam.
Flowers play an important role in our lives today. We use them to celebrate weddings, as a form of remembrance at a funeral or just to express our feelings of appreciation. Flowers grown from cuttings or seeds that have been passed along serve as reminders of the relatives or friends from whom we received them.
According to The Old Farmer’s Almanac, the symbolic language of flowers has been used throughout Europe and Asia and has appeared in “mythologies, folklore, sonnets and plays of the ancient Greeks, Romans, Egyptians and Chinese.”
If you google “plant symbolism,” you will get lists from various sources that contain hundreds of flowers and their meaning. The list on Aggie Horticulture compiled by Dr. Jerry Parsons lists 134 flowers and their meaning. The list on Wikipedia contains 147 entries, many of which are broken down by the different meaning for each color of that particular flower.
But perhaps the flowers that bring forth the strongest emotions are those that symbolize a nation’s recognition of the sacrifices associated with wars.
With various sentiments through time expressed by flowers in remembering loved ones and those who gave the ultimate sacrifice, historical research indicates they often symbolize love.
The Veterans Affairs Canada site describes forget-me-nots as having a “special meaning” in Newfoundland and Labrador. The flower is worn on their Memorial Day in remembrance of the hundreds of casualties suffered at the Battle of the Somme. This battle was fought July 12, 1916, and ended on Nov. 18, 1916. It was one of the many important battles of WWI, and the forget-me-not was chosen as a symbol of remembrance.
Both the Wikipedia and Aggie Horticulture sites list the meaning of the forget-me-not as true love.
Although not an official symbol of the Netherlands, tulips are strongly associated with this country. Tulips served as a way for Crown Princess Juliana of the Netherlands to express her gratitude to the people of Canada for providing a safe haven during WWII and for the efforts of the Canadians who fought to liberate the Netherlands.
According to the Veterans Affairs Canada website, in 1945, Princess Juliana sent 100,000 tulip bulbs to Canada, and the Netherlands continues to send 20,000 bulbs annually. Tulips, depending on the color, have various meanings, but love is the most common.
Red poppies are used in the United States and in Britain and countries that are currently or former parts of the British Empire.
In the United States, these artificial flowers are known as the “Buddy Poppy.” Wikipedia notes that in Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom Northern Ireland, and the Republic of Ireland, the flowers are called a “Remembrance Poppy.”
The idea for using the poppy to commemorate military personnel who had died in the Great War was inspired by a poem written by Lt. Col. John McCrae on May 3, 1915.
The poem, “In Flanders Fields,” was written after the author experienced the loss of a fellow soldier and friend.
According to greatwar.co.uk website, the spring of 1915 was very warm, and red field or corn poppies (papaver rhoeas) began to bloom in April and May. These flowers grew and bloomed despite the fact that the earth in Flanders was torn up by war. The red poppies provided both the opening and closing imagery in the poem.
According to Wikipedia, in 1918, Moina Michael, in response to McCrae’s poem, vowed to wear a red poppy as a symbol of remembrance for those who fought and died in the war. She campaigned to have the poppy adopted as a national symbol of remembrance and in 1920 it was. A Frenchwoman Anna E. Guerin created an artificial poppy, which was the basis for the crepe or silk red poppies we see today.
Although the idea to use a red poppy to commemorate those who fought in the First World War was started overseas, Moina Michaels, who was a professor in the U.S. from Georgia, came and spoke to the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW). Before Memorial Day 1922, the VFW conducted its first national poppy distribution.
The website VFW.org notes that in 1923, the VFW “Buddy” Poppies would be assembled by disabled and needy veterans to help them financially. Ninety-six years later, the same is true.
The funds that are collected on Buddy Poppy Day are still used to help needy veterans.
Flowers and all that they represent will always be important.
Whether we use them to symbolize our love and affection for someone or something with a broader meaning, flowers speak to us on the universal level.
The Gardeners’ Dirt is written by members of the Victoria County Master Gardener Association, an educational outreach of Texas A&M AgriLife Extension – Victoria County. Mail your questions in care of the Advocate, P.O. Box 1518, Victoria, TX 77901; or vcmga@vicad.com.
ph: 361-935-1556
nancyk