• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary navigation
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Carol J. Michel

Award winner author of gardening humor books

  • Home
  • About
    • Contact
  • Books
    • Shop
    • Creatures and Critters
    • Potted & Pruned
    • Homegrown & Handpicked
    • Seeded & Sodded
    • The Christmas Cottontail
  • Speaking
    • Upcoming Speaking Engagements
  • May Dreams Gardens
  • Social
    • YouTube
  • Gardening Humor
  • Children’s
  • All Books

May Dreams Gardens

Pansies: Gift from the Garden Fairies

February 8, 2012 By Carol Michel 2 Comments

According to Alice T. A. Quackenbush, the pansies are a gift to us from the garden fairies.

I did wonder about that and suspected that there might be a connection between them. I would guess they are also somehow involved with little violas, too. 

The evidence…

“Once the fairies were making ready for their annual midsummer night’s revel and wanted to do something to make the world brighter for the human race. They put on thinking caps — probably plucked from Foxglove– and thought and thought and thought.  At last one of their number (and how we should bless her!) suggested that they make a new flower.  Unanimous approval and enthusiasm! So they took the blue from the sky, the red from the sunset, the yellow of the sunbeam, the brown of the earth; worked feverishly the night through; and lo! the Pansy with its glowing colors.  A few added the touch of comedy and painted caricatures of their friends on the petals, to be seen even today by those who care to look for them.”  (Chapter VI, page 44, All in a Garden Fair)

 I love the treasures of long-forgotten garden lore that can be found in old books. 

Knowing what we now know about the origins of pansies, I invite you to look at the parade of pansies featured on Faire Garden with new appreciation. Look intently to see the faces of garden fairies.

Perhaps you might see the face of our own Thorn Goblinfly in one of them?

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: books, fairies, flowers

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Fairegarden says

    February 8, 2012 at 12:06 pm

    I ordered this book after the last time you mentioned it, Carol. It has been shipped! I can't wait to read this fine author's definitive essays about the fairies in the garden. You are so lucky to have fairies that are so literate, too! That Thorn probably looks a lot like Gayia, from the beauty pageant. Thanks for the linkage, my friend(s)!
    Frances

    Reply
  2. Gone Tropical says

    February 8, 2012 at 9:20 pm

    I could not resist and ordered the book as well, since I so enjoy your post about it 🙂
    and I hope it applies to violas, since pansies don't grow well in FL.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Updates from Carol Michel

* indicates required
Email Preferences

Categories

  • Blog (3,012)
  • Internal (2)

Blog Tags

annuals Blogging books bulbs dr. hortfreud embrace fairies fall family flowers fruits garden bloggers bloom day garden bloggers book club garden design gardeners gardening gardening geek gardens hoes holidays hortense hoelove houseplants humor indoor gardening insects lawn letters to gardening friends perennials rabbits reviews Secrets seeds shrubs spring tools trees vegetable garden vegetable gardening vegetables weather weeding weeds when a gardener wildflower wednesday winter

The Gardenangelists Podcast with Dee Nash

Gardenangelists Podcast

Footer

Gardenangelists Podcast with Dee Nash

Gardenangelists Podcast

Connect

  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • maydreams icon

Quick Links

  • Home
  • Contact
  • Blog
  • Books
  • May Dreams Gardens
  • Podcast

Updates from Carol Michel

* indicates required
Email Preferences

Newsletter Archive

Copyright © 2022 · CarolJMichel.com · Sitemap · Privacy Policy

Book purchase links are affiliate links and Carol earns a small commission if you make a purchase.