Jane at Levant: V is for Violets and Violas

Tuesday 14 June 2011

V is for Violets and Violas

Vibrant and Versatile they vary in variety adding valuable colour to borders, pots and hedgerows.This is my contribution to ABC Wednesday to celebrate the letter V

Viola odorata - the wild violet

Folklore:

The ancient greeks considered the violet a symbol of fertility and love,so they used it in love potions

Midsummer Night's Dream

I know a bank whereon the wild thyme blows
Where oxslips and the nodding violet grows
Quite over canopied with luscious woodbine
With sweet muskroses ,and with eglantine
There sleeps Titania sometime of the night
Lull'd in these flowers dances and delights
And there the snake throws her enamell'd skin,
Weed wide enough to wrap a fairy in.

William Shakespeare

New additions to my garden - Viola Martin - Spider - Victoria's Blush - bought from a local plant fair at Hodnet Hall

Gardeners tip given to me on that day - always grow violas in deep pots - to give maximum root space and clip back hard in September to encourage new healthy growth.

10 comments:

Jane and Chris14 June 2011 at 05:41
They are such pretty flowers, delicate and innocent looking.
Jane x
Lucky you to see Elton John!
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Richard Lawry14 June 2011 at 09:51
We have planted violets in our deck planters for the first time this year. I love them

An Arkies Musings
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Roger Owen Green14 June 2011 at 11:18
Very pretty (and good posting!)
ROG, ABC Wednesday team
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photowannabe14 June 2011 at 14:44
So, so lovely. I love the pastel lavender shades of violas.
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Carver14 June 2011 at 17:18
I love violas and have quite a few in my garden too. Great idea for the V post and beautiful shots.
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MERYL JAFFE, PhD - parent, psychologist, teacher, author...15 June 2011 at 11:39
lucky you going to Elton John. The photo of the viola is lovely - I love those colors.
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Posie17 June 2011 at 09:07
That brought back memories, I once played Titania in a production and loved those words...love your header photo, lucky you getting to hear Elton John, bet it was magical too.
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jane17 June 2011 at 10:49
So lovely to hear from you all it makes blogging so worth while - take care x
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Molly18 June 2011 at 14:35
Jane - catching up with your blog tonight! You lucky ducks going to see Elton John - brilliant! Your violas are cool too xxx
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EG CameraGirl21 June 2011 at 10:57
Such lovely little flowers!
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FAIRY -LED

The fairy people flouted me,
Mocked me ,shouted me
They chased me down the dreamy hill and beat me with a wand
Within the wood they found me ,put spells on me and bound me
And left me at the edge of day in John the miller's pond
Beneath the eerie starlight;
Their hair shone curd -white
Their bodies were all twisted like a lichened apple tree
Feather -light and swift they moved,
And never one they loved,
For all were full of dreams and dark designs on me.

With noise of leafy singing
And white wands swinging
They marched away amid the grass that swayed to let them through.
Between the the yellow tansies
Their eyes,like purple pansies,
Peered back on me before they passed all trackless in the dew.

Mary Webb - from the Spring of Joy

Three softly curved white sepals veined with light,

Three green-lined petals,guarding frugal gold,

And all so strong to fold or to unfold!

Snow thunders from the bending pines.How slight

This frail,sheathed stem! Yet all unbent it springs,

So swift in stoopings and recoverings.

In the pale sunshine,with frail wings unfurled,

Comes to the bending snowdrop the first bee.

She gives her winter honey prudently;

And faint with travel in a bitter world,

The bee makes music, tentative and low,

And spring awakes and laughs across the snow.

Mary Webb

Found on the Web Part One

Short Jokes of the day

Dress Code.

It is advised that you come to work dressed according to your salary. If we see you wearing Prada shoes and carrying a Gucci bag, we assume you are doing well financially and therefore do not need a raise. If you dress poorly, you need to learn to manage your money better, so that you buy nicer clothes, and therefore you do not need a raise. If you dress just right, you are right where you need to be and therefore you do not need a raise.

Sick Days

We will no longer accept a doctor's statement as proof of sickness. If you are able to go to the doctor, you are able to come to work.

Personal Days

Each employee will receive 104 personal days a year. They are called Saturday & Sunday.

Found on the web !! Part 2

Toilet Use
Entirely too much time is being spent in the toilet. There is now a strict three-minute time limit in the stalls. At the end of three minutes, an alarm will sound, the toilet paper roll will retract, the stall door will open, and a picture will be taken. After your second offence, your picture will be posted on the company bulletin board under the "Chronic Offenders category". Anyone caught smiling in the picture will be sanctioned under the company's mental health policy.
Lunch Break
Skinny people get 30 minutes for lunch, as they need to eat more, so that they can look healthy. Normal size people get 15 minutes for lunch to get a balanced meal to maintain their average figure. Chubby people get 5 minutes for lunch, because that's all the time needed to drink a Slim-Fast.
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