About four years ago when I have just started creating a garden around my new home I walked around Palo Alto streets. I was attracted by small blue crapets in some gardens. Tiny light blue flower with with five petals and a delicate yellow dot in its center. The green leaves are shining and healthy, they have a hairy texture.
I bought seeds and spread them in one corner of the garden.
Today I have small light blue carpets every where in the garden. They conquered every space. I still like them. I stand next to kitchen window and they cover the front of the bed below the window. The light blue color is exhilarating. I do feel bad for all the beautiful flowers they cover and I am planning to change the structure of the bed, but I am not planning to weed out the cute little Forget-Me-Not flowers.
I am thinking about asking my sister, Ora, the artist, to create for me a pair of tiny earring in the shape of forget-me-not flowers with saphire stones.
There are about 50 types of the Forget-Me-Not flower.
While writing the blog I found out that Alaska's flower is "Forget-Me-Not.
There are many legends about the source of the name.
One of them is medieval story by the poet William McGonagall. I like the poem and even though it appears onother sites, I decided to copy it right here. It is a long poem, but it is an easy reading.
The Knight and the Bride
A gallant knight and his betroth'd bride,
Were walking one day by a river side,
They talk'd of love, and they talk'd of war,
And how very foolish lovers are.
At length the bride to the knight did say,
'There have been many young ladies led astray
By believing in all their lovers said,
And you are false to me I am afraid.'
'No, Ellen, I was never false to thee,
I never gave thee cause to doubt me;
I have always lov'd thee and do still,
And no other woman your place shall fill.'
'Dear Edwin, it may be true, but I am in doubt,
But there's some beautiful flowers here about,
Growing on the other side of the river,
But how to get one, I cannot discover.'
'Dear Ellen, they seem beautiful indeed,
But of them, dear, take no heed;
Because they are on the other side,
Besides, the river is deep and wide.'
'Dear Edwin, as I doubt your love to be untrue,
I ask one favour now from you:
Go! fetch me a flower from across the river,
Which will prove you love me more than ever.'
'Dear Ellen! I will try and fetch you a flower
If it lies within my power
To prove that I am true to you,
And what more can your Edwin do?'
So he leap'd into the river wide,
And swam across to the other side,
To fetch a flower for his young bride,
Who watched him eagerly on the other side.
So he pluck'd a flower right merrily
Which seemed to fill his heart with glee,
That it would please his lovely bride;
But, alas! he never got to the other side.
For when he tried to swim across,
All power of his body he did loss,
But before he sank in the river wide,
He flung the flowers to his lovely bride.
And he cried, 'Oh, heaven! hard is my lot,
My dearest Ellen! Forget me not:
For I was ever true to you,
My dearest Ellen! I bid thee adieu!'
Then she wrung her hands in wild despair,
Until her cries did rend the air;
And she cried, 'Edwin, dear, hard is out lot,
But I'll name this flower Forget-me-not.
'And I'll remember thee while I live,
And to no other man my hand I'll give,
And I will place my affection on this little flower,
And it will solace me in a lonely hour.'
by William McGonagall
