Daisy Fresh

The daisy, birth flower for the month of April, has long been celebrated in art and poetry for its simple beauty. Poets like Chaucer, Phoebe Cary and James Montgomery used the flower to symbolically express devotion. Hairpins decorated with daisies have been found in ancient ruins dating back 4,000 years. A European native, the daisy is widely naturalized in North and South America. While its most recognizable form—white petals and a golden yellow center with grassy-green stem and leaves—belongs to the family "Bellis perennis", its common name comes from the term "day's eye," a reference to the fact that daisy blooms are only open during the day and close up at night.

There is a myth that tells of the daisy's creation when a nymph transformed herself into a charming but unassuming wildflower to escape unwanted attention. Through the centuries, daisies came to be associated with innocence, childlike joy and playfulness. No other flower captures the essence of spring’s happy-go-lucky, forever-young attitude like the daisy. Daisies have long been associated with love. The "she loves me, she loves me not" method of pulling petals from a flower was first used with the daisy to tell love's fortune. Daisies are customarily given in bouquets to new mothers as a way to celebrate the birth of their baby. Did you, as a child, make "daisy chains" to wear on your wrists and in your hair?

Happy birthday, April babies!

Inspired by a meadow filled with flowers on a blue-sky day, here is a daisy chain of ten fresh-as-a-daisy spaces just for you:

1.

2.

3.
4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

If I had a little blond dachshund, I would name her Daisy and buy her a soft blue settee. We would sit side by side. I would sip tea and read poetry aloud. She would nap quietly, dreaming of sunshine and endless green meadows.

See, the grass is full of stars,
Fallen in their brightness;
Hearts they have of shining gold,
Rays of shining whiteness.

Buttercups have honeyed hearts,
Bees they love the clover,
But I love the daisies' dance
All the meadow over.

FROM "DAISY TIME" BY MARJORIE PICKTHALL

Top photo by Baslee Troutman (isn't it gorgeous?). Other daisies via stock photo sources, photographers unknown. All interior photos via marthastewart.com. Daisy facts via teleflora.com, birthfloersguide.com and life123.com

The Color of Happy

Did you figure it out? Of course you did.

Yellow is the color of happy.

I'm fairly certain that it is impossible to be unhappy in a room that includes a little, or even a lot of, yellow.

I'm not talking about just any yellow though. In springtime, the most cheerful yellows, the yellows we've waited for all winter, are those that come in the form of rubber rain boots and baby chicks. Fresh, lemony desserts. The warming sun. Easter eggs and daisies. Butterflies, dandelions and daffodils.

Daffodil yellow is the color in focus here because the daffodil is the birth flower for the month of March. How lucky you are, if you're born in March, to have this eternally cheerful flower as your own. Symbolically, the daffodil represents rebirth and new beginnings. Ancient lore throughout the world recognizes the daffodil as a sign of winter’s end and as a lucky emblem of future prosperity. And while their botanic name is narcissus, daffodils are sometimes also called jonquils, and in England, because of their long association with Lent, they’re known as the “Lent Lily.” In Wales, it is said that if you are fortunate enough to spy the first daffodil of the season, your next twelve months will be filled with wealth. Chinese legend tells that if a daffodil bulb is forced to bloom during the New Year, it will bring good luck to your home.

The daffodil is also the traditional flower of 10th wedding anniversaries. And while a gift of daffodils is said to ensure happiness, you should always remember to present daffodils in a bunch – the same legends that have the bright flowers bringing good fortune and happiness warn that when given as a single bloom, a daffodil can foretell misfortune. Yet another fact contrary to the flower's optimistic disposition is that the daffodil can be poisonous if eaten. In medieval times, there was a belief that if you looked at a daffodil and it drooped, it was an omen of death. Thank goodness these are only myths! The truth of the daffodil is that of a dependable, easy-care garden flower, a magical sight when naturalized in the wild, and a perennial favorite for its long life, colorful blooms and sweet fragrance.

A yellow with the exuberance of the daffodil can be tricky to decorate with. As you can see in the two homes I've featured here, liberal doses of white and pale neutrals keep the yellow from overwhelming. And in both homes, black adds a sophisticated counterpoint to a crayon-bright color that could appear juvenile if not reined in. On the other hand, notice too how even the smallest accent of this bold yellow cheers and warms a space that might feel cold or somber without it. Yellow is the color of happy. Of smiley faces and springtime. Of optimism and sunshine. Daffodils, joyful surprise that they are each spring, will fade. Using their color in your home keeps them with you every day, in every season.

Click here to visit the New Hampshire farmhouse (top images) or here to learn more about the North Carolina bungalow (bottom), both featured on countryliving.com. Gorgeous photos by Lucas Allen and Keith Scott Morton respectively. Daffodil facts from teleflora.com and birthflowersguide.com