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Practical magic: what plants to plant for love and wealth
It is not necessary to wait for the start of the summer cottage season. Many flowers and spices can be grown in a pot at home, or even in a glass of water.
Each nation has its own myths and legends. And in almost all fairy tales there are plants with which the hero triumphs over evil or conquers his beloved. The legacy of these tales is in the modern culture of different peoples. People believe that certain plants bring good luck, love, and wealth.
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Love symbols
Beautiful legends in Russian culture highlight lily of the valley as a symbol of love. An ancient Russian pagan legend tells about a young man Landysh, who fell in love with Spring. The windy beauty caressed the lover in passing and flew away. And Lily of the Valley remained to mourn her departure. Therefore, lily of the valley in Russian folklore is a symbol of not only love, but also sadness.
The epic about Princess Volkhov and the daring guslar Sadko is built on a similar plot. Probably, the lily of the valley did not become a symbol of unrequited love and sadness: its small flowers bowed to the ground really resemble mourners.
However, in the modern world, lily of the valley is not perceived as a flower of sadness. This is one of the most beautiful forest plants, with which the joy of the arrival of spring becomes stronger. Therefore, you can try to grow lily of the valley in the garden, not forgetting about some of its features.
Lily of the valley is a perennial flower grown from rhizomes. You should also know that in the wild, the plant begins to bloom only in the seventh year of life and stops blooming after 3-4 years. The flower is harmful to pets, so you shouldn’t grow it at home. It is necessary to work with rhizomes when planting with gloves, and it is better to carefully fence a flower bed in the garden.
But there are also symbols of love that are easy to grow and do not need to think about restrictions. Scarlet hybrid tea rose absolutely harmless, feels great outdoors, blooms from late June to late autumn and spreads a pleasant aroma. Roses are grown from cuttings or small bushes with roots. More detailed instructions can be found HERE.
Prosperity symbols
In Celtic legends there is a mystical image of a druid – either a priest or a sage. Druids lived in absolute harmony with nature and knew how to negotiate with it. For example, they might ask for a fertile year. For this they burned clover and scattered the ashes over the fields. Since then, one of the symbolic meanings of clover for modern Irish people has been prosperity.
Clover is a perennial plant that is grown from seeds. This is one of the most unpretentious plants that does not require special care. It is for this reason that clover seeds are often included in lawn mixes. There are also species such as creeping clover that can be grown for beauty. The bright flowers of this plant look great on home gardens.
Japanese tradition associates flower with prosperity chrysanthemums. In the Middle Ages, the golden chrysanthemum was part of the coat of arms of the Japanese imperial dynasties.
It’s no secret that Japanese culture has its origins in even more ancient Chinese culture. According to Chinese legend, the cruel emperor sent 300 young men and women to the island, where a chrysanthemum grows, from which the elixir of life can be prepared. Young men and women were chosen as messengers because the chrysanthemum retained its magical properties only in the hands of people with a pure heart. The messengers did not return back. The cruel emperor died, and they founded a new state on the island – Japan.
Chrysanthemums are grown from seeds. They are unusually cheerful and do not fade for a long time even when cut, so it is not difficult to grow them.
Plants are symbols of good luck
Digitalis – a beautiful plant covered with small flowers that look like thimbles. A European legend gives an even sweeter interpretation of the shape of the foxglove corollas and associates the plant with good luck. According to legend, forest fairies gave flowers to foxes like gloves or soft slippers, making the fox’s gait inaudible. Flowers brought good luck to foxes when hunting.
Today, in European countries, foxgloves are planted in front gardens to attract happiness to the house. It is believed that the flower cannot be transplanted, otherwise the fairy will not find a way to it.
Foxglove purple is a perennial plant that is grown from seeds. She begins to bloom in the second year of life, but in good weather she manages to please with flowers twice a season.
Simple in appearance dill also a symbol of good luck for Europeans. In ancient Rome, magical properties were attributed to dill, put into almost any dish and wove wreaths from it. In the modern European tradition, a belief has been preserved according to which a dill seed in a keyhole drives away witches from the house.
Dill is an annual plant that is grown from seed in the garden beds. It is worth starting to grow dill seedlings at home on the windowsill in March. Later, the seedlings are transplanted into open ground. Dill loves light, and if March turns out to be rainy, it is better to purchase a phytolamp to help the seedlings develop.
And what else useful and tasty can be grown at home on a windowsill, read HERE.