What’s your favorite flower? Least favorite flower? Do any flowers scare you because of toxicity? I like most flowers with a couple being favorites. Pansies and peonies top my list. Pansies are colorful year-round, edible (did you know that?) and supreme survivalists. Peonies, well, they are fragrant, fluffy, long-lasting happiness. Roses are lovely too. I prefer pink and yellow roses. But roses are disappointing when they droop and wilt sooner than expected.
Atlanta usually gets at least one, hard freeze each winter. I’ve had pansies covered with ice in January and by March they are back, bright and blooming. Yellow and white pansies are great for transitioning from fall/winter into spring. Read about surprising pansy facts here. Did you know that you can decorate cakes and other culinary creations with pansies? I haven’t tasted a pansy thus can’t weigh in on their flavor, or lack thereof. Maybe soon...
Then there are indoor favorites. I received my first ever bouquet of peonies a couple years ago from Savanna’s mother-in-law, Mary Ellen. Peonies speak softly for themself: soft color, musky-floral fragrance, generous, enduring blooms. In short, fluffy, cotton-candy-like joy! It was love at first sight for me:
Lilies any one? Lilies are stunning, aren’t they. White Christmas lilies make the most beautiful center-piece. Jeff’s mother gave us a Christmas lily bouquet in 2018. It bloomed precisely Christmas eve. Heavenly. Lilies are known for “purity” and “devotion.” But do you know that lilies are also highly toxic to cats and dogs? I didn’t know this until a few days ago when Savanna called to tell me her beloved Archie had lily pollen all over his face and "could die."
"Death" doesn't sound like purity and devotion to me! Let the google-frenzy panic begin. It’s true, when a crisis strikes we are inclined to google like crazy. Doing so can help but it can also induce [more] fear. Archie is all right, ptl, but he did spend a day in the hospital for precautionary observation. If you have house pets, and you’re a lily lover, here's some info on lily toxicity to cats and dogs.
At the end of the day, any flower that isn’t lethal to pets or other animals is my favorite flower!! Zero poison smells and looks good regardless of all else. Spring is just around the corner, thank the Lord! Cheers to your favorite flowers filling your garden in a few short weeks.
Thank you for reading!
Love, Shelley
Sav and Dan's blogs are below. We posted about the same topic this week. Redundant, bland, boring? We won't be duplicating in the future (too much) but for the sake of flowers and cats we couldn't resist this time. I hope you enjoy their posts.
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