Red Roses for a Blue Lady?

Today is Saint Valentine’s Day and you’re wondering if you should send lavender, lettuce or red tulips to your beloved?

Interesting aspects of the Sterling Morton Library’s collections can be found within the plant folklore, symbolism and ethnobotanical sections. Folklore and uses of plants by different ethnic and regional groups are explored within this collection. I always find resources on the language of flowers to be particularly fascinating. What does the language of flowers mean? Used primarily in the 1800s and early 1900s, this was a means of communication in which various flowers and floral arrangements were used to send coded messages. Some of the bouquets sent for interpretation could be quite complicated often needing a sort of Rosetta Stone to decipher the message!

Within the collections of the Sterling Morton Library, this selection of resources will be helpful in understanding and deciphering the language of flowers:
Adams, John S. The language of flowers, c1847.
Cargill, Lafayette F. The language of flowers, c1937.
Flowers, their language, poetry, and sentiment, with choicest extracts from poets, a dictionary of the sentiment of every flower, botanical descriptions, &c., 1870.
Greenaway, Kate. The illuminated language of flowers : over 700 flowers and plants listed alphabetically with their meanings, c1978.
Greenaway, Kate. Kate Greenaway's Language of flowers, [197-?]
Kanaga, I. N. The floral diadem, or, Wreath of gathered flowers : to which is added The language of flowers, 1854.
The language of flowers, c1968.
The language of flowers : birthday gems, 1957?
Mayo, Sarah C. Edgarton. The flower vase; containing the language of flowers and their poetic sentiments, 1844.
Miller, Thomas. The romance of nature, or, The poetical language of flowers, 186-?
Seaton, Beverly. The language of flowers : a history, 1995.
Turner, Cordelia Harris. The floral kingdom, its history, sentiment and poetry, 1877.
Tyas, Robert. The language of flowers, or, Floral emblems of thoughts, feelings, and sentiments, 1869.
Waterman, Catharine H. Flora's lexicon: an interpretation of the language and sentiment of flowers: with an outline of botany, and a poetical introduction, 1854, c1839.

Still wondering about sending a bouquet of lavender, lettuce or red tulips? According to The Illuminated Language of Flowers, your beloved might be surpised to receive a bouquet of lavender since it signifies distrust or lettuce which signifies cold-heartedness. On the other hand, red tulips make a declaration of love!

Before you zoom over or call the florists, visit the Sterling Morton Library and look at some of these intriguing resources!

Order, Chaos and Linnaeus

Our group gathered to discuss Wilfrid Blunt’s Linnaeus: the compleat naturalist at yesterday’s meeting of Leafing Through the Pages, the Sterling Morton Library’s book discussion group. The group explored this great scientist’s life, work and studies. In addition to our conversation, the group viewed a number of resources by and about Linnaeus held by the Library. From our Special Collections, they were dazzled by:
Hortus Cliffortianus, 1737.
Genera Plantarum, 1737.
Flora Lapponica, 1737.
Hortus Upsaliensis, 1748.
Systema Naturae, 1748.
Species Plantarum, 1753.
Materia Medica, 1787.
This is just the tip of our Linnaean iceberg! In addition to the volumes that were shared with the group, we have other editions of works by Linnaeus along with a number of facsimiles. As a counterpoint to works by Linnaeus, the group also viewed works by some of his contemporaries. The group looked at:
Historia Plantarum Rariorum by John Martyn, 1728.
New Illustration of the Sexual System of Carolus von Linnaeus by Robert Thornton, 1807.
Flora Japonica by Carol Peter Thunberg, 1784.
The Gardener’s Dictionary by Phillip Miller, 1741.
Also gracing the display were two works from our Art Collection by another contemporary of Linnaeus, Georg Dionysius Ehret. The group was able to view a wonderful original painting by Ehret of an eggplant and a print of the banana plant.
2007 marks the 300th anniversary of Linnaeus’ birth so I suspect you will be seeing lots more about this significant individual during the year long celebration. Snooping around, I found a number of interesting sites highlighting this great scientist. Worldwide there will be a series of special events planned to mark his birth and I encourage you to explore these opportunities!
Sweden’s national tercentennial celebration
Uppsala University celebration of the Tercentenary
Linne on line from the Uppsala University
Order from Chaos: Linnaeus Disposes - exhibit at the Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation.
Linnaeus Link is an international collaborative project to improve access to Linnaean collections through the creation of an on-line union catalogue of Linnaean material on the Web.
The Linnean Society of London
Wikipedia article about Linnaeus

If you wish to explore the many resources by and about Linnaeus in the collections of the Sterling Morton Library, please contact me at rhassert@mortonarb.org.

Articles of note in the Sterling Morton Library : February's offerings

These are some recent articles that can be found within the journal collection of the Sterling Morton Library. Please visit the Library to discover the incredible botanical and horticultural resources that await you! If you are unable to visit the Library and interested in reviewing one of these articles, I would be delighted to help you at rhassert@mortonarb.org.

Hartley, Maria K., William E. Rogers, Evan Siemann and James Grace. Responses of prairie arthropod communities to fire and fertilizer: balancing plant and arthropod conservation. The American Midland Naturalist, v. 157, no. 1, p. 92-105.

Jensen, Richard. Notes on Quercus coccinea Muenchh and Quercus Ellipsoidalis Hill. Oak News & Notes, v. 10, no. 2, p. 5

Johnson, Katherine. Embracing the new family visitor. Public Garden, v.21, no. 3, p. 28-31. [This article is part of a special issue focusing on Challenges Facing Public Gardens.]

Phillips, Leonard. Bald-cypress : the 2007 urban tree of the year. Arbor Age, v. 27, no. 1, p. 12-13. [The Society of Municipal Arborists selected Taxodium Distichum or Bald-cypress as the 2007 Urban Tree of the Year. Three cheers for the bald-cypress!]

Possick, Jennifer. An artful forest : a month-long integrated science project teaches primary students about animals and science inquiry. Science & Children, v. 44, no. 6, p. 30-32

Schulman, Andrew. Choosing the right paving materials. Fine Gardening, no. 114, p. 33-39.

Van Bossuyt, Rufin. The American chestnut restoration program. Arborist News, v. 16, no. 1, p. 20-21.

Flowers in February!

Whew! Sure is brisk out there! A few weeks ago during that much balmier weather, I saw hints of our witch-hazel blooming along the Arboretum’s Groundcover Path. With the temperatures plummeting, I suspect that most of the blooms that we’ll be seeing over the next few weeks will have to be indoors and/or via FTD! Recently the Nature Artists’ Guild of The Morton Arboretum held a paint out at Hausermann’s in Villa Park and the artists were dazzled by their collection of orchids. Orchids by Hausermann’s is one of the largest growers of orchids in the Midwest and will be hosting an open house later in this month. If you hunger for color, scent and actively growing plants, a visit to a greenhouse or conservatory is one way to satisfy this craving.
Other places in the area that you might want to visit for a tropical experience? Garfield Park Conservatory, Lincoln Park Conservatory, Oak Park Conservatory, Birdhaven Greenhouse are all quite close by. A visit to any of these horticultural sites would still allow time for you to swing by the Arboretum for a refreshing jaunt and a visit to the Library!

If you fall under the spell of orchids or are just an admirer, you might be interested in examining the following resources in the Sterling Morton Library on these amazing plants:

• The best orchids for indoors.
• Encyclopaedia of cultivated orchids by Alex D. Hawkes.
• The gardener's guide to growing orchids.
• Orchid genera illustrated by Tom & Marion Sheehan.
• The orchid in lore and legend by Luigi Berliocchi.
• Orchids by Alice Skelsey.
• Orchids by Walter Kupper and Walter Linsenmaier.
• Orchids as house plants by Rebecca Tyson Northen.
• Understanding orchids : an uncomplicated guide to growing the world's most exotic plants by William Cullina.
• A history of the orchid by Merle A. Reinikka.

Watch out for:
Orchid fever : a horticultural tale of love, lust, and lunacy by Eric Hansen.