It's Iris Day!

I've just learned that today is Iris Day. Therefore, I am including a copy (posted directly above) of Vincent van Gough's painting, Irises, which can always be seen at The Metropolitan Art Museum in NYC.

Wiki states that "Van Gogh started painting irises within a week of entering the asylum, in May 1889, working from nature in the hospital garden... He called painting 'the lightning conductor for my illness,' because he felt that he could keep himself from going insane by continuing to paint."

American Meadows points out that "because of the great elegance of the iris bloom, it has been the symbol of monarchs and royal families throughout history. In fact, one of the earliest known artworks of an iris is a fresco in King Minos' palace on the Greek Island of Crete. The palace dates from 2100 BC."

The aforementioned source also claim that in addition to van Gough, "the iris has probably second place (they claim the first is the rose) as the favored flower in great art... irises appear in paintings by Leonardo daVinci, Durer, Renoir, Cezanne, Gauguin, and Claude Monet."

However, another painter, Georgia O'Keeffe who often used flowers (including irises) as her subject, did not see flowers as a "lightning conductor," rather she supposedly once said, "I hate flowers - I paint them because they're cheaper than models and they don't move."

In any event, regarding information pertaining to Iris Day itself, a number of sources, including Holiday Insights, proclaim that this occasion is always observed on May 8th. Another web-page suggests that "the celebration of Iris Day might have Japanese roots because this flower has spiritual meaning in Japan. It is a symbol for creativity, great power and good news to come." 

Upon learning this, I am tempted to go to my local bodega (they sell flowers in bunches) and stare at their irises (since I don't have them in my garden), so I can reflect on their symbol of "creativity, great power and good news to come." 

Iris Day 2021

While cutting through The American Museum of Natural History's Theodore Roosevelt Park (on my way home from the greenmarket and compost drop off) I saw patches of Irises, the flower variety featured in the images atop this entry. 

My seeing them reminded me that Iris Day (celebrated one week and one day ago) was an event I've written about in bygone years here on Blogger. In case you didn't catch my 5-8-2017 post about this holiday, you may reference it by clicking here. 

Whenever I see Irsies I think of Vincent van Gough and today was no exception. 

However, in addition to recalling this artist's paintings of irises, I also thought of what Mary Oliver (the poet) had to say in relation to them:

"Praying

It doesn’t have to be

the blue iris, it could be

weeds in a vacant lot, or a few

small stones; just

pay attention, then patch

a few words together and don’t try

to make them elaborate, this isn’t

a contest but the doorway

into thanks, and a silence in which

another voice may speak.”

These words are something I constantly need to be reminded of when I sit down to write most anything.

Wise Words Re the "Globe Master" (Wednesday's Wisdom)

The text in today's segment of Wednesday's Wisdom comes from a web-page (for American Meadows) that offers wise words re Allium flowers (the Globe Master variety).

They are the purple flora featured in the images atop this entry (which I took this past Sunday when I walked through Theodore Roosevelt Park and came upon the Irises I wrote about in a recent blog post. 

American Meadows page re Globe Masters states: 

".... The colossal round flower heads are up to a foot across... this Allium holds the petals on the flowers after blooming, so it makes a spectacular addition to dried arrangements. Some crafters even paint them--with various colors or with gold paint for the holidays....The word, Allium, means 'onion' in Latin. Many Allium species are native to Iran, where many tulips also originate, and the edible Alliums have been cultivated and a staple of diets for over 10,000 years.

The beauty of the small lavender flowerheads of chives have always been a decorative highlight in herb gardens. But in recent years, gardeners have become fascinated with the larger Alliums, particular the giants. As always, the Dutch hybridizers took them into their stocks... Most bloom in late spring so they bridge the gap nicely between the tulip season and early summer bloom of peonies and poppies.

Experienced gardeners plant these giant Alliums in groups of several bulbs, set very close together. The foliage is not attractive for long, so it's important to plant them next to other perennials whose foliage will more or less cover the Allium's base. This way, the wonderful flower stalks rise up and tower over the other flowers for a wonderful period of bloom."

American Meadows words,"This way, the wonderful flower stalks rise up and tower over the other flowers for a wonderful period of bloom," are proven in the next image which I also took this past Sunday.