Birth Flowers of April 9th 💐

Acacia
= Elegance, friendship, secret love

Columbine
= Determination, foolishness, I will surely obtain it, I am worried about that person, trembling with worry, determination for victory

Miyakowasure (Gymnaster savatieri)
= A brief rest, farewell, until we meet again, short-lived love

[Acacia]

It is an evergreen tree in the legume family native to Australia that produces cute, yellow, pom-pom-shaped flowers.

Depending on the variety, characteristics such as leaf color and shape differ.

All acacias grow quickly and tend to get large, so they are recommended even for beginners.

However, they are sensitive to dryness and drop their leaves easily, so if you are growing them in pots, be especially careful about them drying out.

They are popular as evergreen symbol trees and are cold-hardy, making them ideal for outdoor planting or as a symbol tree in a garden.

Although they are popular garden trees, their trunks are thin and their roots do not grow deep, so a weak point is that they are easily knocked over by strong winds.

There are various varieties, but all plants in the Acacia genus share the flower language of "friendship."

This is derived from the appearance of small leaves growing densely on the branches.

"Secret love" is said to be derived from the fact that the Aboriginal people of Australia used acacia flowers to confess their love.

Since acacia has wonderful flower language, it is recommended as a gift to express gratitude to a friend or to confess your feelings to someone you are interested in.

If you include a message card and tell them the flower language, they might be very pleased.

[Columbine (Odamaki)]

The genus Aquilegia is a perennial plant distributed in the temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere.

Several species grow wild in Japan, and from spring to early summer, they bloom with uniquely shaped flowers that hang downward.

The Japanese name "Odamaki" is written with characters meaning "hemp spool," and it is said to be named because the shape of the flower resembles a spool of hemp or flax thread used in weaving.

Western columbines, often seen as garden seedlings or cut flowers, are mainly native to North America and Europe, and come in a wide variety of flower colors including purple, pink, white, yellow, red, and multicolored.

There is a rich variety in how they bloom, ranging from single-flowered to double-flowered types, and types that bloom with multiple flowers at the tip of the stem.

Cross-breeding is active, and many horticultural varieties exist, ranging from small to large-flowered species, and plant heights vary from dwarf to tall.

Tall varieties are also distributed as cut flowers.

The overall flower language of 'foolishness' is said to have been given because it resembles the cup held by a girl in European clown plays.

In Europe, it was once called 'lion herb'.

It was believed that the strength of a lion came from eating this herb, and in honor of that, there was a custom of rubbing one's hands with the leaves of the purple columbine.

'Victory' and the flower language of the purple columbine, 'determination to win,' are named after that custom.

[Miyakowasure (Wild Aster)]

It blooms with cute, small chrysanthemum-like flowers.

It is a cultivated variety of Miyama-yomena and is a plant familiar to Japanese people, having been cultivated since the Edo period for use in tea ceremonies and other purposes.

The center of the flower is yellow, and the petals come in colors such as purple, pink, and white.

Although they are small flowers, the deep purple ones are particularly eye-catching.

It is a perfect plant for shade gardens, as it grows better and has more vivid flower colors in partial shade than in places with too much sun.

Depending on the variety, the plant height varies from 20 to 70 cm.

Shorter varieties are grown in pots, while taller varieties are planted in gardens, used as backgrounds for flower beds, or used as cut flowers.

They last a long time and are also popular as flowers for Buddhist altars.

The 'savatieri' in the scientific name is named after Dr. Ludovic Savatier, a French doctor and botanist from the Meiji era.

Also, the English name 'Gymnaster' is said to have been derived from the Greek word 'gymnou,' meaning 'naked,' and 'aster,' meaning 'star.'

The origin of the name Miyakowasure (forgetting the capital) dates back to Emperor Juntoku of the Kamakura period.

There is a legend that Emperor Juntoku, who instigated the Jokyu War, was defeated, and was exiled to Sado, composed a waka poem while gazing at the cute flowers blooming on Sado, trying to forget his longing for the capital, and the name was given based on that legend.

It is said that the flower language of "parting" and "a brief rest" was derived from this episode involving Emperor Juntoku.

(The above is from an internet search)