it can get a bum rap...

...the carnation

i'm not sure why - they're a simple flower - perhaps not the most glamorous, not the most flamboyant of blossoms ever seen - they quietly take their place...

did you know their scientific name is dianthus caryophyllus - roughly translating to "flower of love" or "flower of the gods"? plus with a name like that - they've been revered for centuries - one of the world's oldest cultivated flowers... its history dates back to ancient greek and roman times - when it was used in art...

-meanings of carnations include fascination - distinction - love
-light red carnations - are often used to convey admiration
-dark red expresses deeper sentiments of love and affection
-white are associated with purity and luck
-pink given as a sign of gratitude

regardless of how you perceive carnations - whether you like or dislike them - find them pretty or just as a necessary filler - as in a bouquet - carnations, you must admit - are recognizable around the world... i think everyone who sees them - knows immediately they are looking at a carnation - it's always pleased me - to be able to identify at least one species of flower in the vast array that surround us - and that makes for...

a

happy day.....