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Show Thoughts From The Garden . . . by Tonya LeMone 'What in the name of everything wonderful is a 'tussie mussie'?" To receive a bouquet of flowers is such an expression of love and caring. It doesn't matter if it is a sumptuous armful of roses or a tiny fistful of wild flowers. And if you happen to know the meaning of each flower, how much greater the pleasure of receiving flowers becomes. In the Victorian era the language of flowers was known by everyone. Because of this knowledge flowers were frequently sent in a small bouquet, known as a tussie mussie, to a friend, an acquaintance or a lover. The message was hidden within the selection of the flowers in the bouquet. A tussie mussie bouquet could say Happy Anniversary, express sympathy, get well soon, I love you, or even I hate you. It gives a whole new meaning to the catch phrase "say it with flowers," but whatever the message was, it was spoken with flowers. Every year around mid-summer when the flowers in the garden were in full bloom, the young neighbor girls would come to our home for a delightful "tea party" (lemonade and lemon thyme cookies) and we would make tussie mussies. Our tea party's were never formal. Often the girls would arrive without notice, but my time with them was always memorable and appreciated not only by me personally, but the girls looked forward to our visits as well. When the girls would arrive, the selection of the flowers for the tussie mussies was the big event. They would first determine the color, then the amount of flowers for the bouquet was of great importance to them. Each girl, who wanted to have the greatest amount of flowers, did not realize that smaller really is better when making a tussie mussie. Very little interest was in the meaning behind the selection of the flowers until I explained if they were giving this to someone in Victorian days the selection of the flowers was the most important part in making a tussie mussie and had to be seriously considered. After all the flowers were carefully selected from the garden, the stems stripped of their lower leaves and then painstakingly wrapped with a paper doily and adorned with an array of ribbons (the more ribbons the better), we would sit and admire our creations with a cup of lemonade in a very fancy tea cup and treat ourselves to homemade lemon thyme cookies. Lemon thyme cookies were a favorite and I tried always to have a batch in the freezer for easy access just in case my little friends would appear. The paper doilies and ribbon were also a necessity and kept on hand for my much anticipated visitors each year. . . These young girls are grown now and their thoughts have " " traveled else where to more exciting summer events like swimming at the pool, riding their bikes, or walking the mall but the times in the garden with them are priceless to me. Except at a wedding, the tussie mussie style of bouquet was rarely seen until recently when the design has become quite popular. The tussie mussie of long ago is reappearing, a neat little nosegay of fragrant herbs and flowers which carries from its maker a small little message, often quite specific. If you are not familiar with their meanings, below is listed some of the herbs from my garden and their meaning. A tussie mussie is, in the name of everything, absolutely wonderful. See you in the garden Basil Best wishes Bay leaf " change but in death " Bergamot Irresistible Borage Courage Campanula Gratitude Clover, four leaved "Be mine" Fennel Flattery Forget-Me-Not True love French Marigold Jealousy Geranium "You are childish" Honeysuckle Bonds of love Heather Admiration Ivy Fidelity, friendship, marriage Lavender Luck, devotion Lemon Balm Sympathy Marjoram Kindness, courtesy Oregano Joy Rose, red Love Rose, pink - Grace, beauty Rose, yellow Friendship Rosemary Remembrance, constancy Sage Gratitude, domestic virtue |