Spring is about to spring here in Boston, after a particularly harsh winter. Last Saturday we moved our clocks one hour forward, and for the past two days the temperatures have been mild. Today I bought a blue hyacinth to celebrate the season. It hasn't bloomed yet, but soon it will, diffusing its delicious, heady fragrance.Here's a list of flower names in Italian.
La rosa. Rose, also a woman's name.
La margherita. Daisy, also a woman's name.
Il crisantemo. (cree-zahn-TEH-moh). Mums, chrysanthemums. Associated with death and All Souls Day in Italy, do not give as gift.
Il garofano. (gah-ROH-fah-noh). Carnation.
Il giacinto. Hyacinth, a man's name, no longer common.
Il glicine. Wisteria. Love it.
La ginestra. Broom, a yellow flower among the first blooms of spring. The title of a famous poem by Leopardi.
L'azalea. (guess)
La gardenia. (guess again)
Il giglio. Lily. Not a personal name.
L'iris. Also a woman's name, no longer common.
La lavanda. Lavender.
La magnolia.
L'oleandro.
L'orchidea. (ohr-key-DEH-ah). Orchid.
Il papavero. Poppy.
La peonia.
Il tulipano.
La violetta. Violet, also a woman's name, no longer common.
(in the picture, a vase of flowers by Giovanna Garzoni, a 17th century artist famed for her still lifes of flowers and fruits, who had great success during her lifetime and made a good living from her art work)
