Forgive me Bookworms,
I must confess that I’ve been neglecting you. I am officially the crazy flower lady. I took time off of work to plant my flowers this year. Seriously. Staycationing is totally a thing and flowers are like therapeutic for me. I love them so, so much! However, since I was shopping and planting and all that good stuff, I didn’t get a lot of reading done. The fresh air takes it out of you, thus I kept falling asleep during my ritualistic pre-bedtime reading. Sorry. But! I’m going to make it up to you by listing a bunch of literary characters with flower names. Are you excited yet?!
It will be more impressive in a couple of weeks when they’ve had a chance to fill in, but FLOWERS!
1. Harry Potter Series by JK Rowling- Floral names are all the rage among the wizard set. From Lily Potter and her muggle sister Petunia Dursley to Narcissa Malfoy, Pansy Parkinson, and Lavender Brown, JK Rowling LOVED her some floral names. Even the French weren’t immune to the foliage as everyone’s favorite Beauxbatons student Fleur (Delacour) Weasley’s name is, well, French for flower.
2. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins– I had to look it up, but Katniss is, in fact, a real plant. It’s not just some made up hybrid thing like a mockingjay or a tracker jacker. Primrose and Rue are floral names, too. (On a side note, I’ve always assumed that Peeta’s name was a play on pita, like the bread, because he’s a baker’s son and all. Anybody else think that or am I nuts?)
3. The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald– My word it is just Gatsby mania out there right now! Baz Luhrmann touches something and the world goes bananas! Everywhere I turn there’s more hype and parties and 20s inspired accessories. It just so happens that my list is not immune as everyone’s favorite blonde with money in her voice is named DAISY Buchanan.
You’re beginning to forgive me, I can tell!
4. The Sookie Stackhouse by Charlaine Harris, in the later books, featured a pair of botanically named sisters who also happened to be part demon. Their names were Diantha and Gladiola. Not sure why the demons got floral names and the fairies were called Claudine and Dermott, but hey. We’ll take what we can get.
5. Atonement by Ian McEwan boasts a main character with a floral name. Briony, our misguided protagonist is named for a flowering plant in the cucumber family. I did not know it was from the cucumber family until I googled. Now I want cucumbers.
6. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott– This one’s a bit of a stretch BUT. Laurie from Little Women could be construed as a flower name. Lawrence (which Laurie is short for) means “crowned with laurel,” and laurel, as we know, is a flower!
Flowers, you guys! So many flowers!
7. Twilight by Stephanie Meyer features resident cranky barren vampress Rosalie. Her name is an obvious take off of Rose. I’m having a horrendous brain fart trying to think of other literary characters named Rose, which is probably because zillions exist but my memory is refusing to let me access them as punishment for maybe sort of wishing I could be a vampire that one time…
8. The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold– Susie Salmon has quite the name. Not only is it “Salmon, like the fish” but Susan actually means lily or lotus flower. Betcha didn’t know that one (unless your name is Susan. I mean, I know that Katie/Kathryn/etc. is of Greek origin and means “pure” so all the Susans out there probably knew this already.)
9. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See- Okay, the main character is named Snow Flower, so there’s that. Chinese names are ALL ABOUT the flowers. Lots of Lotus and Peony and such when reading books set in China. Beautiful.
Am I forgiven yet? Am I?
10. Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell– I am cheating here, because Margaret Mitchell was the author and not a character, but I’m using her as an excuse to be a know-it-all. Daisy is a nickname for Margaret. For reals. Some varieties of daisy are referred to as Marguerites, which is a version of Margaret. Boom. Nailed it.
I hope you’re not too mad at me for neglecting you and throwing together a random list post. Do any of you Bookworms have favorite literary characters with floral names? Share and share alike, my dears. Who did I forget?
Ashley F
I love gardening, hate bees though so I’m wary of having flowers too close to the patio. I had a rocking herb garden in a window box in my apartment though.
Btw…..Ashley is derived from the Old English (Ash Leah) for Ash Meadow. Plant name!!
Words for Worms
Sweeeeeeeeeet! Way to be named for plants!
Ashley F
LOL technically I was named after a character on The Yonge and The Restless but I avoid telling people that because it makes my mom sound super lame 😛
Words for Worms
Ashley Abbot?!?!?!
Ashley F
Of course!
Words for Worms
I was a Y&R watcher on summer vacations in my younger days… When I had summer vacations. It thrills me that Ashley Abbot is your namesake! Sigh. Oh Genoa City…
Ashley F
Yup and ironically I went to High School with a girl named Nikki named after my co-star 😉 Both our mom’s have been fans since the ’70s
The Underground Writer
Peony – by Pearl S. Buck – is one of my favorite books! I will never forget that scene when she cries herself to sleep b/c David is having his wedding night with his wife – that wasn’t her. Oh, the pang! And who can forget the scene where Leah kills her self with the sword? I love me some Pearl S. Buck. (And poor Olan from “The Good Earth” when she cries to Wang Lung when he takes a concubine, “But I gave you sons!” Oh!!
Words for Worms
I’ve only read The Good Earth, but now I simply MUST read Peony!
The Underground Writer
Sorry for the spoiler on Leah. It is an AMAZING book. You will LOVE it. Please do a review on it – I would love to hear what you think.
JoulesDellinger
I LOVE your window boxes. They’re so pretty and I wish I was a flower person. I don’t have a green thumb though — or maybe my thumb is okay but my brain that is supposed to remember to water flowers is not so on top of things.
Words for Worms
I’m very lucky Jim does a lot of the watering. He would have you believe he does ALL of it, but he beats me home from work in the evening and doesn’t always give me the chance. I talk to my flowers. And the honey bees. And the hummingbirds (if they drop by.)
1WriteWay
You’re forgiven as long as you continue to post pictures of your beautiful flowers ;). I enjoyed this post but rather than contribute flowery names from books, I kept thinking of my favorite old BBC comedy series Keeping Up Appearances. The four sisters in the series are Hyacinth (played by the incredible Patricia Rutledge), Daisy, Rose, and Violet.
Words for Worms
I knew a girl in college named Hyacinth. The only one I’ve ever met. Such a fabulous flower though! And yes, I will definitely give you more flower updates as things fill in and look super fabulous! 🙂
lostinliterature108
Oh I just love your flowers!! And this post!
Only literary reference I can think of is the Miss Rosey-Posey books for children by Robin Jones Gunn. But I will think about it throughout the day and report back if I find any in my brain.
I just finished Gatsby for the first time. Liked it.
Words for Worms
I haven’t read Gatsby since high school, but that bit about money in Daisy’s voice has never left me. Sigh. I love flowers. I still have a few more pots to plant! 🙂
Samantha
I totally thought Peeta was a play off pita bread, as well. It could very well be.
I still haven’t made my way through Atonement, but I LOVE the name Briony. I didn’t know it was from the cucumber family. This probably makes me like it more.
Words for Worms
I’m glad I’m not the only one thinking Pita/Peeta. What I don’t get is why she bothered to change the spelling if she was going to do that… Then again, District 12 didn’t seem to have the best education system, so perhaps Peeta’s parents were merely poor spellers.
Ashley F
I totally didn’t make the pita/Peeta connection but now that I have….OMG.
Lyssapants
My name, Melissa, is a plant. It’s in the mint family.
That’s right, I am minty fresh!
Words for Worms
You mean to tell me your birth certificate does not read “Lyssapants”?! Disappointing. But tremendous. Plant names RULE.
Lyssapants
Ha, my parents weren’t that cruel.
Lindsay Law
Another Little Women one for you: Daisy is Meg’s daughter in the sequel, Good Wives. And I think, iirc, that there is a Rose (along with quite a few other flowers) in Anne of Green Gables? The one that sticks in my mind is Rose Red, in Brothers Grimm fairy tale – Snow White and Rose Red. I was an avid consumer of fairy tales, as a child!
Words for Worms
How could I have forgotten Daisy and Demi? Silly me!
Lindsay Law
Oh, and according to my Oxford Dictionary of Names, Pita means Yellow in Sanskrit, which I thought was interesting.
Words for Worms
Huh. I’ve never thought pita bread was especially yellow, but maybe if you make it all authentic in the way a sanskrit speaker would, it would be more yellow?
Lindsay Law
I think they have different roots – pita as in bread comes from a different root than pita in Sanskrit. I thought it was interesting because I think in the books she refers to him as the bright yellow of new life, like a dandelion, and I wondered whether the author consciously did that. I think the bread thing might be more likely!
Emily H.
I am sure if I thought long and hard I could come up with plant names but….I was looking more at your flowers cuz I know where you got them and I wanted to see your beautiful choices. AND… mid summer take some more pics and take them down to mom. WE are putting together a board of “Best Buds” to showcase what our plants do!
Words for Worms
How fun! Best Buds board!
Megan M.
I thought Peeta/pita immediately. It was a little distracting. I read a YA book series once where each of the sisters had flower names and each sister had her own book. I know there was a Rose, Daisy, and Lily but can’t remember what the other one was. I think that’s a common theme for girl names. I honestly can’t think of any new ones… I’m having a brain fart as well.
Words for Worms
Happens to the best of us.
Jessica@CapeofDreams
There is a children’s book about a mouse named Chrysanthemum. There are also Lily and Rosemary in “The Giver.” Was “Rosemary’s Baby” ever a book?
Megan M.
It was, actually, by Ira Levin. He also wrote The Stepford Wives! 🙂
Words for Worms
Pretty sure Rosemary’s Baby was a book first, but don’t quote me on it…
therelentlessreader
Beautiful! Feel like making a trip to northern Wisconsin to plant stuff for me? 😉 I have NO idea what I’m doing.
Words for Worms
Don’t tempt me! I’ll show up and your yard will be so full of annuals you won’t know what hit you! 🙂
Sarah Says Read
Your flowers are so prettyyyyy!!! And your house is ADORABLE! I mean just seeing the front of it obviously, but it’s so cute! I love the window boxes 🙂
Way to go for paying attention to character names, cause I got none… I can only think of Rose from the Titanic, but that’s a movie not a book, lol. But I agree, Peeta = Pita.
Words for Worms
Thank you! The house thanks you too. It likes compliments.
bybeebooks
Margaret Mitchell originally named Scarlett O’Hara *Pansy* O’Hara. Her editor convinced her to change it, saying it was a common reference for an effeminate man. I’m sure she was only thinking of the pretty little flower!
Words for Worms
Really? Pansy O’Hara? Wonders never cease.
Punky Coletta
How cool! I love combos and themes, books and flower names…. Awesome!
Mary
How about Rose as in Rose Tyler? I’m pretty sure they turned Doctor Who into a book series of some sort. O:)
Words for Worms
I’m no Who-vian, I’m not sure I can include that LOL 🙂