June FLowers

The month of June some believe was named for the Roman goddess, Juno, associated with marriage and childbirth.

June, the most popular month for marriages in the United States, gets its popularity from being a month when the weather is not too hot and not to cold. Can’t say it’s not too rainy from the frequent showers we have experienced lately.

According to some sources, June was the month when ancients took their once a year bath. So, it stands to reason the bride would be relatively fresh and clean. Just in case, they carried bouquets of flowers at their wedding to mask any odor. Brides are still carrying flowers down the aisle, hopefully, not for the same reason.

And June is a month when we get some of our most fragrant blooms, roses, jasmine, magnolias, and gardenias. The official flower of June is the rose, long associated with love.

And speaking of the love of flowers, a dear Jasper County lady and friend passed away this past weekend. Drucilla Pope, flower lover extraordinaire, a member of the Monticello Garden Club, she had a beautifully manicured lawn with blooming plants galore. Once sitting on her front porch she showed me where the infamous “Giant Beaver of Turtle Cove” had just pulled up some of her rose brushes. She surmised, “He probably needed them to finish off his dam” located nearby on Jackson Lake.

She loved to tell about the yearly Garden Club party she had, complete with her donning a Captain’s hat and loading up the ladies for a cruise around the lake in her pontoon boat.

You may not be a master gardener, but you can still get your fix of flowers each Saturday at Monticello Market on the Square. Several vendors offer cut flowers, flowers for planting and plants for your garden, so you can reap the rewards of fresh vegetables and make your yard into a garden spot. If nothing else, buy a hanging basket full of flowers and put it where you can see it each day. Flowers make us happy.

For those of you who share the name of June as your own like my first cousin born June 29, Happy Birthday, and for those of you who married in June, Happy Anniversary.

And for all the rest of you, on June 10th, celebrate National Iced Tea Day, by lifting a glass of what some call, “The House Wine of the South.” Whether you prefer your tea, sweet, unsweet, or “Arnold Palmer” style, brew up a pitcher full and enjoy. Until next time…