As soon as the breeders do not name the varieties they have bred - by the names of objects and natural phenomena, and the names of relatives and outstanding people, and simply sonorous phrases! It is always interesting to know if this is a random choice, or does a certain flower really evoke a particular character to the growers who created it?
Many of the tens of thousands of varieties of daffodils bear the names of famous people, including the daffodil “Barrett Browning» from the small-crowned group. The famous Dutch breeder J.W.A. Lefeber registered this variety in 1945, immediately after the end of the Second World War, and work on its creation went on for many years. The result is a graceful, discreet early-flowering variety. Perianth lobes are elliptical, white, slightly yellowish when dissolved. The flower is medium-sized, about 8 cm in diameter. The crown is cup-shaped, light orange, corrugated, with a darker orange border. Crown diameter 2 cm, height 1 cm. The variety is suitable for group planting, for forcing in winter. Reaches a height of 40-45 cm, reproduces well. How did this modest flower remind Lefebru of the talented English poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning?
Elizabeth was born in the century before last, in 1806, in the family of a planter from the West Indies. Her family had its own secret. True or not, but their family was dark-skinned (which could well be, everything is possible on the plantations), so the head of the family, Mr. Barrett, in every possible way obstructed the matrimonial intentions of his children. And there were many children in the family, Lizzie had two sisters and eight brothers. She lost her mother early, was a homely, sickly, serious child, read a lot and wrote herself. Poems, poems, articles, the first literary success, and at the same time, illness, nervous breakdowns, difficult treatment. When Elizabeth was about thirty years old, her family moved to London. Her life was almost imprisoned, she spent whole days in a dark, stuffy bedroom, chained to the couch. Rare walks with my sister in a wheelchair, rare visits from friends, rare letters ... According to her, "I lived like a bird in a cage."
This went on for several years. And finally, the sleeping beauty woke up. A handsome prince appeared, an energetic young man who was able to encourage her not only to marry against the will of her father, but also to flee home, secretly leaving the family. Think for yourself, was it easy for a girl from a decent family, in prim England, in the strict nineteenth century, to decide on such a thing? But it was impossible to resist the pressure of the young (he was six years younger than her) talented poet Robert Browning. It all started with a correspondence, then the first meeting took place, which changed everything. From somewhere came strength, the desire to move, to act. At forty, she began a new life, got married, moved from gloomy England with her husband to sun-drenched Italy, three years later gave birth to a baby, and at the same time did not give up literary activity. The amazing love of two talented poets was reflected in poems and letters (their correspondence was published in two volumes). She remained forever in Italy, in the English cemetery in Florence, he survived her for more than twenty years and was buried in Westminster Abbey in London, but it seems that their feelings are still alive now, in their poems.
Elizabeth Barrett-Browning. If you love
I love you so much? I love without measure.
To the depths of the soul, to all its heights,
To the transcendental sensual beauties,
To the depths of being, to the ideal sphere.
To the needs of the ordinary, to the very first,
Like a sun and a candle, simple worries,
I love like the truth - the root of all freedoms,
And like a prayer - the heart of pure faith.
I love with all my tart passion
Unfulfilled hopes, all childish thirst;
I love all my saints with love,
Those who left me, and every sigh.
And death will come, I believe, and from there
I will love you even more.
Robert Browning.Kiss
All the breath of blooming summer is one bee -
The wonders and riches of the world - one diamond -
Heart of pearls - radiance and shadow of waves -
Truth is brighter than diamond, sincerity is purer than pearl -
All this together and much more
In your kiss, woman.
Robert Browning. Confession
You think I'm tired of my life
And I see her as a valley of vain tears?
The deathbed looks like a pedestal to me
And I - on the gravestone above the coffin in which I lay down.
You think I can't reach at the edge of the table
Pharmaceutical bottles wrapped in labels?
But it doesn't matter - I'm out of my corner
Attics and attics are perfectly visible.
And there under one of the highest roofs,
In the open frame, slightly in the back of the window
I see a woman and her eyes are open.
And, Lord, have mercy on how good she is!
And I forget the pharmacy frontiers
I close my eyes and hear the pulse dancing.
And I think in silence how sweet it is to live
And to feel the incomparable taste on the palate of love!
Maybe it was in order for us to remember these two talented poets that the breeder named his variety so? And how interesting it would be to collect on your site at least a small number of varieties of trees, shrubs, flowers bearing the names of famous people. In this case, you can show guests not only beautiful plants, but also talk about outstanding personalities from different eras, because a gardener should not be interested only in plants and land, but be a versatile personality.
