Έφτασε πάλι ο καιρός για το Διεθνές Bloggers Club,όπου μια ομάδα τεσσάρων μπλόγκερ από διαφορετικά μέρη του κόσμου συναντιούνται και συγκρίνουν τα έθιμα τους. Τον Ιανουάριο κοιτάξαμε το πρωινό του Αγίου Βαλεντίνου, και τον περασμένο μήνα ήταν οι παραδόσεις του Πάσχα. Αυτό το μήνα θέμα εχουμε τα λουλούδια της άνοιξης.
Αρχικά είχα προγραμματίσει να μιλήσω για το εθνικό μας λουλούδι, η Άκανθος. Το πρόβλημα είναι ότι σε όσα ανθοπωλεία πήγα, ούτε ένας δεν ήταν εξοικειωμένος με αυτό το λουλούδι. Υποθέτω ίσως αναπτύσσεται στα βόρεια της χώρας ή έχει άλλο όνομα. Ή ίσως είναι μια συνωμοσία για να με ξεγελάσει. Τέλος πάντων σας δείχνω αυτή την εικόνα για να ικανοποιήσω την περιέργειά σας.
Αλλά δεν ανησυχώ που δεν μπορούσα να βρω την Άκανθος, επειδή η πόλη μου είναι γεμάτη λουλούδια. Ακόμα και τόσο νωρίς στην άνοιξη! Και έτσι πήρα την έμπιστη φωτογραφική μηχανή μου και πήγα μια βόλτα μεσ’ την πόλη. Αυτό που παρατήρησα αμέσως ήταν τα μπαλκόνια …
Γλάστρες παντού! Στις περιφράξεις …
Και στα περβάζια.
Λουλούδια φυτρώνουν από το τσιμέντο …
… Και ακόμη και μέσα από περιφράξεις σε οικοδομές.
Οι δρόμοι είναι γεμάτοι χρώμα!
Και οι θάμνοι ανθίζουν!
Και το καλύτερο; Περπατάω στο δρόμο, και σε αντίθεση με την μυρωδιά του προστιακού δικτύου της Νέας Υόρκης που θυμάμαι, υπάρχει ένα ευωδιαστό άρωμα στον αέρα. Δεν έχει σημασία πόσες φορές το έχω βιώσει, ποτέ δεν θα συνηθίσω το υπέροχη άρωμα των λουλουδιών.
Λουλούδια παντού, ακόμη και στα τραπέζια στις καφετέριες!
Δεν βρήκα την Άκανθος, αλλά αντί αυτό βρήκα ένα ουράνιο τόξο από χρώματα και αρώματα. Τώρα πείτε μου, το ξέρατε ότι η Άκανθος είναι το εθνικό λουλούδι της περιοχής μας; Η μήπως θα επρεπε να ειναι ο Βασιλικός, ή η Ρίγανη; Θα είναι μια συνωμοσία για να μας μπερδεύουν;
Happy spring to everyone! Be sure to check out my friends’ posts below to see what ̶n̶a̶t̶i̶o̶n̶a̶l̶ flowers for spring they have in their areas.
Καλή άνοιξη σε όλους! Τώρα επισκεφθείτε τις φίλες μου παρακάτω για να δείτε τα λουλούδια της άνοιξης που έχουν στις περιοχές τους.
P.S. The mystery has been solved, thanks to Two Plus Cute who told me that the Greek National Flower is actually a wildflower. So that’s why I don’t see it in florist shops. Now I’ll have to scour the countryside!!
Υ.Γ. Το μυστήριο λύθηκε, χάρη στην Two Plus Cute η οποία μου είπε ότι το ελληνικό εθνικό λουλούδι είναι στην πραγματικότητα ένα αγριολούλουδο. Έτσι αυτός είναι ο λόγος που δεν το βλέπουμε σε ανθοπωλεία. Τώρα θα πρέπει να ψάχνω στην εξοχή !!
Αν σας αρέσει αυτό που βλέπετε, να το μοιραστείτε με τους φίλους σας, ή να το αποθηκεύσετε στο Pinterest. Επισεις μπορείτε να εγγραφείτε στο blog μου και να λαμβάνετε τις περιπέτειες μου δύο φορές την εβδομάδα στο e-mail σας.
Tο Διεθνές Μπλόγκερ Κλαμπ: Λουλούδια της Άνοιξης
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I love it when I get your comments and I will reply to each and every one of them.
Μ ‘αρέσει όταν παίρνω τα σχόλιά σας και θα απαντήσω σε καθένα από αυτά.
Mary, I just love this series and look forward to it! The flowers in Greece are just beautiful!
Yes, it is s o much fun for us as well since we are able to learn the customs and traditions of our friends. There are many things we take for granted but in fact we do have individuality with each country.
Mary, I am amazed by the variations of flowers that you find just walking around your area. There are many I have never seen before. Actually, the only one I think I know is the yellow forsythia bush, I have one and it’s yellow now, with snow around the base. LOL
The Bear’s Britches is a really cool plant, I’ve never seen anything like it. But you are right, I love the balconies and patios, they are covered in flowers, what a lovely site as you walk down the sidewalk!
Our spring is a bit slower in coming, there are hints of it here and there, your post helps me to be more patient! LOL
The Bear flower is not even a proper flower, its a wildflower. So I can’t buy it at the florists. I am on the lookout from now to see where this elusive flower shows up and why it’s so famous when it is invisible.
Such pretty flowers Mary!
Thanks so much Tara. And they smell heavenly!!
A gorgeous post Mary! Flowers in Spring are always a joy to behold! Thanks for sharing at Five Star Frou-Frou this week. Hope to see you again on Friday! Love, Mimi xxx
Mary I really enjoyed seeing all of the flowers there! Thank you for sharing @Vintage Charm!
Cecilia I had a wonderful time putting this post together. There was such a variety to choose from in full bloom no less, in the middle of March. Only the elusive Bear’s breeches escaped me.
Mary, the flowers are all so pretty!
Now I have a confession to make…the first time visiting your blog, I had no idea what language that was you have on your blog. I didn’t recognize it at all and was awfully thank you for the English portion too. I love that you are exposing us to the Greek language and the Greek flower. 🙂
Thank you for joining Thoughts of Home on Thursday!
Stacey, you are absolutely right in wondering about the language. The first few months of my blog I posted in English only but then at the request of some viewers I added the Greek. And to clarify things a bit further, I added in my bio that the boondocks is in fact Greece. I wouldn’t want you all to be guessing where I am
How lovely to see so much colour. A lot what is on those balconies in Greece we have to bring indoors here in the UK over winter. You also seem to get things in bloom just a bit before we do, a lot of these flowers we will have to wait till May/early June. Lovely to see them now – enjoy!
We have much warmer weather here so many folks don’t even bother taking their plants indoors during the winter. I’m sure the flowers will be coming out soon enough in your area.
Oh, I adore all those flowers!! <3
Thank you Ramona, they should bloom even more in the coming weeks.
What an abundance of flora you have Mary. I love the idea of having balcony displays, they look so pretty.
Sally @ Life Loving
#LifeLovingLinkie
Sally every year the balconys are full of plants and flowers. And the towns also plant in the streets and all over.
What a pretty walk that is! I’m sure the aroma is just as lovely as you describe. I live in South Carolina and the state flower is the Yellow Jasmine, sometimes called a trumpet flower. While they are pretty little flowers, they are also poisonous and even touching them can cause an allergic reaction in a lot of people. So why it’s the state flower is a mystery to me! Thanks for sharing your spring flowers in Greece with us at Snickerdoodle Sunday, Mary.
Beverly it must be a conspiracy, Our flower is still MIA. I will have to keep a lookout for it in the fields. As for your jasmine, which I love by the way, it makes no sense that they should pick a poisenous one. This topic is becoming quite intriguing.
Hi Mary, I had no idea what the national flower of Greece is, so I’ve learned something new and will look it up and keep an eye out for it. It would make more sense to make it a herb like Oregano as it is everywhere; the other day after a walk up the hills we came home stinking of it.
I love walking round town and seeing how beautiful some people’s balconies look all covered with flowers, it’s amazing what people can do with plants and a few pots. We have a garden, but I am totally hopeless gardener.
Thanks for sharing your pretty flower pictures.
xx
SO many wonderful flowers. I love that Bear’s Breeches. We don’t have anything in bloom yet since we still have some snow on the ground. Pinned.
Thank you so much. I am really looking forward to Spring here in the east coast…if it ever comes.
Very pretty spring flowers. Thanks, Mary, for sharing your photos. I’ve been looking out for the spring flowers in my neighbourhood. We usually have daffodils, crocus, pansies…
I love walking around in Greece in the Springtime and the scents are everywhere.
As it’s autumn here in Australia I’m enjoying all the spring blossoms from everyone on the other side of the world. Lovely flowers and information, enjoy your spring time and summer ahead. Visiting from #Senisal
Thank you so much for the visit Debbie, enjoy your fall, which happens to be my favorite time of the year.
I love, love, love flowers. It’s one of the many reasons that spring is my favorite season. Memphis is FULL of azaleas. They grow like crazy down here, and they are all in bloom right now, which makes me so happy. I also love to see wisteria growing along fences/bushes/trees/etc. So pretty. Thanks for sharing all the pretty flowers. 🙂
Amy it is as if Mother Nature is casting off her sweaters and putting on her pretty pastels for a fashion show.
So many different and gorgeous flowers, Mary! Thanks for sharing at Homestyle Gathering, my friend!
Thank you Julie for dropping by.
I know you are so glad to see these flowers bring everything back to life after winter. Thank you for linking up.
Thank you Michelle, It certainly reawakens the senses!
Very pretty! Thanks for sharing at TFT!
I almost wanted to cry after looking at all those gorgeous flowers, blooming on the balcony, because here, in the United States, (Illinois) we have snow and cold weather. However, thank you fr the fabulous pictures. It gives me hope, that soon we will be outside in our flower gardens.
Ivory I am in the same boat as you. Since moving to NY we have had snow storms constantly. In fact we had one just a few days ago. I guess Spring will take just a wee bit longer to arrive here.
…Mary, spring is a wonderful time of year and in Greece it looks beautiful. Thanks for sharing, please stop back again.
Thank you Tom, I think it is amazing there in the springtime with all the scents of the flowers in the air.
Hi Mary, You’ve done a great job capturing ‘my’ country’s flower. . .in fact all of them! Are you back in Greece or just using photos you took while here? Welcome home if you are here!! xxx J.
Jackie, I am a full on New Yorker right now. I have a job here so there is no way I have time for traveling. I had these photos from before and this is the perfect time for sharing. What I miss most is the beautiful scents of the flowers and how the town streets just smell so ahhhhh… You know exactly what I mean!
So many wonderful flowers! A beautiful post!
Thank you so much Michelle, for me Spring is the best time to be in Greece.
Lovely flowers! Our State flower is the Dogwood, but I think we have even more azaleas. I just posted on our local floral displays. Visiting from Pieced Pastimes.
You seee Carole, everyone knows thier flowers except me. But I’m rectifying that right now. T hanks for dropping by.
Hey, Mary! I also believe in the conspiracy against us, but it is funny you took a picture of some carnations in a balcony when it is our national flower and it’s been ages since the last time I saw one. We have some flowers in common, I guess the have more or less the same climate and we also live in the Mediterranean.
Love the diversity of colors you pictured!
I guess the flower conspirators are getting confused. They should have given you the carnations and me the other thing! We do have similar climates. What is the highest altitude on your island? We live near sea level, but if you go further up things change dramatically.
How beautiful. I recognized some of the succulents. I have them, but they have never flowered like that. You live in a beautiful area.
That is one of the things that keeps me here Debra. The beauty is all around. E ven the poorest houses have flower pots with simple flowers.
You have so many wonderful colors in your world!! Lovely!!
Kim from that end we are truly blessed. Now if only I had a green thumb, that would really help.
As I wrote on FB, the Greek country/citywide is alive with flowers! What a delightful welcome (after last week’s dust and rain storms)!! I need to do a blog post soon on the delights I am finding in my garden and nearby!
It certainly is Jackie. The best part of the year for me. Before it gets too hot. I’ll be looking forward to your spring post as well.
Beautiful collection of flowers – lots of variety!
Thanks for linking up at http://image-in-ing.blogspot.com/2016/03/the-endless-variety-of-orchids.html
Thank you so much for your sweet comment. We do not lack variety around here.
Its is a little dreary in New England at the moment. Rainy and over cast. Your flower pictures are beautiful and colorful. Just what I needed.
Krista I’m happy that I was able to brighten up your day! Have a great week!
Mary, I love getting to see all the pictures of your country. It’s always so beautiful, and spring is definitely no exception. All of those flowers look so beautiful and colorful! Right now we have crocuses and daffodils blooming here, nature’s way of saying goodbye winter, hello spring!
Its great to wlecome spring with a burst of color. I know you get lots of snow in your area, so this will be a welcome change for you! We really like to decorate with flowers here in Greece.
Ohh, how pretty! 😀
The bulbs have barely sprouted here and it’s so nice (and bitter sweet) to see all your beautiful photos.
Acanthus, with its long story (inspiring the elaborate Corinthian style), is a wild flower and that may be why the florists didn’t know about it (though they should…)
I was starting to suspect that, and you just confirmed it for me. Now I’m walking around all day on the lookout for this flower… because I will not rest until I actually see one. Thank you for solving that mystery!!
Mary, thank you for showing the beautiful flowers in your region of the world!! I can just imagine what a refreshing and lovely sight walking down the street must be!! The flowers in your town look spectacular and I wouldn’t be worried that you couldn’t locate the Bear’s Breech because you have more than enough loveliness without it. Awesome pictures by the way!!
Keri it was such a shock for me when I first moved here to walk down the street and not have that metal smell that I remembered from the NY trains. Here it was as if I was in the perfume section of Macy’s.
Mary, Springtime in Greece is so colourful and happy! Just like in Spain! I love all the beautiful flowers in all their colours you’ve shown us and can imagine all the nice scents walking around! Here there’s one, called “Dama de noche”, it’s a bush that smells at night, it’s amazing!
So many similarities Katrin. We both have the seas near to us and flowers everywhere. I think we also have the one you mention that smells at night. So much in common! Even the building you showed us in your post looked like it could have belonged in Greece
I love spring. All of the flowers are so beautiful! And the days are constantly getting longer and warmer. All of the photos are wonderful!
Thank you so much Heidi. It really is the best part of the year. In the summer everything gets all dry and straw-like, but now everything is in bloom and there is much greenery.
I love seeing all the great pictures of your country! We’re not quite where you are yet, but we have color barely peeking out. It snowed again this week (ugg) so that’s delayed things a bit.
Our state flower is the Sego lily
Mary are you up north or in Utah if I remember correctly. I have reltives who live there and they are always posting pics of the snow. Spring will arrive in no time. We sort of go from mild winter to about a month of spring and then hot summer. So I enjoy this small gap that is spring. Of course the flowers are blooming all summer long and many survive in the winter as well.
This is such a lovely array of colors and shapes! Awesome flowers!
This is the first yea in my lifetime where I have scrutinized flowers to this extent. I had never noticed how many wildflowers there are before this post. I guess we all learn something.
It’s so fun to look at all different plants and plant decoration from other areas. You put a nice collection together Mary! How awesome that Basil and Oregano are everywhere in your area. Love that!
Thanks Ilka! The streets are full of color. And all the balconys have pots of Basil all of them. The oregano is more for the food, we put it on everything.
Oooo! I love pictures of flowers. The national flower looks so exotic to this eyes of a southern USA gal like me. Beautiful!!!
Thanks Cindy. That is one think we are not lackingin. Flowers everywhere all year long, even in the winter, I live in the south as well and we keep many flowers outside.
What a beautiful collection of flowers Mary they are gorgeous. My favourites are the red geraniums in flower boxes. Thank you for sharing these beautiful images with us at #OvertheMoon.
Sue it is a neverending garden up and down the streets!
Mary, What gorgeous pictures! It must have been a beautiful day! The State flower here is actually a tree, the Dogwood – and they are just starting to bloom here. Thanks for sharing your world with us at Brag About It! Pinned and tweeted to share
Laurie
Laurie, it was a cloudy day and it was threatening rain. I went outside with the camera because I was afraid the weather would get worst in the next few days and the post was due soon. So it started to rain at one point. And as luck would have it the next day it was sunny but I had already finished the post. lol
What’s the name of the purple one in the construction site? I am always wondering! There is one in a garden near our house and it smells amazing!
Katerina, it’s a wisteria climbing vine. They don’t last for long so enjoy it while you can.
Beautiful flowers……so many that I have not seen!!
Thanks for sharing on the Oh My Heartsie GIrls WW this week!
I hope you have a wonderful week!
Karren
Thank you Karren, it anything we have a great climate here in Greece for a variety of flowers to bloom.
Absolutely gorgeous Mary! Brought back memories of when I visited Greece years ago…so many lovely flowers on steps and windows and all the beautiful gates and doors! Thank you for sharing!!!
That is one of the things I really love about living here. I had the pleasure of visiting NY last year and it brought back the memories of the train smells. lol. I perfer my lavender scented streets here.
Few places have flowers like Greece! Of all the photos you showed, I think I love the yellow succulent the most. So unique!
I have to say I don’t know our flower either, but I may just google it now.
Thanks for letting me know about the weird stuff you’re seeing when you click on my name. I think you’re getting weird things showing up because I’m on WordPress but if another blogger isn’t (I see you use weebly) it sometimes gets wonky. Technology…gotta love it ;).
Thanks Doreen. Have patience and it will sort itself out or at least with the help of a computer elf. I had a problem with my name leading to 404 as well and when I talked to the people on weebly they helped me with it. Don’t worry I subscribe to you! Thanks for the sweet comments about the flowers, I am on the hunt now to find this wild flower that I’ve never noticed before.