Muguet, Spring's Tincture

Gentle passage of time.

Giving sweet notes to lead the way.

Perfumed bells that cannot be denied.

 

 

 

May 1st. Lily of the Valley, other names include May lily, May bells, lily constancy, ladder-to-heaven, and muguet (French). 
In France on May 1st, vendors line the street and back roads selling Muguet. It is customary to give a sprig of muguet to the members of your family and closest friends. 

 

 

Yesterday morning, as tradition would have it, French Husband brought me muguet. The wonder of a small flower with a big punch of fragrance. Since muguet is such a delicate flower I wanted to find an appropriate vase. One were it show cased the single strands.

An old bottle, perfect with its narrow neck.

 

 

The old label reads: Teniture de condurango (tincture) which is used to aid digestion.

Lily of the valley, or muguet, symbolizes the return of happiness, since it is one of the first flowers to bloom in spring..

 

 

Return of happiness...spring.

Spring: Morning light, the flowering almond and cherry trees, awakening color, the roses growing over my bedroom window, birds song- especially the evening owls singing their mating song that I love so much...

Spring leaving the window open at night, listening to the thundershowers.

 

 

Spring stepping out.

Chelsea is home, spring break.

In a few weeks she will start an internship in Paris that will last six months. The last leg before having her masters... stepping out into her new life.

Oh happiness, oh grown up, oh.

 

 

 

Muguet under lace,

Emotion close to surface,

Pulling back winter's blanket,

Awakening.

 

 

What would be your teinture-tincture for Spring?

A drop of sunshine,

a sprig of thyme,

a blush of pink by pinching a baby's cheek...

a note of Pomp and Circumstance as the graduates march.

Comments

[Kathie B]

The ultimate Spring "tincture" for me is the days getting longer. Also daffodils and narcissus in our yard in bloom, and the fruit trees and berry bushes flowering as a prelude to fruiting in the summer. And temperatures being warm enough for us to open the sliding glass doors during the day to let fresh air in.

[Kathie B]

Parabéns to Chelsea on her progress toward her Master's. May the internship be everything she's hoping for.

[Zosia]

Chartreuse lace on trees (new buds showing up), magnolia blooms, outdoor cafes, not needing a heavy coat to go outside.
Love Lilly of the Valley.

[head in the sun]

Cherry blossoms.

My name means happiness: Letitia
Jus' sayin'.

[Paulita]

Lovely flowers and sentiment. I especially liked the muguet and the lace. Sunshine alone welcomes me to the spring, though I'd love some wisteria too.

[Denise]

My favorite flower. Beautiful sentiment. They haven't bloomed here yet as it is early Spring. My husband would bring me little bouquets and their sweet smell would fill my rooms and bedside table. Now he works away in NY... makes me miss him.

[Star]

At this point, my tincture would be sunshine. May 2 - it's snowing and blowing; it has been a long winter. So bring to me sunshine in a small-necked vase or on a big broad platter; any quantity welcome!

[Ardi]

There's a song from my Girl Scout camp days...

White coral bells, upon a slender stalk
Lillies-of-the-valley deck my garden walk.
Oh don't you wish, that you could hear them ring,
That will happen only when the fairies sing.

(Speaking of fairies...when my granddaughter went to DisneyWorld in her Cinderella dress - she wore the white gloves that the French fairies sent to her. I hope to have a picture I can send you soon.)

[Ann]

Our Spring has passed but the Irises were gorgeous this year as were the Petunias. Now the weather is in the 90's(AZ daytime) so switching to summer flowers. Our Patio looks splendid with my container gardening. We will have flowers until Oct. Lovely site.

[Marie-Noëlle]

Happiness to you
the whole year through ...

[martina]

The smell and look of the fresh cut green lawn-mowed by the neighbor boy. A two fer---I don't have to mow the lawn, he makes some money and the lawn looks great.

[Carol L]

The best spring scents for me are lily of the valley, lilacs and a rain shower. What a great tradition to bring someone a muguet on a special day. My last home had an entire hillside planted with them and when I opened my kitchen windows the scent blowing in on the breeze was intoxicating. I really miss that...

[Janet with Eiffel]

I remember when I was a very little girl,
Grandma would notice the Spring blooms
popping up and the tips of tree limbs
turning that soft pale green
and tell me that Mother Nature was
showing off her new Spring petticoat.

[Marilyn]

Each year I have wanted some of this sweet fragrance in my garden. This year I finally planted it there and it does bring happiness to see it in my garden. A touch of sunshine and pink blossoms overhead oh sigh! Spring has arrived and I smile.

[Chris Wittmann]

One of my favorite flowers! My neighbor has a host of them under her apple tree. The whole neighborhood smells of them! She lets me pick as many as I want and I've dug up some and started a colony under my own apple trees. About the time my huge lilac tree is in full bloom, her lily of the valley plants are also. Still a little time to go yet, but when it arrives I'm in heaven! I think this is my tincture of spring for sure...along with the smell of the first cut grass of the season.

[Chris Wittmann]

Forgot to ask you Corey...did I send you a bar of my lily of the valley soap yet??

[French la Vie]

Oh no, but please do!!

[Jody]

Immediately I thought of the honeysuckle I used to find unexpectedly as a child in kentucky. I loved both the scent and to sip the nectar! What a lovely memory you triggered! Happy May Corey! xxxoo jody

[Jeannie]

The perfume that those little bells puts out always takes me back to my Gram's. Picking lily of the valley for May baskets to be delivered to her friends. Yesterday, my May baskets all were delivered with sprigs of Muguet, hoping it would bring fond memories to others.

[Beatnheart]

Love lily of the valley... Alas none in Southern California...one of my favorites.

[Debbie Z.]

You are such a poet. So very beautiful. Right now, my tincture for spring- the notes of Pomp and Circumstance. My youngest graduates from college on Saturday. I am feeling happy for him, and yet a little wistful and sad too. Where did the years go? Youth and motherhood are fleeting. Thank you for reminding me daily in your blog that there is always beauty, no matter what stage of life I am in.

[Patricia]

First the scillas which carpet the yard in a shade of blue that glows. Now the violets interspersed with hyacinths are following suit. The lily of the valley are late this year due to unseasonable cold...when they do bloom, my heart will rejoice. A robin in there completes the picture.

[Massilianana]

My teinture de printemps is when the swallows come back around the 19th of April. Hearing their song while they fly and play and hunt insects right up in the sky is always filling me with joy and makes me smile.
Other things : when my cats no longer curl up tightly for their naps but rather sort of lounge....the jasmine that I ve been growing on my windowsill and that is now in full bloom and scenting the whole room....putting wool coats away....sleeping at night with the windows open...loving the tender green leaves the city trees are now adorned with....having a glass of rosé at the bistrot terrasse with friends and enjoying a long evening...I could go on and on !
Have a lovely mois de Mai !

[jend'isère]

I proudly wore my girl scout sash with a patch of our troops's lily of the valley under a semicircle written "Nation's Capital". When I finally saw the flower one first of May in France, I was intrigued how they stand so strong and sturdy like delicate bell.

[24/7 in France]

Spring "tincture" in Nice = birds chirping, crowded beaches, stolling leisurely on the Promenade, and ocean breezes.

[Patti Lloyd]

The honey bees are busy working every day, blossom to blossom in the swath of lavender in my yard. Big, heavy carpenter bees visit the open kaleidoscope of passion flower twining itself skyward on the downspout. Nature is so synchronized that it is only the passion flower that attracts these large bees, they are just the right size to circle the bloom and gather pollen on their backs. The wonder of nature is an intoxicating tincture indeed.

[Peggy Braswell]

Lily of the valley, yes- we can only get them at Flower market here in S. CA. + Spring Tincture would be tulips bursting open. How glorious everything looks, all decked out for spring. xxpeggybraswelldesign.com

[tara dillard]

Lily of the Valley either grow so profusely here, Atlanta, Ga, they must be dug & shared. Or you plant and they die.

Haven't figured this one out!

Garden & Be Well, XO Tara

[Joan Belforte]

Muguet du. Ois..my favorite fragrance when I was young, do they still make it?

[Wike Treks]

You have great perception/ idea and I will definitely be reading your other Blogs!
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