Flower Coloring Pages
The first flowers bloomed more than 100 million years ago, back when dinosaurs were stomping around. Today there are hundreds of thousands of kinds, and every bright color and sweet smell is a way of saying "bees, over here!"
There's a bit of magic in a garden too, which is why flower fairies, dragons and even gardener trolls turn up among the roses and sunflowers.
Boys with Bouquets of Flowers
Flowers are one of the oldest ways to say thank you, sorry or happy birthday, and nobody ever said they were only for girls. A fistful of dandelions from a little boy has probably been loved just as much as a dozen roses.
Brides with Bouquets of Flowers
In some old traditions brides carried bundles of strong-smelling herbs instead of flowers, because people believed the smell chased away bad luck. Flowers slowly took over, and each kind picked up a meaning of its own. Red tulips, for example, have long stood for true love.
Floral Folk Art
In Poland, folk artists made paper cuts by snipping through a folded sheet, so every leaf and bud came out exactly the same on both sides. Flowers with that tidy, mirrored look ended up on painted boxes and kitchen towels too...
Flower Fairies
Flower fairies are tiny, about as tall as a petal, and each one belongs to a single kind of flower. Stories say they tuck themselves inside the blooms at night, which would explain why so many petals fold up when the sun goes down.
Flower Girls
Almost anyone who grew up near a meadow knows how to make a daisy chain: poke a slit in one stem with your thumbnail and thread the next flower through. Girls and flowers have gone together like that for ages, whether it's a crown of daisies, a basket of petals or a single rose.
Flower Dragons
In Chinese tradition dragons are friendly rain-bringers, and rain is exactly what flowers need to grow. So a dragon curled up in a garden makes more sense than you'd think, especially one with scales shaped like lily petals.
Gardener Trolls
In old Scandinavian stories trolls turn to stone if sunlight touches them, which makes gardening a tricky hobby. A troll who loves flowers would have to work at dusk, or very early before the sun comes up.
Flowers Word Art
Marigold is short for “Mary’s gold”. Long ago people left the bright petals at statues of the Virgin Mary, and the name stuck. The flowers even close up at dusk and open again with the morning sun...
Flower Crowns
People have been weaving flower crowns for thousands of years. Ancient Greeks wore them to parties and weddings, and the old statues and paintings of their gods are full of wreaths and garlands.
In Sweden families still make them for Midsummer, picking wildflowers to wear while they dance around a pole covered in leaves and blooms. Tradition says a girl who tucks seven different flowers under her pillow that night will dream of the person she'll marry.
Gardening
The sprinkly nozzle on the end of a watering can is called a rose, just like the flower. Gardeners usually water early in the morning so the sun can't dry the soil out before the plants get a drink...
Flower Wreaths
The word wreath comes from an old English word meaning "to twist", which is exactly how you make one. A wreath is also a circle with no beginning and no end, so people have long used them to stand for things that keep coming back, like the seasons...
