YORKTON - The world lost a great monarch and statewoman with the passing of Queen Elizabeth II.
I always thought she was a wonderful lady, a shining example of unwavering dedication, loyalty and service to her country. When she was just a young woman of 21, she made that famous speech on her birthday saying “This is a happy day for me; but it is also one that brings serious thoughts, thoughts of life looming ahead with all its challenges and with all its opportunity…I declare before you all that my whole life whether it be long or short shall be devoted to your service…” and her steps never faltered from this promise. At the tender age of 25 years old, she became Queen after the death of her beloved father, King George VI, in 1952. What a responsibility for someone so young!
I was one of the millions who watched the various services of goodbye to the Queen, and one thing I took special interest in was the use of flowers as part of her farewell. After decades of receiving all kind of bouquets in her royal career, bouquets that ranged from formal exotic blooms to squashed and slightly broken clusters of flowers, clutched in the little eager hands of
her youngest subjects, but given to her with love, it was interesting to see what flowers would grace the Queen’s final farewells.
A beautiful wreath was on top of her casket as the Queen left Scotland for the last time. It was subdued, elegantly done with white flowers, and I read that the flowers were gathered by her staff from the Balmoral gardens. During the many commentaries about the Queen in the days leading up to her funeral, one that I heard said that while the Queen was at Windsor in the last two years during covid, her staff picked flowers from the gardens there every Friday to make the bouquets of flowers that she loved so much.
Then at her funeral, the floral wreath atop her casket was a bright and beautiful wreath, in pink, burgundy and golden flowers that included roses, myrtle, scented geraniums, dahlias, hydrangea, scabiosa, and of course, rosemary. If you remember, gardeners, in the language of flowers, rosemary is the plant of “remembrance”, and sprigs of fragrant rosemary were in between all those other beautiful flowers. And an interesting note, in the first speech that Charles gave as king, there was a framed picture of the Queen, and a vase of flowers on his desk, and I read that the vase contained rosemary and sweet peas, one of her favorite flowers.
Then there was the astonishing sight of drifts and drifts of bouquets at Green Park near Buckingham Palace…touching floral tributes from thousands, speaking volumes in the language of flowers of the love and respect they felt towards the Queen. And on that final ride to the Queen’s committal service, the route and the hearse was rained with more bouquets, and many roses, many red, the floral message of “love”.
I have read on many occasions that the Queen greatly enjoyed her gardens and took great pleasure in spending time in them. We can imagine how she delighted in seeing the first blooms of spring, smelling the fragrances of her favorite flowers….and we can wonder whether she found comfort and solace in the peace of the garden during times of worry or sadness, like so many of us do. The garden is truly a healing place.
She was a beautiful English Rose; rest in peace, Queen Elizabeth, after a life well-lived. You will be greatly missed. See what’s new with the Yorkton and District Hort Society at www.yorktonhort.ca Thank you to our friends at YTW for their great work. Have a good week.
