Tag Archives: Wales

National Flowers : when is a national flower not a flower?

Joanna sees Welsh daffodils and starts to wonder about national flowers

I was driving to Monmouth last week for the regular local meeting of the Society of Authors. On this occasion, I used the back road which goes through Llancloudy and I was greeted by thousands of daffodils, the national flower of Wales. It’s impossible not to smile when you drive up that hill, especially if the sun is shining as it is in this library image of the village.

I would have taken a pic of my own, but I didn’t want to be late and there wasn’t really anywhere to park safely. That’s my excuse, anyway  😉

The national flower of Wales is definitely a flower, isn’t it?

Llancloudy isn’t the only place where there are masses of daffodils to be seen round here. They’re everywhere in the Welsh borders, lining the verges and filling the gardens. And very welcome they are, too. They are usually in flower in time for St David’s Day, on 1st March.

creamy double daffodilsAt this time of year, I make a point of buying cut daffodils every week—mostly brought up from the West Country, I think—and keeping them in a vase in my kitchen. They look very cheery and raise my spirits whenever I look at them. Sometimes, the ones on sale are double varieties, like this bunch here, in an image taken in my kitchen a couple of years ago.

There can be no doubting that the national flower of Wales is a flower. And a beautiful one, too. Mind you, I can’t help remembering a certain Max Boyce, a proud Welshman and rugby enthusiast, who used to come on stage for his comedy routines carrying a huge Welsh emblem. Not, in his case, a daffodil, but an enormous leek (images 8 and 10). He was extremely funny though the leek is not, I think you’ll agree, a flower.

But what about the other national flowers in the UK and Ireland? Continue reading →

How the Union Flag has evolved

When I wrote about coronations a few weeks ago, I didn’t mention flags. But for the 2023 coronation, they were everywhere, weren’t they? Strings of bunting featuring the Union Jack (or Union Flag, if you prefer). So I thought I might blog about the origins and evolution of the flag we all recognise and take for granted.

Many, perhaps most, national flags are fairly simple, perhaps just three coloured stripes, like the French and German ones. The Union Jack is much more complicated, as is the flag of the USA. That’s another flag that has evolved and may continue to do so, like the differences in our languages. Dame Isadora has blogged about that, more than once 😉

Amercian and English spoken

Two Nations divided by a common language  Rawf8 – stock.adobe.com

The Union Jack is the flag of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, to use the full title. And so the flag should represent the constituent parts. But does it? Where is Wales, for example? Continue reading →