It’s the height of the summer garden flowers here at home. Just wanted to share a bit of the color and feeling of the season. While all these are common and easily available flowers in this part of France, it is interesting that most originated elsewhere in the world.
ZINNIA — Our biggest performer! The packet of seeds said that these were miniature zinnias. Instead we have gregarious clumps of flowers a meter tall and wide.
Origins: Mexico. First brought to Europe in 1753. Named after Johann Gottfried Zinn, a professor of botany.
CREPE MYRTLE — The beginning of a tree in a pot. We see lovely crepe myrtles of red and pink throughout our village.
Origins: Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, northern Australia, parts of Oceania. Brought to the US more than 200 years ago. Name comes from its myrtle-like leaves and crinkled tissue-like petals.
ROSE — Two trellises soften the property walls with climbing rose plants.
Origins: probably in China over 5,000 years ago. Significant breeding in Europe started in the 17th century. The name is very similar throughout much Europe including Latin — rosa, and Greek — rhodon.
ICE PLANT — The previous owners had cultivated a few hardy ice plants. They have grown to 1.5-meter-diameter seas of flowers. At night, the flowers close and almost disappear. In the morning, the pop back open.
Native to North Africa, south-western and Western Asia, and Southern Europe. This succulent perennial gets its name from the remarkable cells that line the aerial surface of the plant, that reflect the light and sparkle like ice crystals in the sun.
LAVENDER — Last summer, we planted about a dozen little lavender plants. It is obvious that this is their habitat: this year they are giant sprays of flowers.
Native to the Old World and is found from Cape Verde and the Canary Islands, Europe across to northern and eastern Africa, the Mediterranean, southwest Asia to southeast India. The evergreen shrub got its name from either Old French lavandre meaning “to wash”, or from Latin livere, meaning “blueish.”
OLEANDER — These bushes are everywhere around here, including all along our street-facing property walls. (Just like in LA!) They love this climate. They bloom prodigiously all through the hot summer.
Native to a broad area from Morocco and Portugal eastward through the Mediterranean region and southern Asia to Yunnanin southern parts of China. Its name comes from its superficial resemblance to the unrelated olive Olea.
DAHLIA — Along with the zinnias, these colorful flowers fill the garden.
Origins: Central America. First arrived in Europe at the end of the 18th century. Named after a student of Carl Linnaeus, Anders Dahl.
SALVIA — We expected that these vertical flowers would show more, but the extraverted zinnias overshadow them — this year!
Origins: Mediterranean. The Romans called this plant salvia, which was also their name for sage.
VARIOUS…
Strawberry flowers (Europe) 
Geranium (South Africa) 
Peruvian Lily (Peru!) 
Star Jasmine (E & SE Asia) 
Agapanthus (S Africa) 
Petunia (S America) 
Gaura (N America)
MARIGOLD – These flowers repel some of the pests that otherwise would feast in our vegetable garden.
Origins: Mexico, Guatemala. Brought to Europe in the late 16th century. Originally called Mary’s Gold, the marigold was named after the mother of Jesus, the Virgin Mary.
