Nearly
everybody I know has a favourite flower. One of mine is orchids, especially
moth orchids, which are about the only indoor plant I seem to be able to keep
alive. 
Another is sweet peas which I adore for the perfume as much
as their colours. They are also the perfect size for a small vase of flowers to
grace a table. I also love anything that flowers in the blue and purple shades.
Plumbago, jacaranda, agapanthus,
blue hydrangea and petunias, 
that’s just to
name a few of the blue and purple flowers in my garden.
But what about in writing? Have you ever thought about
giving your character a favourite flower? People's likes in flowers can reveal
so much about them. In Streets on a Map, Laila’s father had a passion for roses,
in particular the Mr Lincoln, which I admit I also adore. Though I do not have
one growing in this garden, I have in past gardens. In Sandstone Madonna , the novel
I am currently working an autistic boy has a passion for daffodils.
It made me think of a boy I knew years ago. He loved poppies.
Why? Who knows? Maybe they were a reminder to him of something someone who
loved him had grown? Maybe because they are so fragile. One gust of wind and
all the petals are blown off. For a foster child who was shuffled from place to
place that could very well describe his life.
Someone else I knew once dug all the yellow daffodils that
the previous owner had planted in the lawn out. She replaced them with white daffodils.
To me that sounds just the sort of quirk that could be used effectively for a
character. That was something too good
to lose.
Another friend of mine likes sunflowers. To her they are big
and bright and cheerful. As far as I’m, concerned, sunflower seeds are only
good for putting in a muesli mix. To me, sunflowers are bold and brash.
In The Lost Hours, a recent book I read by Karen White, the woman
had learned a lot about gardening from a friend. When her granddaughter went
blind, this woman created a garden based not by colour but by perfume. What a
great idea I thought as I read the book. It revealed something about the character
that created the garden as well as the love she had for her granddaughter. I
could almost smell that garden
So next time you’re writing a character ask yourself what is
their favourite flower? What else might they have in their garden?
Maybe they like cactus? I’m not a lover of cactus bit I do
have one that I inherited from my mum. Isn't it beautiful when it flowers? It’s
like it’s made of tapestry.
I’d love to hear
about your favourite flower or one you have used effectively in a novel or
found that struck you in a book you have been reading. Please share it with us all.
Dale writes fiction and poetry. Her latest novel Streets
on a Map is currently available as an E book. She has also written
children’s books, bible studies, Sunday school material, devotionals, and
articles about marriage, home and Christian living. She is currently at work on
a new novel, titled Sandstone Madonna.
