04 August 2009

Fleur's Flower Game, Want to play?

In 1983 FLEUR COWLES published The Flower Game. This book shares nearly 200 of FLEUR'S "friends" answers to her question:




NAME TEN FLOWERS YOU WOULD WANT TO TAKE WITH YOU IF BANISHED TO A DESERT ISLAND-NOT JUST ANY ISLAND BUT ONE WHERE ANY AND EVERY FLOWER WOULD GROW, REGARDLESS OF SEASON OR SOIL
.

Fleur's 10

Fleur decided to choose specimens evoking Proust's ' Remembrances from things past' so she could choose from an "etagere" of memories- assuaging some of her loneliness.







the pink clover, hoping to "spend time in happy search" for the lucky four leafed kind.


&
the snowdrop, a sentimental choice since her husband of 27 years had found the first of spring's offering and presented it to Fleur.



the Tulip-for Fleur they conjured up the "drama of profusion" in one flower, trips to Holland, London's own and her sixteenth century home with pinkish red tiles.

Rembrandt's Flora



the pansy- evocative of the famous French primitive painter, Andre Beauchant and also one of the Queen mother's favourites.

Andre Beauchant



& Tuberose would always say Spain and her home there.


the humble field daisy for answering questions-the counting of petals, for its simplicity and memories of childhood in the States.


June Sira
"he loves me he loves me not"


& White Jasmine would fill the shells and coconuts made into vases on the island and remind her once again of her Spanish home where jasmine climbed the walls.




Fleur Cowles



the rose and its ability to allow Fleur to recall Shakespeare, Katherine Mansfield, Katherine Anne Porter, Andre Maurois and "every painter I love, if worth his salt, has painted the rose."

Fantin- Latour



Fleur wanted another wild flower besides the clover- a wild orchid, a cowslip,a buttercup. Perhaps the pimula, the dandelion, or even cow parsley.

(How could she have selected just one or would she have slipped a few of all these in the soil of her picks? Likely.)




Givenchy gown Muguet

& Finally lily-of -the-valley , its whiteness, fragrance, size and it holds a special place-the flower her husband sends when available.





Botticelli



FROM FLEUR'S LIST I WOULD TAKE :

lily of the valley, the lily Regale , snowdrop and the rose would pack well.

To this I would add the gardenia, lilac, peony, hydrangea,violet and lastly- the beautiful Queen Anne's Lace.

Some lists that are standouts- Cary Grant, Cecil Beaton, Beverly Nichols, Evangeline Bruce, Lady Diana Cooper, Norman Parkinson, Terence Stamp, Pauline Trigere, Eleanor Lambert, Clare Booth Luce.

- Princess Caroline of Monaco, Princess Grace of Monaco, Lord Olivier, Dame Margot Fonteyn, Jane Goodall, David Hicks...

What would you take along?

Andre Beauchant





12 comments:

  1. Dear Little Augury-


    Roses because they smell wonderful.

    Peonies because they are so poetic--and they smell glorious.

    I also love your post with the feather hat--too divine.

    cheers, www.thestylesaloniste.com

    ReplyDelete
  2. Such an island sounds like heaven itself.
    I would take.... hydrangeas, dahlias, peonies, gardenias, jasmine, foxglove, lilacs, lily of the valley, roses, and honeysuckle.
    Throw in a really good library, and...when do I sail??

    ReplyDelete
  3. I would want the same flowers that were in my wedding - orchids, gardenia, stephonadis (spelling)
    and freesia...all white...garlands and bouquets....aplenty
    pve

    ReplyDelete
  4. I am glad to see PT&E included the vine honeysuckle as a flower, therefore, widening the classification before I got here! HONEYSUCKLE, how can a southern graden smell of place without it? Roses, old fragrant ones. Mohawk viburnam, tuberose, gardenias (can't grow them here having them grow would be paradise), peonies, lilacs, jasmine, clethra, mimosa blossoms.

    ReplyDelete
  5. You chose flowers with powerful scents for sure -beautiful :-)

    I think for me I'd choose an old-fashioned blowsy rose -something to bury your face in,
    lily of the valley for the sweet delicate scent,
    lilacs ( do they count?) as they're my favorite and
    daisies as you can never look at one and not smile!

    ReplyDelete
  6. lilacs, peonies, gardenias, hydrangeas, jasmine, honeysuckle, muguet, ranunculus....queen anne's lace for my namesake grandmother who would pluck it from the country road by her house and overflow a container...the bigger the better!

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  7. love love love all your picks-thanks for playing xoxo, G.

    honeysuckle is a good pick

    ReplyDelete
  8. Late to play, because its a hard game really. I keep thinking of all the flowers I never get to see or smell, and so don't have memory of, but here are a few not picked yet.

    Roses and peonies of course, a huge rambler and Nick Shaylor since on your perfect island, there will be no rose chafers or japanese beetles.

    But also...oriental poppies, german iris, thalictrum rochebrunianum, daffodils(probably Actaea) and orchids.

    But I also love calendula, and who could skip violas and pansies, and tulips and ...

    ReplyDelete
  9. balsam- flowers always wait. I love your including the poppy- so exotic and a do get excited to see the first dafs popping up in Spring.
    Gaye

    ReplyDelete
  10. For my little island of paradise
    i would want Azaleas in pink white & lanvender.
    Also Cocunut & banana plams with which to satiate my appetite.
    Beautiful Roses, peonies, creeping phlox
    Lovely foxgloves & baby's breath would be a pure delight to complete my bouquets with jasmine, rhododendrum honeysuckle to enjoy the cool trade winds breezes in the night air!

    i hope they are selling tickets for such a place

    ReplyDelete
  11. Oh my goodness!

    I MET Fleur Cowles when I was in my twenties at "Bullock's Wilshire"! I had learned about her art and career; and she was my idol! I had the temerity to introduce myself to her; and she "took me under her wing in Los Angeles! She introduced me to so many wonderful women older than I who were very involved with the Museum of Natural History; and the Art Museum, etc.

    She delighted in the fact that I had my mother's collection of every copy of her magazine "Flair"; which lasted 10 months....or something!

    I will send you pictures of the things I found!
    And her book......"Lion and Blue" was the foundation of the romance between my husband Adam; and me.......37 years ago!

    I wrote her a letter (no email then) and she wrote me back; totally delighted! I told her the whole story! She was wonderful; how lucky was I to know her!

    we do love the same things; don't we! (And Dianne Saeks!!!) You , too!!!

    Penelope

    I have been so lucky to have found 3 of her paintings on ebay! and a couple of porcelains......YIKES!

    ReplyDelete
  12. You have misspelled the artist Andre Bauchant's name.

    ReplyDelete

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