Traditional Renaissance Flowers

During the Middle Ages and the beginning of the Renaissance, flowers were eaten and used to make dyes or medications. After their exclusion in the medieval period, the arts became popular again. The design inspiration for gardens came from the landscape methods of the Greeks and Romans. Traditional Renaissance flowers were also appreciated for their beauty and scent.

Renaissance marigolds are not the same as modern varieties. They looked much like the calendula herb, with daisy-like flowers in orange and gold. The original name of this flower was Mary's Gold, giving homage to the Virgin Mary. The Renaissance garden incorporated marigolds; they were used as a bitter herb in cooking and as medication to ease the pain of stings.

The root of blue iris had several uses in this period, and was used to make dye and ink. Iris' long, green leaves were used to make floor mats and roof thatch, while the blue juice of the plant cured diseases of the teeth and gums. The dried root gave a lovely scent and was a forerunner for orris root -- a scent fixative in potpourri today. The blue flowers were unusual and sought after for the ornamental Renaissance garden.

Daisies were called "ox-eye" because they resembled the eye of an ox and "day's eye" because they opened when the sun rose. Margaret of Angou, the wife of Henry IV, loved daisies; Henry VIII used them as a remedy in wine to cure ulcers. Crowns of daisies graced the heads of many Renaissance maidens, and the presence of the flowers was perceived as a sure sign of spring.

The violet is also associated with the Virgin Mary and symbolized purity and humility. Violets are edible, and became garnish for foods in the late medieval period. The petals produced medication, while oils from the flower made perfume for bathing. Violets have three petals, which associated them with the Holy Trinity during the Renaissance. Violets are depicted in the famous Cluny tapestries of unicorns woven in the 15th century.

Gillyflower is the Renaissance version of the carnation; it is related to the modern-day dianthus, or "pinks." The flowers were pink and burgundy and have a spicy scent akin to cloves. They were used to flavor wine and disguise the foul taste of medications during the Middle Ages; they were also border plants for Renaissance gardens.

Roses were cultivated in Rome, and their beauty served as an inspiration for the Renaissance garden. Many monarchs used the rose as their personal symbol. There was even a war named for the flower in the 1400s called the War of the Roses. Red roses symbolized the house of Lancaster, while white ones were for York. Roses were heavily cultivated during the Renaissance and looked more like a modern-day single rose than the tea rose variety. Damask roses were popular, as were brier roses, with their thick, rambling thorns. Rose hips were used to make tea that prevented scurvy.