Gathered into a bouquet by two lovers strolling through a meadow or 
pressed into a heart picture such as this one, flowers and herbs are enduring 
expressions of love, fidelity, and caring.  Pansies, rosemary, even basil 
have been used to cast spells, forcast the romantic future, and ensure 
fidelity.  Plant lore, passed down through poems and tales, is as charming as 
the blossoms themselves.

ARTICLE

    I love to read these writings of love and cunning while imagining sweet, 
young maidens gathering flowers to work their magic.  Some days I wonder if 
it might not be worth trying one of the more belevable "spells" myself.  As 
Valentine's Day approaches, I thought you might enjoy reading about a few of 
my favorite bits of lore.  You might even find them useful!

    Velvety red roses have symbolized love, at least since the days of the 
Roman Empire.  As the story goes, a young woman named Rodanthe was blessed 
with such exquisite beauty that she was beseiged by suitors.  But she had 
little interest in any of them, and tiring of their relentless pursuit the 
damsel sought refuge in the Temple of Diana.  The suitors were not deterred, 
however, and stirred by her incredible beauty, they broke down the temple 
gate.  Furious at this intrusion, Diana turned Rodanthe into a rose and all 
the suitors into thorns.  Henceforth, the rose became the symbol of love and 
beauty, crowning Roman brides and grooms as well as Cupid and Venus.

    Yet this Roman rose must have been white, since another tale recounts how 
Venus's tears, shed over her unrequited love of Adonis, fell on a white rose, 
turning it red.  Years later, country maidens plucked a red rose on 
Midsummer's Eve.  If it had not faded by the following month, it signaled 
that their lovers were faithful.  And if they dreamed of these beauteous red 
flowers, they were sure they would marry for love.

    Like the rose, the pansy has not only been closely connected to love, but 
it is also said to have started out pure white, becoming a rich purple when 
pierced by Cupid's arrow.  Pansies' sweet little faces suggest the visages of 
loved ones, and the name, derived from the French pensée, meaning thought, 
reflects the flower's reputed power to make a lover think of you.  Pansies 
probably possess more folk names than any other herb or flower, from 
tickle-my-fancy to Johnny-jump-up-and-kiss-me (hence the name 
Johnny-jump-ups) and heartsease, reflecting the wild pansy's supposed ability 
to ease the pain of separated lovers.

    Pansies' powers in matters of love are legendary.  The Celts brewed a 
love potion from the heart-shaped leaves, which were also thought to cure a 
broken heart.  Fortune-tellers once even read the lines in the faces of these 
flowers to predict the romantic futures of the Knights of the Round Table. 
Seven lines, a lucky amount, meant constancy in love, while more meant 
fickleness and even disappointment in affairs of the heart.  And as we all 
remember from Shakespeare's "Midsummer Night's Dream," the juice of a pansy 
applied to the eyelids of sleeping persons made them dote romantically on the 
first creature they espied upon awakening, even if it were an ass.  This 
power could obviously lead to much mischief in the wrong hands.

    Constancy, a trait to be sought in any relationship, was symbolized by 
bright orange calendulas.  In spite of their bright color, they appeared in 
bridal bouquets and were also used to cast love spells, as were less colorful 
herbs.  Rosemary, for example, because it remained fresh and fragrant so long 
and was believed to strengthen memory, became a symbol of fidelity between 
lovers.  It was entwined in bridal wreaths, and gilded branches of the 
pungent herb, gaily tied with colored ribbons, were presented to wedding 
guests as a symbol of love and loyalty.

    If a spring was placed under the pillow on the eve of Saint Agness, a 
future husband was supposed to appear in one's dreams.

    William Langham in his "Garden of Health" advised his readers in 1579 to 
"carry the flowers about thee to make thee merry and glad and well-beloved of 
all men...hang the flowers on thy bed and place rosemary in the bath to make 
thee lusty, lively, joyful, liking, and young."  With that recommendation, it 
is hard to see how anyone survived without a rosemary plant growing in the 
garden or window, especially since rosemary water could be used to sweeten 
the breath before a romantic tryst.

    Even basil, known now primarily for its pungent flavor, was part of the 
game of love.  In Northern Europe it has always been considered a symbol of 
chastity.  A sprig of the fragrant herb was often placed in the hand of a 
young maiden to test here purity.  If it withered, it was a sure sign that 
the girl had other lovers.  Since basil tends to wilt rather quickly, I 
suspect many an innocent girl failed the test.  And even though basil is 
considered a token of love, I like to think the reason Moldavian bridesmaids 
presented the groom with a beribboned bouquet of basil on the wedding morning 
was the hope this would keep him chaste outside of marriage.

    In Tudor England another fragrant herb became the means by which young
girls found matrimony.  On Valentine's Day anyone who placed a bay leaf under 
the pillow and dreamt of love would be married within a year if he or she 
remembered to chant this little couplet first: "Saint Valentine, be kind to 
me,/ In my dreams, let me true love see."  Bay leaves were also useful to 
jilted lovers because the delicious scent of burning bay leaves in the house 
was supposed to bring back a departed lover.

    Other plants such as sandalwood and elderflower were sought out simply 
for their heady fragrance, which acted as an aphrodisiac.  One of the most 
cherished of these was jasmine, which is still considered a lucky symbol in 
Italian bridal bouquets.  It has incredibly fragrant blossoms that open at 
night.  Knowing this, generations of Asian women have tucked them in their 
hair, aware that by the time the moon was high the blossoms would be open and 
the warmth of their bodies would release the fragrance, enveloping them in 
the seductive scent.

    In Thailand, Indonesia, and other parts of Asia, the early hours of the 
morning find women in the field gathering the unopened blossoms.  They string 
them into fragrant garlands, then carry them to the marketplace to sell.  In 
the evening, instead of wearing perfume in the western manner, the local 
women drape a jasmine garland about their necks to enchant their lovers.

    Although it might be impractical for us to wear a necklace of jasmine to 
entice our favorite man, there are ways we can take advantage of the 
seductive scent of herbs and flora to inspire affection.  I think one of the 
nicest is to luxuriate in a warm herbal bath.  My favorite mixture includes 
rosemary, which, as Mr. Langham said, makes you lively.  I add to that some 
roses for more scent, a little catnip for relaxation, and chamomile to soothe 
and soften my skin.

    To make your house as seductive as you are, mix up a lovely rose 
potpourri and set bowls of it next to your favorite chair or beside your bed 
where its romantic fragrance will envelop you with thoughts of love.  Or if 
you prefer jasmine, buy a small vial of jasmine oil and add a few drops to a 
burning candle.  These are just a few of the ways to bring the romantic 
properties of herbs and flowers into your life.  But why not start by 
surprising your love on Valentine's Day with a single red rose or a sprig of 
rosemary and an invitation to an intimate dinner in your scented lair?