London Pride

[callmemadam]

There's a little city flower,
Every spring unveiling,
Growing in the crevices,
By some London railing.
Though it has a Latin name
In town and countryside,
We in England call it
London Pride.

London Pride has been handed down to us,
London Pride is a flower that's free.
London Pride means our own dear town to us,
And our pride it forever will be.

Noel Coward

If London Pride, Saxifraga x urbium, were rare and hard to grow, everyone would rave about its darling frothy little flowers thriving valiantly in gloomy and difficult conditions.

Comments

[sloopjonb.livejournal.com]

http://www.shirevillageinns.co.uk/pub/beers/londonpride.jpg

Hic.

[callmemadam.livejournal.com]

Each to his own. We used to drink Courage or Youngs when we lived in sarf London. Do Youngs still use dray horses?

[sloopjonb.livejournal.com]

Only for publicity shots. Good ale, generally, Youngs. Courage, not so much.

[pinkhebe.livejournal.com]

I love london pride, & prince charles has some at highgrove (have lost will to capitalise...) ~x~

[callmemadam.livejournal.com]

Royal approval! HRH does have good taste in gardening.

[lethe1]

I found your journal while book-blog-hopping, but I just had to comment to this entry.

I have London Pride in my* garden as well. In Dutch it is called Schildersverdriet (Painter's Sorrow), because the minute flowers are so difficult to paint. :)


* 'My' garden is an exaggeration, I have to share it with my neighbours and it is very small.

[callmemadam.livejournal.com]

Thank you for that wonderful Dutch name for the plant, which I had never heard before. I've seen some lovely gardens in the Netherlands and I love the way Dutch people always have tidy front gardens and dress their windows with plants. We could learn a few lessons there.

[lethe1]

I'm afraid my garden isn't that tidy, I am too fond of wild flowers (not all, of course) to do much weeding.