Ukrainian Garden

As the days go on and the war in Ukraine still lingers in our daily thoughts, mixed with thoughts of spring and all that comes with it, I can't help but wonder what a garden would look like with only yellow and blue flowers, the Ukrainian flag colors. The blue and yellow Ukrainian colors have a symbolic meaning. The two horizontal bands of colors represent the wide blue skies and wheat fields, and also signify calm and joy. 

Interestingly, the first flower blooming in Marianna today is the yellow "Coltsfoot" (left). It looks like a miniature sunflower and is native to Europe and parts of Asia. In fact, many plants that grow in Marianna are native to Europe, including the blue bachelor button/cornflower.

 Sunflowers, in a yellow and blue Ukrainian garden (perhaps more appropriately called a Ukrainian Memory Garden or Freedom Garden), would be included. Sunflowers have been grown in Ukraine since the 1700s. Not to mention Ukraine is also a major supplier of sunflower oil and sunflower seeds. 

After looking through my collection of blue and yellow flower photos, I decided to go online to see what websites would come up under "Ukrainian Garden". Little did I know not far from here, about 3 hours, in Cleveland, Ohio is the Cleveland Cultural Garden in Rockefeller park.  A Ukrainian Culture Garden with paved walkways, statues, plaques, and monuments, is one of several culture gardens. The Ukrainian garden was dedicated in 1940. The sponsoring organization was the Ukrainian Museum-Archives. The garden is located along Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. Looks like this place will be on my bucket list to visit in 2022.

Sunflower, Ukraine's National Flower

Let Freedom Ring.

Blogger thoughts-Aside from a country's flag, aren't we all just wild animals native to one planet? It's not just Ukraine, either, where there is unrest. There are several countries today, such as Ethiopia and Afghanistan, where citizens continue to fight for freedom and are subjected to the same horrors as Ukraine. Albert Einstein once said that freedom, in any case, is only possible by constantly struggling for it. He believed that "laws alone could not secure freedom of expression; in order for every man present views without penalty, there must be a spirit of tolerance in the entire population". Tolerance is the ability to endure something that you may not agree with, continuously, without an adverse reaction. 

"Tolerance is giving to every other human being every right that you claim for yourself." -Robert Green Ingersoll

Links:

Cleveland Cultural Garden