A Rose for Marquis de Lafayette
- Rebecca Drew
- 7 days ago
- 2 min read
How do we honor Marquis de Lafayette, the Frenchman who was most crucial to helping secure the liberty of the United States? The American Friends of Lafayette, a nonprofit group, did it with flowers and celebrations across the Eastern Seaboard, just like they did 200 years ago.
About Marquis de Lafayette
September saw the conclusion of a 13-month long celebration of the Bicentennial of Lafayette's Farewell Tour of the United States. The renowned Frenchman was "the Nation's Guest" as you can see at Lafayette 200, which celebrated his popular tour to the United States from 1824-1825. Groups such as The American Friends of Lafayette want to keep the memory alive, because without Lafayette, the United States may have experienced a very different outcome during the American Revolution. His importance to the cause cannot be overstated, as enumerated in this list of 27 reasons to celebrate Lafayette.
Flowers for the Illustrious Frenchman
During Lafayette's visit in the early 1800's, a travel companion named Auguste Levasseur noted that flowers were present at many locations. If you read Levasseur's writings about the journey, lovely ladies would bring the flowers, even in cold states where you would not expect to find many blooms. Levasseur wrote that Lafayette was greatly touched when a little girl presented him with a crown of immortelles. Those flowers were known in France for representing lasting affection.
The language of flowers still convey sentiment today. While I had a difficult time finding immortelles for a bouquet, there is another place for inspiration. What flowers did Lafayette see during his visits to Virginia? When we look at his travel schedule, we see many days spent there during August through November. This was true in his earlier visit in 1784 to Mount Vernon and later in 1824, when he spent much time at Monticello. Zinnias are mentioned, but when I looked at the ones in the garden, the colors seemed too bright and wild. I wonder if the zinnias during Monticello's time were that vivid. Although they were beautiful, they felt inauthentic for a bouquet honoring a historic figure. Zinnias were ruled out, just in case modern varieties are brighter due to interventions by today's floral industry.
Finally, I decided to keep it simple. Little activity has happened in the garden this year for various reasons, so flowers have not been a priority. However, the Peace rose continued to bloom, and this last autumn bloom (along with a few springs of rosemary for remembrance) seemed to be an appropriate send-off for Monsieur Lafayette. The Peace rose is an apt choice because the name implies the peace which followed after the Revolutionary War, and it is a French flower bred by the highly esteemed Meilland rose growers.
It is impossible to convey enough appreciation for Lafayette's role in securing the liberty of the United States. This post is a small token of appreciation, albeit a few centuries late. Merci, Monsieur Lafayette!
