Wallflowers

[VirginVegGrower]

Mr VVG has spotted some at the market and bought three bunches for the two semicircles in the knot garden. Think they are mixed. Haven't seen these for years in little bundles, which these are. My grandmother used to call them gillivers...anyone know why?
Anyway I am pleased with his purchase and will be dibbing them in later today.

[rustylady]

Gillivers is I think a corruption of Gillyflowers, see this link gillyflower (plant) -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia

[veggiechicken]

Gillyflower is another name for wallflower (and several other scented plants).
My corner shop sells wallflowers in bunches - I always have to buy some. The ones planted last year, flowered, and are starting to flower again now. I only remove the plant when its dead, I'm not one of these who whips them out when they've finished flowering - how ungrateful is that?

[VirginVegGrower]

Ooh thanks ladies - never knew they were a gillyflower. I'm rather looking forward to planting these as the perfume I recall is quite intense (?). My grandmother used to cut them for her front room mantelpiece.

[veggiechicken]

My grandfather used to grow them on his allotment and sell bunches of cut flowers to the neighbours. That was one of my jobs - knocking on doors with flowers - nobody could say no to me (fat little specky foureyes)
Big white daisies too and bunches of mint on Sunday.
Any funeral, and he'd be out with his bunches of flowers!! 6d and 1/- a bunch if I remember rightly.
I loved "helping" on his allotment - a strip of land alongside the railway line......

[northepaul]

They sell them at the greengrocer in rolled up newspaper!! (never managed to get them to grow though! )

[WendyC]

I grow them on the allotment, planting them out when the first potatoes have been lifted. Transplanted half last weekend and if I get up there this weekend will lift the rest and see if the neighbours want any. Definitely one to grow for scent. I confused a fellow plotter last weekend who couldn't work out what veg I was growing.

[rustylady]

They sell them at the greengrocer in rolled up newspaper!! (never managed to get them to grow though! )

Treat them rough. They don't need rich soil or fertiliser, and appreciate good drainage.

[mothhawk]

Gillivers is I think a corruption of Gillyflowers, see this link gillyflower (plant) -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia

And gillyflower is itself a corruption of girofle, the French for clove (the spice, not garlic), so I guess it was applied to any clove scented flower, such as pinks, and then to other scented flowers. My mum calls pinks gillyflowers

[stella]

I always let them set seed and then pull the seed heads off and sprinkle the tiny seeds into a pot. They come up every year and I just transplant them, very easy

[binley100]

oh mine have been treated very rough ...........half eaten by snugs and dried out by someone not watering them while we were away.....I think I'll be buying some off the market

[VirginVegGrower]

Well I have planted mine although I kept falling in the box hedge, so whilst they will look great, the box has taken a bit of a battering. Should have stayed in bed.

[bazzaboy]

They sell them at the greengrocer in rolled up newspaper!! (never managed to get them to grow though! )

Flowers not my strong point (er so what is, you might well ask ) but I bought some of these from the local market duly rolled in newspaper - they looked fine - dibbled them in last week and to my highly trained eye they are now.....er.... dead (floppy yellow strands...)! Do they do that and come good? Or are they now just dead, deceased and no more, better known as gillygone flowers?

[rustylady]

From your description Bazza, I think they're probably gillygone. What were the roots like when you planted them?

[northepaul]

Mine have never managed to get past the eaten by slugs stage......but thats most things this year anyway!