Do you have pet names for your plants?   Amy the Amaryllis.   Jerry the geranium.   Once I bought some dahlias at a private plant sale.   Before I drove away, I rolled down the window to ask for the sellers name; they’ve been my “Doris“ dahlias ever since. Doris and I have stayed in touch over the years, and I have to say; she’s as lovely as the bloom on those dahlias.   So whether they are called Howard or Bertie, Harry or Liz; if you’ve named your plants, you are not alone. The gesture of honoring a loved one or the little laugh evoked from a cleverly name to plant all add it to the joy of gardening. There’s nothing wrong with that.   Brevities #OTD On this day in 1855 Paul de Longpré (Books By This Author)was born.   Known as the "King of Flowers", de Longpré painted exceptional portrayals of roses (his first love), and wildflowers (his second love).  If you look at his work, you'll find somewhere in his composition his signature accent – a bumblebee. After exhibitions of his work on the East Coast, reviewers praised,  "No one but a poet could paint as he does."   "De Longpré has the rare gift of reading down to the heart of his loved flowers." De Longpré was raised in northern Paris. His father left the family early one - a hurt that de Longpré hid from reporters; telling them that his father was dead. De Longpré's family was artistic and he helped his mother financially by painting silk fans with his brother. (The fans were quite fashionable at the time).   After marrying the delightful Josephine Estievenard, de Longpré was mentored by Francois Rivoire. Like Rivoire, de Longpré’s mastery of watercolors are said to rival the richness of oil painting.   When de Longpré lost his savings in a Paris bank crash, he immigrated with his wife and their children to the United States - ultimately calling Hollywood their home in 1900.  At the time, Hollywood was a brand new development just west of Los Angeles -   De Longpré built a lavish Mission Revival style villa and it quickly became the most famous estate on the boulevard. He bought an additional three blocks of property from socialite Daeida Wilcox Beveridgein exchange for three of his flora watercolors. On the property, de Longpré planted over 4000 rosebushes the muses for his work – and he turned the main level of his magnificent home into an art gallery. The place became a sensation; a hub for elites, as well as a tourist destination, with over 8,000 visitors a month. De Longpré’s guests were greeted by a very courteous Japanese butler who would hand them a list of the paintings titles and prices.   Pauls daily habit was to get up in the morning and pick flowers with his youngest daughter, Pauline, by his side. After creating more than 2,000 paintings, de Longpré died in 1911. Josephine and the girls sold the house and sadly agreed to a final exhibition of de Longpré's work, which included his masterpiece the Cherokee Rose. It was a Josephine's lifelong regret to part with these paintings. Thirteen years later, the architectural wonder of the de Longpré's villa and the lavish gardens were all destroyed to make room for commercial buildings and parking lots.   #OTD On this day in 1734, Elsa Beate Bunga was born.   She was a pistol. Married to the handsome Swedish Count Sven Bunga, Elsa was a passionate amateur botanist. At her Beataberga mountain estate, she had many large greenhouses.    Bunga wrote a book called, "About the Nature of Grapevines", which brought her notoriety and authority. She even  corresponded with fellow Swede Carl Linnaeus (who is almost 30 years older than her).   Bunga also drew attention because of her way of dressing. Like the women of her time she wore a skirt, but she distinguished herself by dressing as a man from the waist up. When King Gustav III (1771 - 1792), inquired about a peculiarly dressed woman at the Royal Swedish opera, Bunge boldly replied,  "Tell his Majesty that I am the daughter of statesman Fabian Reder and married to state