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As I’ve been driving to and from work this week – making my commute from Northampton County to Ahoskie every day – I’ve noticed that azaleas have started to bloom.

The flowers have added an array of color to the landscape, coming in a variety of pinks, reds, and purples, and sometimes white too. I’ve enjoyed spotting them as I drive by. The bright colors juxtaposed amidst all the greenery just begs you to glance that way. You’ll find the flowery azalea bushes under the shade of pine trees or bordering a front porch or lining the edge of a yard like a natural fence. Sometimes I forget how big an azalea bush can grow until I notice one in full bloom that looks like it could be taller than me.

They aren’t the only flowers blooming recently, of course. The dogwood trees in my yard have been full of their distinctive-looking pretty white flowers for the past few weeks. Daffodils were in abundance everywhere you looked back in March. And there are countless other flowers that I don’t know the names of which have been heralding the arrival of spring with beautiful blooms.

Despite all the pollen we’ve had to deal with, I always enjoy seeing the landscape come back to life in the spring. It’s such a nice contrast from the dead-looking bare tree branches and dull grass of wintertime.

I suppose I’m not the only one thinking about flowers this time of year.

As I was browsing around Merriam-Webster’s website the other day, I found an article detailing the origins of several flower names. You can learn a surprising amount about a flower if you know the history of its name. Here are a few that I thought were particularly interesting:

The name “azalea” comes from the Greek word “azaleos,” which means “dry, parched, withered.” What a surprising meaning for such a pretty plant! But apparently, the name was given because azaleas can thrive in dry climates. The first known use of the word was all the way back in 1755.

Dandelions are basically a weed, but their yellow flowers can add some color to anyone’s yard. I remember having fun picking dandelions as a kid, especially when they’re in that stage where you can blow the seeds away and watch them float on the breeze. (I must give a belated apology to my mother for inadvertently spreading more dandelions in the yard back in those days.)

I always sort of assumed the origin of the dandelion name was a combination of “dandy” and “lion.” But that’s really only half-right. The name actually comes from the Anglo-French phrase “dent de lion” which translates to “lion’s tooth.” It garners that name from its sharp-looking leaves. (Just imagine the sharp teeth of a lion the next time you see one!) The word’s first known use was all the way back in the 14th century.

A pansy is a pretty flower. I’ve always liked that many of them come in shades of purple, which is my favorite color. The name comes from the word “pensive” which means “musing or dreamily thoughtful” or “sad thoughtfulness.” Perhaps someone was deep in thought while looking at pansies when they came up with this name. Its first know use was back in the 15th century.

Carnations come in a variety of bright colors, but I’ve always tended to associate them with funeral flowers for some reason. I’m not quite sure why. But now that I know the origin of the name, maybe it makes sense.

According to the dictionary, “carnation” comes from old French and Italian words that mean “flesh.” (You might notice that it’s similar to the word “incarnation.”) Apparently, whoever named this flower thought some of the colors looked similar to some skin tones. But carnations come in many colors, so I think maybe they should have workshopped this name a little longer for something more appealing!

I like daisies a lot better. They’re a pretty simple-looking flower, but that makes them easy to identify. They add some cheer anywhere you find them.

The name comes from the Old English word “daegeseage” which combines the words for “day” and “eye.” Old English certainly was a confusing language, wasn’t it? (English is still kind of confusing, but it’s at least a little easier to spell these days.) But the name is because the flower opens in the morning and closes at night – kind of like an eye opening and closing.

There’s no exact date of when the name was first used, but it was sometime before the 12th century.

Petunias are a nice ornamental flower to put on your porch or plant in your yard. They’re another one of my favorites because of their bright colors.

I was surprised to learn that the name comes from the language of an indigenous people from Brazil (Tupi) and its meaning is “tobacco.” Of course, a petunia is a bit different from a tobacco plant you see growing in a field, but the two plants are actually related. (I wouldn’t want a tobacco plant on my porch though!)

Lastly, while not a flower itself, I thought the origin of the plant name fern was interesting too. The name of this decorative plant traces all the way back to the Old English word “fearn” and Sanskrit word “parna” which means “wing.” One can assume that the people who came up with this name thought the leafy fronds of a fern reminded them on wings. (I bet especially when it was windy!)

Several of our local businesses are selling flowers and plants right now. It’s the perfect time of the year for it. So when you stop in to support one of these local businesses, you’ll know a little more about the plants you might want to buy.

 Holly Taylor is a staff writer for Roanoke-Chowan Publications. Contact her at holly.taylor@r-cnews.com or 252-332-7206.