“Mr. President”, a copyrighted post, was written for my WordPress blog called Always Growing by Jan in Covington, Louisiana
Today, it seems appropriate to consider the canna, Mr. President. A bright red flower and smooth, green leaves makes this an outstanding canna for the garden. I have had mine for several years, and it comes back regularly.
After doing a little research, I was surprised to find many plants named after our Presidents, and it seems many are the color red, a symbol of courage and love, something a president needs to lead a country. Many of these are roses like John F Kennedy, a lovely white hybrid tea rose, and Ronald Reagan, a dark red rose with white reverse petals. Abraham Lincoln has four roses named after him, all red. There is President Lincoln, Souvenir du President, Honest Abe and Mr. Lincoln. George Washington has his red rose too, General Washington. Even Richard Nixon had a rose named after him, and Lyndon Johnson had an amaryllis named after him.
Many more first ladies than Presidents have roses named after them. Both Barbara and Laura Bush have lovely roses with their names. “Snowy Lady”, a shasta daisy was also named after Barbara Bush. Nancy Reagan, too has her own rose that is soft apricot.
I wonder what flowers may be named after the new President and first lady in the coming years? Any suggestions?
Always Growing 
Brenda Kula said,
January 20, 2009 at 7:03 pm
I don’t know. But I’m so happy he’s now in office. We celebrated by ordering take out steak from Outback Steak House!
Brenda
Phillip said,
January 20, 2009 at 11:02 pm
An appropriate post for such a memorable day.
Jan said,
January 21, 2009 at 5:35 am
Brenda, I hope you had a good time.
Thanks, Phillip. It was interesting finding some flowers named after famous presidents. I already knew a few, but Lincoln having four was a surprise.
fairegarden said,
January 21, 2009 at 6:13 am
Hi Jan, what a good question! I have a feeling there are going to be all sorts of things name for the Obamas, schools come to mind too. I have Mister Lincoln, and attended Lincoln elementary school growing up. This was a unique take on a happy day, well done!
Frances
Jan said,
January 21, 2009 at 5:22 pm
Thanks, Frances. I was thinking maybe Michelle Obama might have a yellow rose named after her since she wore a yellow dress to the inauguration ceremony.
Jean said,
January 21, 2009 at 10:05 pm
Yes, a yellow rose for Michelle. It symbolizes joy and friendship. For our president, I had to do research on the meaning of flower colors. I came across this for the color orange: “Orange is the closest match to the shade of the sun, so it is symbolic of expansion, growth, and warmth. It is also a color of friendship and community. Think back to when you were a kid, and the sun poured out of the sky after a span of long grey days. Odds are, all the kids in your neighborhood flocked to the streets and parks to play after being cooped up for days. That’s the overall feeling of orange; it beckons us to go out and play with friends, remember good times, enjoy the company of like-minds, and share big smiles all around.” This is what Inauguration Day felt like to me. So what is the orangiest orange flower out there?
Jan said,
January 22, 2009 at 5:46 am
Jean, I think yellow or orange would be nice. They have some lovely orange daylilies. I know that Barbara Bush got to pick out her rose, but I am not sure if that is the way it is always done. If I have more time, I just might do a little more research on how flowers or plants are named after famous people. It is an interesting subtopic of gardening.
Debbie Lattuga said,
January 22, 2009 at 7:21 am
Hi Jan,
I used to have a Mr. Lincoln. Boy was he spectacular. Lots of orchids are named after First Ladies. (not sure about ‘First Men’) I grow one named Laura Bush, but it got frost damage last year and hasn’t bloomed for me yet.
Jan said,
January 22, 2009 at 6:42 pm
Debbie, I wasn’t aware of any orchids named after first ladies, but it is understandable that orchids would make a great first lady flower. If you look under the Meta tag on the left side you will see “Entries RSS” that is the feed button.