Wild flowers of Greece on postage stamps

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Hilary

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Re: Wild flowers of Greece on postage stamps
« Reply #60 on: April 20, 2018, 05:43:31 AM »
Tobacco, Tabaco, common name for Nicotiana tabacum

This Greek stamp was issued in 1953 in a series named
 AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS

The photo of a dried up tobacco plant and its dried seed heads was taken at the Royal Botanical Garden in Madrid in an area where agricultural products were being grown, tobacco, cotton, sugar beet, asparagus, carrots etc

Tobacco is mentioned in a list of American plants which Mediterranean countries are dependant on, THE MEDITERRANEAN GARDEN number 63, January 2011
Read
THE HISTORY OF CRETAN LANDSCAPES AND THEIR SPECIAL PLANTS
 by Oliver Rackham   
MGS member
Living in Korinthos, Greece.
No garden but two balconies, one facing south and the other north.
Most of my plants are succulents which need little care

Hilary

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Re: Wild flowers of Greece on postage stamps
« Reply #61 on: August 27, 2018, 05:16:19 AM »
Tulipa boeotica, Tulipa undulatifolia

A stamp issued in 1958 by the Greek Postal Service   

I have never seen these tulips growing wild but a friend of mine once appeared at the door with a bunch of them for me. In fact I even took a photo of one of them

Tulipa boeotica are mentioned in THE MEDITERRANEAN GARDEN issue number 57, July 2009 in From the President:
 THE WILD ONES by Caroline Harbouri
MGS member
Living in Korinthos, Greece.
No garden but two balconies, one facing south and the other north.
Most of my plants are succulents which need little care

*

John J

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Re: Wild flowers of Greece on postage stamps
« Reply #62 on: August 29, 2018, 08:35:09 AM »
Hilary, my apologies if I am trespassing on your turf but this stamp was on the envelope containing the MGS July Journal and I couldn't resist it.
Cyprus Branch Head. Gardens in a field 40 m above sea level with reasonably fertile clay soil.
"Aphrodite emerged from the sea and came ashore and at her feet all manner of plants sprang forth" John Deacon (13thC AD)

Hilary

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Re: Wild flowers of Greece on postage stamps
« Reply #63 on: August 29, 2018, 09:13:45 AM »
Yes, there is a series of four stamps featuring Apis mellifera, European honey bee which  was issued to celebrate the
WORLD BEE DAY by the Greek postal authorities.
The information leaflet states

Quote
The Hellenic Post wishes to thank the photographer Nikos Kokolakis, for providing material which enabled the publication of present Series..

So far I have managed to resist the temptation of ordering and buying the set
MGS member
Living in Korinthos, Greece.
No garden but two balconies, one facing south and the other north.
Most of my plants are succulents which need little care

Hilary

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Re: Wild flowers of Greece on postage stamps
« Reply #64 on: August 29, 2018, 11:34:17 AM »
I forgot to find a reference to Honey Bees in THE MEDITERRANEAN GARDEN and now I can tell you there is no shortage.` Luckily the first  article I chose from the index had not been used before in this thread and seemed suitable.

AJUGA: A BEAUTIFUL INVASIVE SOLUTION by Helene Pizzi
 I have included a photo of  Ajuga reptans which was identified for me by this Forum
MGS member
Living in Korinthos, Greece.
No garden but two balconies, one facing south and the other north.
Most of my plants are succulents which need little care

Hilary

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Re: Wild flowers of Greece on postage stamps
« Reply #65 on: August 29, 2018, 12:11:16 PM »
Photo of Ajuga reptans
MGS member
Living in Korinthos, Greece.
No garden but two balconies, one facing south and the other north.
Most of my plants are succulents which need little care

Hilary

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Re: Wild flowers of Greece on postage stamps
« Reply #66 on: August 31, 2018, 05:01:32 AM »
Greek fruit

A stamp issued by Greece, to be more correct, The Hellenic Post, in 1981, showing a wooden box, lemons, apples, grapes and watermelon. There are four stamps in the series, I have another one depicting vegetables
.
I had intended trying to make a combination of this selection of fruit and snapping it, but where to find a wooden box?
Then looking for something else among the slides I came across this photo of a greengrocery store somewhere in Crete in 1966.
You will notice wooden crates, a handmade basket, and a sack, not a cardboard box or plastic crate in sight,

To read about old varieties of fruit trees go to THE MEDITERRANEAN GARDEN  number 56, April 2009 and read
MEMORIES OF A VIST TO SAN LORENZO by Carole Cross
For photographs of some of the fruit, see THE MEDITERRANEAN GARDEN SOCIETY website
http://www.mediterraneangardensociety.org/56-lorenzo.html
MGS member
Living in Korinthos, Greece.
No garden but two balconies, one facing south and the other north.
Most of my plants are succulents which need little care

Hilary

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Re: Wild flowers of Greece on postage stamps
« Reply #67 on: November 22, 2018, 10:51:55 AM »
Bamboo  and Olea europaea

A stamp issued by Greece, HELLENIC POST in 2017, in a three stamp series, to celebrate

2017 - YEAR OF CULTURAL EXCHANGES AND COOPERATION
OF CREATIVE INDUSTRIES OF GREECE – CHINA

I took the photo of Bamboo leaves in the Palacio de Cristal de la Arganzuela, a large greenhouse near the Manzanares River, in Madrid this spring.

The heavily laden Olive tree was snapped near Mystras, Peloponnese at the end of October.

As you can imagine both Bamboo and Olive trees are mentioned many times in
 THE MEDITERRANEAN GARDEN
In the end I chose number 12, Spring 1998 for you to read
 MY CAPRICIOUS GARDEN by Gillian M. Oberli

MGS member
Living in Korinthos, Greece.
No garden but two balconies, one facing south and the other north.
Most of my plants are succulents which need little care

Hilary

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Re: Wild flowers of Greece on postage stamps
« Reply #68 on: April 10, 2019, 07:27:10 AM »
Apis mellifera, European Honey Bee, Μέλισσα

“20 MAY – WORLD BEE DAY”

Greece issued this four stamp series in May 2018.
I have included a scan of part of the leaflet issued with the stamps.

Unfortunately I have lost the photo I had of an old Greek beehive but remembered one of a great uncle of mine, Alexander, in the north of Scotland, probably around 1910, proudly standing beside his bee hives.

Bees are mentioned many times of course in THE MEDITERRANEAN GARDEN
Read WHY ARE SO MANY SPRING FLOWERS YELLOW?
By D. J. Bracey   in journal number 64 April 2011
You can see photos of some of the yellow flowers mentioned in the article here

http://www.mediterraneangardensocietyarchive.org/64-yellow.html
MGS member
Living in Korinthos, Greece.
No garden but two balconies, one facing south and the other north.
Most of my plants are succulents which need little care

*

Alisdair

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Re: Wild flowers of Greece on postage stamps
« Reply #69 on: April 10, 2019, 08:24:43 AM »
Lovely photo!
Alisdair Aird
Gardens in SE England (Sussex); also coastal Southern Greece, and (in a very small way) South West France; MGS member (and former president); vice chairman RHS Lily Group, past chairman Cyclamen Society

Hilary

  • Hero Member
Re: Wild flowers of Greece on postage stamps
« Reply #70 on: July 19, 2019, 10:43:49 AM »
Narcissus tazetta, Bunch flowered narcissus 

A stamp issued by Greece, in a five stamp series named
 DOMESTIC  FLOWERS, in 2005

The photo is of Narcissus tazetta bought in January last year  from street sellers

There has been a lot of activity lately on the Forum about Narcissus.
 http://www.mgsforum.org/smf/index.php?topic=348.255
I thought I would join in the fun with this stamp which has been waiting its turn for quite a  while.

Tazetta is mentioned in many issues of  THE MEDITERRANEAN GARDEN
Go to number 25, July 2001 and read
 TWO VERY DIFFERENT APPROACHES IN A CORFU GARDEN
  by Cali Doxiadis
MGS member
Living in Korinthos, Greece.
No garden but two balconies, one facing south and the other north.
Most of my plants are succulents which need little care

Hilary

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Re: Wild flowers of Greece on postage stamps
« Reply #71 on: February 05, 2020, 08:34:59 AM »
Western rock nuthatch, Sitta neumayer, Βραχοτσοπανάκος

Greece issued this stamp in a two stamp series named
 EUROPA STAMPS National Birds in 2019

Sorry no photo

Rock Nuthatches are mentioned in THE MEDITERRANEAN GARDEN number 25, July 2001 in
AN UNFORGETTABLE  EXPEDITION TO THE PELOPONNESE AND CRETE
By George Sfikas

If you read this article you will want to drop everything in April and set off for the Peloponnese and Crete.
MGS member
Living in Korinthos, Greece.
No garden but two balconies, one facing south and the other north.
Most of my plants are succulents which need little care

Hilary

  • Hero Member
Re: Wild flowers of Greece on postage stamps
« Reply #72 on: February 10, 2020, 06:54:07 AM »
Greek, tinned and fresh, fruit and vegetables

A stamp issued by Greece in 1981in a four stamp series named
 GREEK EXPORTS

I managed to collect a few tins of Greek products but I found it too hot, even at the end of September, to crawl to the supermarket, which is just one block up the street, to find more vegetables to add to this photo.

Now every Greek garden has an area devoted to vegetables in the summer. Anyone who has room enough has a few tomato plants, courgettes , green peppers and aubergine plants growing  in a sunny corner, not to mention the green beans, instant ingredients for a summer meal. However, most of the articles in THE MEDITERRANEAN GARDEN seem to ignore the kitchen gardens and only mention Olive trees and grape vines. You can hear my exasperation coming through here.

Luckily for me I found in THE MEDITERRANEAN GARDEN number 99, January 2020 a mention of
 “ A small kitchen garden ….with a few vegetables “
Read PRE- AGM VISIT TO CORFU,
OCTOBER 2019
By Valerie Whittington
MGS member
Living in Korinthos, Greece.
No garden but two balconies, one facing south and the other north.
Most of my plants are succulents which need little care

Hilary

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Re: Wild flowers of Greece on postage stamps
« Reply #73 on: February 13, 2020, 07:13:53 AM »
This stamp was issued in 2005 by Greece on the occasion of the 75th Anniversary of the
GENERAL CHEMICAL STATE LABORATORY OF GREECE,
ΓΕΝΙΚΟ ΧΗΜΕΙΟ ΤΟΥ ΚΡΑΤΟΣ

I notice that there is an olive branch in the corner, an opportunity for yet another photo of an Olive tree or, in this case, an olive branch. 

It would be difficult to find an issue of THE MEDITERRANEAN GARDEN which does not have a reference to Olive trees. I looked for an article I have not ‘used’ before and came up with
THE GARDEN IN SUMMER by Jenny Bussey
THE MEDITERRANEAN GARDEN  number 5, Summer 1996
MGS member
Living in Korinthos, Greece.
No garden but two balconies, one facing south and the other north.
Most of my plants are succulents which need little care

Hilary

  • Hero Member
Re: Wild flowers of Greece on postage stamps
« Reply #74 on: March 18, 2020, 05:55:47 AM »
March, Swallow

Greece issued this stamp in a 12-stamp series in 2014, one for each month.

The swallows are supposed to return to Greece in March and I was on the lookout for them last year but it wasn't until much later that I did see some swallows flying around in the evening. There used to be a couple of nests on the outside stairwell of the block of flats where we live but someone destroyed them in the pursuit of cleanliness. An old cardboard box underneath the nests would have been just as good

Looking around the house for something depicting swallows I found two on this Willow Pattern plate

For something to read in THE MEDITERRANEAN GARDEN it has to be
GOING NATIVE
MEDITERRANEAN GARDENS
AND MIGRATORY BIRDS by Melissa Hamilton
THE MEDITERRANEAN GARDEN number 86, October 2016

Last evening, as I was closing the shutters, I saw my first swallow of the year

MGS member
Living in Korinthos, Greece.
No garden but two balconies, one facing south and the other north.
Most of my plants are succulents which need little care