The Edelweiss Are In Bloom / myLot

Switzerland

November 11, 2015 7:55am CST

The little white flowers that you can see in my photo are not daisies, they are edelweiss. These little plants mostly grow to an altitude of at least 1800 meters (5900 Feet), in rocky limestone settings. The flowers that grow on high altitude are covered with hair that protect them from the cold. The edelweiss in my garden are almost bald, but they grow well in the rocky spot that I created for them in my garden. Those small white flowers are the Swiss national symbol, they are protected and you cannot pick them up from the rocks, but only buy from authorized florists. Have you ever seen an edelweiss?

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35 responses

Koalemos

@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

11 Nov 15

I usually avoid these plants because it gets too noisy. They tend to attract Naval Captains and their family who break into song.

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Koalemos

@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

11 Nov 15

@LadyDuck Yes, from the Sound of Music. The plant was almost unknown to the British prior to the song becoming popular.

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Anna

@LadyDuck (472497)

• Switzerland

11 Nov 15

I imagine you are talking about the song Edelweiss.

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Fiacre Banks

@xFiacre (13218)

• Ireland

11 Nov 15

@asylum The situation you allude to has done the pretty, small flower no favours whatsoever.

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Fiacre Banks

@xFiacre (13218)

• Ireland

11 Nov 15

@ladyduck I've seen them struggling in contrived alpine gardens in Ireland but the fact that we are not exactly an alpine nation made a bit of a nonsense of it. I think the poor plants were a bit embarrassed out of their natural environment.

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Anna

@LadyDuck (472497)

• Switzerland

11 Nov 15

Even those in my garden are smaller and without hair, but soon the temperature will go down and they will be happy.

3 people like this

41Combedale

@41CombedaleRoad (5968)

• Greece

11 Nov 15

I was given a necklace with an edelweiss when I was a girl. I remembered that years later when I saw a musical film (I've forgotten its name just now) and a song about the flower was featured in it.

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Anna

@LadyDuck (472497)

• Switzerland

11 Nov 15

I think that the song is Edelweiss in The Sound of Music, other users have mentioned it.

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sofs

@sofssu (23662)

•

11 Nov 15

I have never seen them. I would have assumed that they are daisies.

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sofs

@sofssu (23662)

•

11 Nov 15

@LadyDuck and the leaves are more bluish in color.

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Anna

@LadyDuck (472497)

• Switzerland

11 Nov 15

Seen closely the shape is different and they are hairy.

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Judy Evans

@JudyEv (347065)

• Rockingham, Australia

12 Nov 15

@sofssu I love the blue-grey foliage that some plants have. Also like the real lemony-green of some plants. Different colour foliages look good in a garden.

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Boingboing

@boiboing (13153)

• Northampton, England

11 Nov 15

Have they always been protected? I'm ashamed to say I have some in a glass frame that I picked about 25 years ago.

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Anna

@LadyDuck (472497)

• Switzerland

11 Nov 15

I remember I picked them up when I was a kid, I have several dried in old books. I do not remember from how many years they are protected.

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Boingboing

@boiboing (13153)

• Northampton, England

11 Nov 15

@LadyDuck OK, so maybe I won't get deported or arrested next time I go to Switzerland.

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ElizabethWallace

@ElizabethWallace (12074)

• United States

11 Nov 15

I don't think so, but I remember the song from the Sound of Music.

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Anna

@LadyDuck (472497)

• Switzerland

11 Nov 15

You are not the only one to mention this song, that I have never heard.

4 people like this

MARILYN

@Marilynda1225 (83808)

• United States

11 Nov 15

@ElizabethWallace that song is now stuck in my head just reading about it

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ElizabethWallace

@ElizabethWallace (12074)

• United States

11 Nov 15

@LadyDuck If you had seen the movie Sound of Music, then you would have it stuck permanently in your head, like the rest of us.

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AnjaP

@Rollo1 (16679)

• Boston, Massachusetts

11 Nov 15

We all know Edelweiss from Julie Andrews' song in The Sound of Music but I have never seen them in person. Yours look very delicate and pretty.

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Anna

@LadyDuck (472497)

• Switzerland

11 Nov 15

They are pretty strong to resist in the cold on high mountains, but can die if it's too hot. I had to protect them last summer.

marguicha

@marguicha (225093)

• Chile

11 Nov 15

I have never seen then, at least not that I know it. I went to Switzerland around 40 years ago and what I remember is a country so beautiful that I could not believe it. We were there for 1 month or so in Summer.

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switzerland

Anna

@LadyDuck (472497)

• Switzerland

11 Nov 15

I was born in Italy, nor far from Switzerland, I have always loved to come to Switzerland and now that we are retired we finally moved here.

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AbbyGreenhill

@AbbyGreenhill (45494)

• United States

11 Nov 15

Now I'm signing a song...and can't get it out of my head! Beautiful flowers.

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Anna

@LadyDuck (472497)

• Switzerland

11 Nov 15

I believe that I am the only one who never heard the song, but I am going to find it on YouTube.

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AbbyGreenhill

@AbbyGreenhill (45494)

• United States

11 Nov 15

@LadyDuck You'll love it.

James Higgins

@JamesHxstatic (29413)

• Eugene, Oregon

12 Nov 15

@LadyDuck The inimitable Julie Andrews does it best!

2 people like this

Jabo

@jaboUK (64354)

• United Kingdom

11 Nov 15

That's great that that lovely little flower has been able to grow in your garden. I didn't know that you weren't allowed to pick them where they are growing naturally.

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Sharon

@simone10 (54187)

• Louisville, Kentucky

14 Nov 15

I don't think I have ever seen them before but I have heard of them.

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Anna

@LadyDuck (472497)

• Switzerland

14 Nov 15

They do not grow in the United States, only in some European states along the Alps mountains.

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Sharon

@simone10 (54187)

• Louisville, Kentucky

16 Nov 15

@LadyDuck Well, that explains why I haven't seen them before

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Alfredo Rossi

@amadeo (111938)

• United States

11 Nov 15

thank you for sharing this.Never heard of this t ype

2 people like this

Anna

@LadyDuck (472497)

• Switzerland

11 Nov 15

I believe they only grow in the Alps, I am pretty sure you never saw one.

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Cahaya

@cahaya1983 (11116)

• Malaysia

11 Nov 15

I don't think I've seen them before. I think the name sounds just as pretty as the flower.

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Anna

@LadyDuck (472497)

• Switzerland

11 Nov 15

I do not believe that those flowers exists in other places but the Alps. The name is German and it means "noble (edel) white (weiss)."

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Cahaya

@cahaya1983 (11116)

• Malaysia

12 Nov 15

@LadyDuck Beautiful meaning, too!

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ingrid

@ridingbet (66854)

• Philippines

7 Dec 15

"Edelweiss, edelweiss, every morning you greet me... small and white, clean and bright, you look happy to meet me"--- please correct any error in the lyrics I just placed. I remember "The sound of Music" with this flower.

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Anna

@LadyDuck (472497)

• Switzerland

7 Dec 15

Almost everybody mentioned this song and I am among the few who had never heard it before.

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ingrid

@ridingbet (66854)

• Philippines

8 Dec 15

@LadyDuck it is a sentimental song my dear. hen you listen to the song from the soundtrack of the movie, Christopher Plummer plucking the guitar and Julie Andrews and their children singing the song (in a contest), you will shed a tear. It is so dramatic scene especially when the crowd sang with the Von Trapp family. Check it on YouTube.

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Fishmomma

@Fishmomma (11377)

• United States

19 Feb 17

The Sound Of Music is one movie I watch every year. I love your flower.

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Anna

@LadyDuck (472497)

• Switzerland

19 Feb 17

I never watched The Sound Of Music, I went to YouTube to listen to the song and I have not been so impressed.

Morning Girl

@salonga (27775)

• Philippines

11 Nov 15

I can only sing the song Edelweiss but just as I am finding it hard to spell it correctly, am I right in thinking that it will be hard for me to grow that beautiful plant in a warm climate like ours?

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Morning Girl

@salonga (27775)

• Philippines

12 Nov 15

Hmmm, in that case, I will just content myself in singing Edelweiss even if my voice is not as beautiful as that of Julie Andrews.

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Anna

@LadyDuck (472497)

• Switzerland

11 Nov 15

Do not even try, they need cold weather, it's almost too hot where I live for those flowers.

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rebel_woman06

@SIMPLYD (90721)

• Philippines

12 Nov 15

No , i haven't seen an edelweiss ever yet in my whole life . But i always remember the song which always mention the flower edelweiss .

Now i have seen them , good you posted their picture . Cute flowers ! Are they fragrant ?

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Anna

@LadyDuck (472497)

• Switzerland

12 Nov 15

Those flowers only grow in the Alps area, they are not fragrant, but they are nice little flowers.

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Silvermist

@silvermist (19702)

• India

16 Nov 15

@LadyDuck No Anna,I have not seen them.Thank you so much for the beautiful photo.

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Anna

@LadyDuck (472497)

• Switzerland

16 Nov 15

I am sure you have not, because they only grow in some countries and around the Alps.

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Gudheart

@gudheart (12659)

•

11 Nov 15

Oh don't think I have seen them before. Not sure to be honest, if I had I might have mistaken then for daisies.

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Anna

@LadyDuck (472497)

• Switzerland

11 Nov 15

No, if you see them you cannot mistake them for daisies, seen closer they are very different.

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Gudheart

@gudheart (12659)

•

11 Nov 15

@LadyDuck Oh okay. I will look out for them next time.

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Deborah-Diane

@DeborahDiane (40371)

• Laguna Woods, California

12 Nov 15

I have heard the song "Edelweiss" in "The Sound of Music," but I did not know what they looked like. Thank you for showing us!

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Anna

@LadyDuck (472497)

• Switzerland

12 Nov 15

This little flowers appear on many items, even in some of their famous Swiss Army knives. (The world Edelweiss is written with the German double S)