{Our fragrant Nerium oleander 'Album Plenum'}

• Oleanders garner many romantic stories. Surely our fragrant Nerium oleander 'Album Plenum' looks romantic! Its sweet fragrance lifts one's spirit up. We had heavy rain yesterday so the double white flowers got somewhat bruised but nevertheless, they were pretty enough for being photographed for you to see. 
• Fragrance is like perfume. Let's have a look at this beauty!

• What do you think; romantic looking or not...?

• Legend has it that oleander in Greek mythology means romance and charm. Wholeheartedly I do agree with the Greek!
• The biblical Rose of Jericho is thought to refer to the oleander and there are Christian legends concerning its origin. 
• In Tuscany, Italy, the oleander is known as St. Joseph's Staff which was said to have burst into flower when the Angel announced that he was to marry the Virgin Mary.

• The flowers are double and a kind of hose-in-hose, just like double azaleas bloom. 
• These are but two stems with multiple flowers on, also buds with some flowers more open than others. 
• That makes it quite interesting. Never mind the bruise marks from the heavy rain; we needed it so badly! It also cooled down a bit after those showers. 
• Today it was only 95°F or 35°C...

• Here they are in a French Baccarat crystal perfume bottle with stopper. 
• Had to cut the second stem off at length and thus it became two twigs with blossoms. 
• I took this photo near the pond on our picnic bench. 
• Using a hand embroidered silk handkerchief that Pieter did bring me home from his trip to China. So why not join me at 'Learn from Mariette' in growing, arranging and displaying flowers?

• Our Nerium oleander 'Album Plenum' but one negative about this beauty; it is again poisonous! But who would ever try to eat it?



{Tradescantia or Spiderwort}

In our garden you will find these bright blue Tradescantia or Spiderwort plants. Tradescantia is a North American native. They even can become invasive and show up in areas where you did not intend to have them. Here are some photos that Pieter took a couple of weeks ago from its beautiful blossoms. Enjoy! Below is also a reminder for the three Giveaways by dear blogger friends.

We did collect some local rocks from our property and made a kind of rock garden with them. That's also where this Tradescantia lives. Photos are taken around 9:30 AM.

This photo is from last year and taken one month earlier. Color does vary, depending on the spot where they grow.

International Giveaway from Johanna @ Silber+Rosen ends June 20...

Don't forget the Giveaway from Rebecca @ A Gathering Place ends June 25

and Giveaway from Sandy @ My Shabby Streamside Studio ends June 30

{LOOK: My Christofle Photo was published in The Herald-Dispatch}

For my Zen Cart on line boutique: Mariette's Back to Basics, where I did sell antique and vintage Christofle silver from France, among many unique items, I do often research on line, if the info is not in my Christie's or Sotheby's catalogs, or books I have. I was quite surprised the other day to run into my own photo on line, used (without my permission!) in an article by Jean McClelland who writes for The Herald-Dispatch in Huntington, West Virginia, about antiques. Her title: Knife rests created to protect table linens, now reflect fine living. It was published on April 3, 2011 and my original content: {6 Antique French Christofle Coquille Knife Rests in Box} was from March 1, 2011.

A perfect example of Scraped Content...

Well, she even had the nerve to write underneath my photo (above part of my stolen under title, see below photo in this post): "Courtesy of Mariette's Back to Basics Boutique". Without providing the audience the information, necessary for finding the source (Mariette's Back to Basics).

This is Netiquette at its worst! From my information and foot-work; my photo and by NOT including a link back to my Zen Cart on line boutique: Mariette's Back to Basics, she's surely sealing her verdict as being 'guilty' of plagiarism! IF, just in case it would be true, I had granted her permission to use it, she would graciously have put my Boutique's website together with her the article.

First I thought I have to write her Editor and Publisher, Mr. Ed Dawson, but thinking about it, I decided to just put it here on my blog. Of course Pieter and I have had many instances where we came across our own photo material, used by someone worldwide. Plagiarism is nothing new, but nevertheless it is an act of fraud as it is stealing someone else's work and lying about it. Ms. McClelland tried to be cunning in tricking everybody about having asked permission to use this...

"Ms. McClelland: the article did surely reflect fine living but your behavior however does not reflect fine mannerism!"
Obviously, The Herald Dispatch has removed her article...

This rare set of 6 antique French Christofle knife rests in Coquille pattern, is perfect for saving your precious table linens from getting soiled.