The Blue Flower of Novalis: A Romantic’s Garden Dream

May 2, 1772

On this day, the literary world welcomed Georg Philipp Friedrich Freiherr von Hardenberg, better known by his pen name, Novalis.

This 18th-century German poet, writer, mystic, and philosopher of early German romanticism would leave an indelible mark on the literary world, despite his tragically short life.

Novalis's love affair with the blue flower, a symbol of his romantic yearning, is as captivating as his own life story. He fell in love with a girl who tragically died of tuberculosis, and then Novalis himself succumbed to the same disease at the tender age of 28.

In his brief time, he accomplished much, perhaps partially due to his claim of experiencing three moments of mystical revelation. These visions, he asserted, deepened his understanding of the world, time, and humanity.

To Novalis, the blue flower represented romantic yearning, a point of unification between humanity and nature. It embodied both life and death, becoming a meaningful symbol of German romanticism.

As gardeners, we can certainly relate to Novalis' obsession with blue blooms. All blue flowers are captivating, their allure undeniable. It's easy to understand why blue blossoms became such a significant symbol in Novalis' writing.

In botanical history, blue flowers are rare and exquisite gems that evoke a sense of wonder. They command our attention, drawing us into their world of enchantment. Novalis writes:

It is not the treasures that have stirred in me such an unspeakable longing; I care not for wealth and riches. But that blue flower I do long to see; it haunts me and I can think and dream of nothing else.

This sentiment resonates with any gardener who has fallen under the spell of a blue flower. Blue flowers arouse our curiosity and cause many gardeners to ask questions about their origins.

But as Novalis reminds us, the answers may lie not in the concrete but in the questions themselves. In the pursuit of the blue flower, we find a deeper connection to the world around us, a sense of wonder and mystery that enriches our lives.

Novalis' words echo the experience of many gardeners:

He saw nothing but the blue flower, and gazed at it for a long time with indescribable tenderness.

In his masterpiece, Henry of Ofterdingen, Novalis writes about a blue flower with a poetic and profound passion. The flower that inspired Novalis, universally suspected to be a heliotrope or cornflower, becomes a symbol of Henry's longing and a source of inspiration.

I remember my own early days as a gardener when I first discovered the Delphinium. The tall, blue spikes were a vision of beauty, and I wanted to buy as many as my garden budget would allow. I felt just like Henry of Ofterdingen; I could not stop thinking about my blue Delphiniums, imagining them at maturity around the 4th of July when the beautiful blue spikes would stand about five to six feet tall in front of the east corner of the porch.

Of course, my dream of the Delphinium always surpassed what the actual Delphinium looked like, yet I still grew it. I loved them. Those blue flowers certainly do command our attention.

An insightful philosopher and a lover of nature, Novalis loved questions, and he believed that most of life's answers could be found in nature. So, in this final quote, Novalis asks a series of questions, and like all good philosophers, he knows that the answer is in the questions and that the questions are more powerful than the answers:

What if you slept?

And what if, in your sleep, you dreamed?

And what if, in your dream, you went to heaven and plucked a strange and beautiful flower?

And what if, when you awoke, you had the flower in your hand?

Ah, what then?