Mrs. Love Wilkin Barton’s Floral Emblem Crusade: How the Apple Blossom Bloomed Victorious in Arkansas

On This Day
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast:

Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode.

July 30, 1901

On this day, dear gardeners, a most fascinating floral fracas unfolded in the hallowed halls of Arkansas' General Assembly.

The esteemed legislators, in their infinite wisdom, selected the apple blossom as the state's floral emblem. But oh, what a tempest in a teapot this decision stirred!

Picture, if you will, the scene: two formidable factions locked in a horticultural hostility that would come to be known as the 'Battle of the Blooms.'

On one side, the Floral Emblem Society, led by the indomitable Mrs. Love Wilkin Barton (known publicly as Mrs. Ed Barton), championed the virtuous apple blossom.

On the other, the Arkansas Federation of Women's Clubs rallied behind the passionate passionflower.

One can almost smell the perfumed tension in the air!

Mrs. Barton, bless her determined heart, transformed into a veritable one-woman crusade for her beloved apple blossom. With the zeal of a gardener tending to her prized roses, she penned articles and memos to newspapers, and even went so far as to personally dispatch letters to the crème de la crème of Arkansas society.

Each missive, mind you, was accompanied by a promotional pamphlet of her own creation, extolling the virtues of the apple blossom.

How's that for dedication?

But our dear Mrs. Barton didn't stop there. Oh no!

In a move that would make even the most cunning of political strategists green with envy, she not only sang the praises of her chosen bloom but also took a rather pointed jab at the competition.

The passionflower, she declared, was "as pretty as a non-native of Arkansas" and would "grow anywhere the farmer's hoe let it."

My word! One can almost hear the collective gasp of the passionflower supporters!

As the day of reckoning approached, our intrepid apple blossom advocate pulled out all the stops.

Picture, if you will, Mrs. Barton sweeping into the capitol building, resplendent in a dress as bright and bold as a ripe Arkansas apple. But wait, there's more!

In a move that would make Martha Stewart herself beam with pride, Mrs. Barton presented each and every lawmaker with a gift: a crisp, juicy apple accompanied by a note.

And what a note it was!

"These are the results of our beautiful apple blossoms," it proclaimed.

"But, what is the result of a passionflower? A dried, shriveled pod."

Oh, the audacity! The sheer cheek of it all!

And so, dear readers, on this day in 1901, the apple blossom emerged victorious, forever etched in the annals of Arkansas history as its floral emblem.

One can't help but wonder if the passionflower supporters nursed their wounds with a slice of apple pie.

After all, if you can't beat them, why not join them in enjoying the fruits of their labor?

Until next time, may your gardens be free from such passionate disputes, and may your blooms always be victorious – whether they be apples or passionflowers!

Love Wilkin Barton
Love Wilkin Barton
The Apple Blossom
The Apple Blossom

Leave a Comment