Church Flowers for the Annunciation

I've put up various posts about flowers related to the Solemnity of the Annunciation of Our Lord (upcoming on March 25).  This post is an effort to integrate the series.

First, it should be noted that this feast is one of the most important in the Church.  Secondly, along with other solemnities and certain feasts, it is an exception to the general rule that there should be no church flowers during Lent.  (General Instruction of the Roman Missal, section 305.)

As a feast of Our Lord, the liturgical color is white.  McClinton (who I think must have been a high-church Anglican), states that the feast of the Annunciation "calls for blue and white flowers.  White iris or Madonna lilies are appropriate and can be used together with blue iris or Delphinium."

If you are thinking of using white flowers, see my post White Flowers for Church Decoration for ideas.  Also see Gemma's post on flowers for Marian feast days, which includes some blue flowers.

McClinton's old English table of flowers associates the following blooms with this feast day:

Madonna lily (same as Annunciation lily)
Daffodil (Mary's Star)
Marigold
White iris
Narcissus (see Daffodil)
Almond blossom
Our Lady's Smock

I've done posts on most of these flowers which you can find via the above links.

You can find some interesting lore about practices during this feast day here.  And you can find the history of the feast day here

Image:  Blue delphinium - Photograph by Andreas Fink.  From Wikimedia Commons.  Click for license.

Source for text:  Katherine Morrison McClinton, Flower Arrangement in the Church (Morehouse-Gorham Co., 1958), pp. 45, 93.)