Cicely Mary Barker's Nasturtium Flower Fairy

Nasturtium the jolly, 
O ho, O ho!
He holds up his brolly 
Just so, just so!
(A shelter from showers, 
A shade from the sun;) 
'Mid flame-coloured flowers 
He grins at the fun. 
Up fences he scrambles, 
Sing hey, sing hey! 
All summer he rambles 
So gay, so gay-
Till the night-frost strikes chilly, 
And Autumn leaves fall, 
And he's gone, willy-nilly, 
Umbrella and all.

There are over 80 varieties of nasturtiums.  In warm areas nasturtiums can survive for several years, self-sowing freely and flowering all year.  Flowers can be single or double and vary in color from red, orange, russet yellow and cream to blue.  They are hardy preferring moist, well-drained soil in full sun or part shade.

In French the nasturtium is called capucine - in Italian it is called cappucina.  The French and Italian names are derived from "cappuccio" meaning hood or cowl.  They are so named in France and Italy because they so closely resemble the drab habits and pointed hoods worn by the Capuchins, an order of Franciscan monks.  In English, capucine capers is the name for the edible pickled fruit of the nasturtium.