Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum
General Subjects => Flowers and Foliage Now => Topic started by: fermi de Sousa on November 30, 2011, 10:29:08 PM
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First day of the last month of the year - where has the time gone!
Here's another heavily marked Asiatic Lilium (from Adrian at Coal Creek Bulb Farm) called "Dot Com"!
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A double header on Habranthus robustus
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And Aloe aristata
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cheers
fermi
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It has to be summer now doesn't it in spite of some very cold weather lately? But it was hottest in the country here yesterday with 33C in Mosgiel and still 28C at 9pm in the house. Not easy to sleep in that sort of temperature.
Today a lily and a saponaria.
The first is a garden hybrid (not induced), the seed parent pumila (which I've had as pumilio) and the pollen parent lutea. The colour is delightful, slightly peachy pink flowers in clusters like lutea and about half way in size between the parents. A neat mat in a trough.
Then Lilium nanum v. flavidum (I think I mentioned this elsewhere as L. oxypetalum). First flower from seed, AGS, sown in Feb 2006 so it's taken a while. I should have planted it out last year. It is about 20cms high, lightly speckled with red/brown and slightly citrusy scented. I've now smothered the sticky stigma with its own brown pollen. There are two more in the pot.
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Good one Lesley! For me it has always been a tricky critter, yellow or purple. I don't know what it wants and it wont tell. Seems to steam along with out a care for a few years and then promptly drop dead! Without so much as a hint of whats to come.
By comparison I find the purple form of L. oxypetalum a breeze but not the yellow type. So I am all at sea with this group.
I hope your success continues and perhaps some day I might be able to ask for a pinch of seed? ;D
Cheers, Marcus
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With just the single flower here (though I'm trying), there may be no seed but I usually get seed on the dark wine form of L. nanum (which has a smaller, less wide open flower then this one). I especially like that the pods are green well striped with black along the ridges. If and when, some will come your way.
They seem to do well for me in raised beds (compost depth about 20cms) but I have a Nomocharis ACE species which is a rich deep pink and that has been in a 100mm pot for 3 years and twice I should have lost it because not only was the pot bone dry all through summer last year and THROUGH this year until now, but lying on its side as well, hidden under long grass. I noticed it a couple of days ago when strimming the grass. Not only is it there and in bud but has produced an offset. This picture is as it flowered in 2009 and the one below is now, though since, lovingly watered and I'll transfer it to a larger pot, in the cool. Still 2 buds.
It may be that this little group of lilies and the Nomocharis too, to which I think they are quite closely related, are not very long-lived as individuals. I have always found it a good idea to sow seed whenever it's available as the bulbs in a group seem not always to be the same bulbs year to year.
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Gee thats a good one as well!
Yes I concur they appear to be short-lived but I have always found Lilium nanum the more precocious species to deal with. On the upside they do seem to be self-fertile which is a bonus.
My conditions are drier and less humid than yours so maybe thats a telling factor. Like you I love the black ribbed seed capsules they are a delight.
Do you grow N. saluenensis? I used to have some lovely rose-pink forms but they seem to have slipped away over the years.
Cheers, Marcus
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A snapshot of whats going on here at the moment.
Dactylorihza "Harold Esselmont"
Allium sikkimensis
Primula bulleyana
Euphorbia ? glabrescens I collected this as seed near Mount Falakron up on the Greek/Bulgarian border, I really like it and I think it has a big future as a garden plant.
Lastly a primula that is a mystery to me. Don't know from whom it came from and haven't a clue about its name. Anyone help?
Cheers, Marcus
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Lesley - Your Lilium nanum and Nomocharis aperta are smashers. It is truly amazing how much dryness the Nomocharis can take but I wouldn't recommend it long term. In 1986 I planted some in what I thought was a suitable spot. After 5 years it occurred to me they were shrinking in size. When I dug them up they soil was parched, every bit of goodness and moisture taken by large pines. The soil was similar to what you find in a hoover bag. Still they lived on. On their longevity - at least here - the same ones are still on the go but I fear they are now losing steam.
Just ordered Lilium souliei from Bojnar's list, fingers crossed as have been chasing this one for years.
johnw - ridiculously mild here, mainly sunny and hazy here today at 14c and now 10c at 21:12 with a low of 9.
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Your Primula is a mystery to me Marcus, perhaps some of the Scots will know. I can't think of anything remotely like it. I don't think the east coast of NZ can be called humid by any stretch of the imagination until you get right up to Tauranga. We've been gasping over recent years for probably 9 months or every year. Dunedin may get a little more rain than Hobart but I doubt if we do here, only about 600mm per annum. I have a few N. saluenensis seedlings, from the originals but not flowering yet, maybe next year.
I'm hesitant to be too sure yet but even two days after the petals fell from the little yellow lily, there MAY be a pod forming. It is rich green and not shrivelling at all. IF it develops, looks like I'll need to divide the contents into 3 parts. :D
You're right about the Nomocharis John, and I swear I'll do better with them in future. I used to have a good patch in the leaf litter under a tall native red beech, Nothofagus fusca and it did well for 3 or 4 years but gradually declined as the rhodos and other things took over the ground and it became very dry deep down. (11 Rhodo pachysanthum now ;D) I see Lilium souliei on the AGS list as well, I guess also from the same source.
That IS mild. It's been just 13C here today after 33C last week. We're nothing if not unpredictable!
Oh yes, I meant to mention that the little (very little) Beschorneria species is in flower. Or in bud really at this stage. It looks very like an Agave, total about 22cms high and very cute. It's raining (:D) now so I'll do a picture tomorrow.
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Oh yes, I meant to mention that the little (very little) Beschornaria species is in flower. Or in bud really at this stage. It looks very like an Agave, total about 22cms high and very cute. It's raining (:D) now so I'll do a picture tomorrow.
Lesley - What a climate you have. Here that Beschorneria flowers 3 weeks after the first day of summer and it is stored frost-free during the winter. Yours is outdoors getting ready to flower nearly 3 week before the start of summer. Do let me know if you have any idea which species it might possibly be. It survived the recent bad winters in Vancouver and I believe Paddy has one going as well.
johnw - +10c at 07:00
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John I can see nothing at all by Googling that suggests a name for this species. All the references are for much larger species. This is the only one with a stem of buds, the others have all gone for extra rosette growth. That's OK and of course I have some other younger ones coming on as well. It seems an accomodating little plant.
I'd like to think our summer is well and truly started, it now being December but today is bitterly cold and raining/drizzling and I have to stand out in it for 3 1/2 hours this afternoon. On the other hand, I have something new germinated every day, sometimes several things so maybe it's good for plants. Besides, for quite different reasons, Yes, I'm So Happy..... ;D
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Lesley,
I'd love to see a pic of that Beschorneria as mine are all still in small pots (3" tubes) and not looking at all like flowering yet!
This is a patch of "almost all native plants" - just ignore the Euphorbia!
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The bright bit of colour is our native Pelargonium rodneyanum
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Calochortus argillossus
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Alstroemeria hookerii
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cheers
fermi
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Here's a Gloriosa from Bill Dijk. I think it's superb!
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Here's a Gloriosa from Bill Dijk. I think it's superb!
So do I Anthony, very nice.
Angie :)
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It certainly is Anthony. Bet you didn't have many of those in Dunblane. ;D
Fermi here is the Beschorneria. I can't say it is spectacular, not yet anyway but it has a certain charm. I plan to plant the remaining 5 from the first batch all together in a little group which well help. I'm waiting until Roger disposes of an ancient truck and moves our usable but unregistered trailer from the driveway then I'm going to get a 10 tonne load of shingle/silt in and dump it, to be a sand or scree bed. I think the Beschornaria could do well in that.
Not a brilliant pic I'm afraid, I found it hard to get the whole thing focused. Still in bud but I'll do another when the buds open out.
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It certainly is Anthony. Bet you didn't have many of those in Dunblane. ;D
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Curiously John Amand always had huge tubers for sale at the Early Bulb Display in Dunblane. I tried it in the greenhouse, but the flowers were smaller and yellow and red striped.
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Here's a couple of weeds I found in my lawn yesterday, plus a pic of one in a meadow.
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They're not down here so far as I know. The first yellow looks like a small Mimulus maybe? and then one of the pesky little Sisyrichiums perhaps. Clover of course in the third but I guess you mean the yellow. Could you do a close-up of the flower. Looks a lit like an Orobanche or Pedicularis but I don't think we have any Pedicularis in NZ. Never heard of one being here anyway. Maybe a bigger version of the Mimulus?
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Yes, the second one is just a full grown version of the wee yellow one. It just spotted it at Sonshine Ranch at Clevedon on Lucy's school activity trip today (but that's another story). I'll take a closer look before it gets mown to oblivion.
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It has been a bit of a drought (flowers) lately but a Lilium columbianum ex NARGS 4189 in 2005 has flowered for the first time. It has been flowering for a few days and just when I bring the pot inside to photograph the camera battery is dead. Ah well - in the morning.
Liliums don't last very long with me so I am hoping this little spotted orange species does - under cover in the nursery of course. I have quite a few nice pots of different paeony species seedlings and seedlings from named varieties doing well in their pots so far. They are only babies though.
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A snapshot of whats going on here at the moment.
Dactylorihza "Harold Esselmont"
Allium sikkimensis
Primula bulleyana
Euphorbia ? glabrescens I collected this as seed near Mount Falakron up on the Greek/Bulgarian border, I really like it and I think it has a big future as a garden plant.
Lastly a primula that is a mystery to me. Don't know from whom it came from and haven't a clue about its name. Anyone help?
Cheers, Marcus
Marcus , have just come across your posting . I do have a clue about the identity of the Primula . It is growing with great vigour in my garden - I shared it with you some years ago . I grew it from seed labelled P. erosa . Don't know if it is correctly labelled .
My clumps of Dactylorhiza have been the best ever - no doubt to our wet and cool spring .
cheers Otto.
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Hi Otto,
Yes thats it! I was saying to Susan only this morning that I suspected it was the primula we received from you two Novembers ago when we came to stay. I remember now we were doing a bit of weeding down the front (you were just recovering from surgery) and I noticed it and you generously dug up a piece there and then!
Do you know where you might have got it from?
I don't know why but I can grow D. fuchsii and HE, but not your, D. elata well. Why? Yours always look so good. Do you know if David Kennedy might be able to grow seed of these things if I collected some?
Cheers, Marcus
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Here's a Gloriosa from Bill Dijk. I think it's superb!
Well done Anthony, you're way ahead of me with flowering, have been busy in the nursery, only planted the tubers a fortnight ago.
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Puya alpestris has a sensational rosette of serrated spiny leaves. It probably has the thinnest, most elegant leaves of all Chilean Puyas. It will form a spike filled with blue-turquoise flowers. Puya alpestris is supposed to be the most hardy one of all Chilean Puyas. Given a very well-drained, sheltered position, alpestris is almost fully hardy!
Sprekelia formosissima: Also known as the Aztec lily, this elegant bulb native to Mexico bears a large flower of deep, rich, velvet-textured crimson with a most distinctive and attractive appearance, it looks rather like an Amaryllis that wants to be an orchid.
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A big thank for the lovely Happy Birthday card and best wishes sent by Maggi and the SRGC forumists.
Yes 75 years young, and still going strong, for now, although nowadays it takes twice as long to look half as good
Some days when you wake up with that morning-after feeling, you realise you didn't do anything the night before.
Never mind there is always Happy Hour and a little nap after lunch to recharge whatever need recharging.
While we’re on the subject, last weekend we were very lucky and fortunate to celebrate our 50th golden wedding anniversary with the family and friends.
I just want to show you the bouquet of 50 beautiful red roses I organised for this special lady, my wife Wilhelmina, in appreciation and to mark our 50 years of wedded bliss, well.. most of the times ;D
I think, I scored enough brownie points to last me for a few more years, hopefully ;D ;D
BTW: the long kwila timber table specially build is a present from all our children.
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Bill and Mrs Dijk, many congratulations on your Golden Wedding anniversary 8)
Very lovely flowers and what a table! Good for several hundred years, that, I shouldn't wonder if there are grandchildren celebrating their golden weddings at that table! :D
Thought you must have been up to something, Bill, since you weren't around for a while.
I was advising someone to get in touch with you about Tecophilaeas...... :)
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Here's a couple of weeds I found in my lawn yesterday, plus a pic of one in a meadow.
Yes, the second one is just a full grown version of the wee yellow one. It just spotted it at Sonshine Ranch at Clevedon on Lucy's school activity trip today (but that's another story). I'll take a closer look before it gets mown to oblivion.
Anthony, what an exiting lawn! I do like lawns like this much better than the green carpets many strive to develop (sorry folks - i know it is hard work to get a perfect green carpet ;) )
Do you have the heart to mow it?
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Puya alpestris has a sensational rosette of serrated spiny leaves. It probably has the thinnest, most elegant leaves of all Chilean Puyas. It will form a spike filled with blue-turquoise flowers. Puya alpestris is supposed to be the most hardy one of all Chilean Puyas. Given a very well-drained, sheltered position, alpestris is almost fully hardy!
Sprekelia formosissima: Also known as the Aztec lily, this elegant bulb native to Mexico bears a large flower of deep, rich, velvet-textured crimson with a most distinctive and attractive appearance, it looks rather like an Amaryllis that wants to be an orchid.
Bill, what an elegant and beautiful Puya! (Not bad that Sprekelia either.) I have always dreamed of growing such plants in my garden since I visited Ecuador 10 years ago. Unfortunately I haven't found any that tolerates my climate yet. So how hardy do you think it is?
BTW congratulation with the first 50 years of marriage ;) Think you understand what this means:
(http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6239/6306331807_bd74097def.jpg)
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Bill, many cogratulations to you and your wife. That sure is a lovely table.
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Congratulations from me too Bill. 8)
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Bill congratulations on your 50th anniversary. Like the roses but love your Puya alpestris what a show. Must be a dream to have something so special growing n your garden.
Angie :)
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Well done Bill and Willy. I wish you both many more happy years to come.
Just a quick side question, Among all those magnificent blue flowers on the Puya, what are the green things sticking out from among them? Are they further side stems still to open?
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And be of good cheer. I'm told in an email this morning that at 65 (let alone 75) if I wake in the morning and every joint in my body isn't aching, I'm probably dead.
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Well done Bill and Willy. I wish you both many more happy years to come.
Just a quick side question, Among all those magnificent blue flowers on the Puya, what are the green things sticking out from among them? Are they further side stems still to open?
Lesley, the short answer is yes, the terminal branching will gradually produce more flowers from the base up the side stems as you will see when I take another picture again some times later.
Puya alpestris has erect or widely spreading rosettes of linear leaves with coarse marginal spines that tend to tear rather than scratch. These spines are presumed to be a defence against browsing animals.
The flowers also produce copious quantities of nectar as can be seen when our native bird the Tui (Prosthemadera novaeseelandiae) start feeding on the nectar, from a picture borrowed from the internet.
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I saw this in flower at the Mt Tomah Botanic Garden in NSW a few years ago. It was in flower in Sept and there were a dozen or more of some kind of honey eater bird, absolutely wonderful. Of course that was the one day I forgot my camera! ???
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I would have to grow it in a pot! :(
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I would like to thank everyone for their best wishes and support expressed on this happy occasion of our 50th golden wedding anniversary, very much appreciated.
Thank you for making our day so memorable.
Bill & Willy (Wilhelmina)
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Bill, what an elegant and beautiful Puya! (Not bad that Sprekelia either.) I have always dreamed of growing such plants in my garden since I visited Ecuador 10 years ago. Unfortunately I haven't found any that tolerates my climate yet. So how hardy do you think it is?
BTW congratulation with the first 50 years of marriage ;) Think you understand what this means:
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Trond, thanks for your best wishes as well, the picture said it all, whatever the language.
I am not sure about your climate in Norway although they are hardy to about 20-25F. Generally in their native habitat they prefer dry arid places and gravelly soil.
Unlike most of the bromeliads, the species of Puya are strictly terrestrial. Perhaps you could try growing this plant in the glass-house.
Anyway, you would be more than welcome to try some seed later when available.
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Well, Bill, nobody is sure of the climate of Norway nowadays. Usually the climate where I live is wet, humid and not too cold (so far the coldest night has been -3C and I've had only 3 nights with freezing temps. (It is much colder elsewhere.)
I would like to try some seeds, thank you!
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I found this cute wee, mat-forming, white flowered plant at Elm Park School, Gossamer Drive. It's growing amongst taro!
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Yeah, I know it. Can't think of name. Maybe begins with S. It makes a mat like Pratia. There's a blue one too which can be bought in hanging baskets in garden centres down here sometimes.
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taro??????
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Yup. Leaves a lot of space underneath. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taro
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Ta.
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Yeah, I know it. Can't think of name. Maybe begins with S. It makes a mat like Pratia. There's a blue one too which can be bought in hanging baskets in garden centres down here sometimes.
Are you thinking of Scaevola, Fan Flower, Lesley?
cheers
fermi
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It is definitely Scaevola. Thanks for the detective work. Too small to be Scaevola albida, but surely it can't be S. hookeri?
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That's the one Fermi. Thanks. I was right about the S anyway. ;D In warm climates can be rather rampant I believe, a bit tender here.
Again, if you have the right climate - you would Anthony - there's a taro with magnificent black leaves, suberb architectural plant for a sub-tropical garden.
David, Taro is a very large root vegetable, an aroid maybe (?) staple food of the Pacific Islanders both at home and in NZ. We import it in large quantities for that purpose. I suppose samples are taken for pests etc on the import batches but they certainly don't go into quarantine as a tiny primula or gentian would have to, any more than Calif grapes, oranges, Australian tomatoes and a hundred other imported fruits and vegs have to. Stinks.
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An odd weather phenomenon today, something I've not seen before.
It is foggy with fog blowing horizontally in from the sea, so from the east. Some is blowing past the house but not enough to make even the slightest dampness on my car or on the footpaths, or on me, when I was outside. But it is getting caught up on the gum and pine trees on our eastern boundry and so much water is accumulating there that it is falling as rain under the trees and on the roof of my potting shed which is almost under the trees. The wind is strong enough to drive this rain for about 10-12 metres westward and so water my line of 6 Hokonui troughs. I'm grateful for that or I'd have to go and hose them.
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Lesley, I have seen the same phenomenon once in Morocco. Warm (and humid) air blew up a valley and had to cross a ridge some hundred meters above the valley bottom. Some pines were growing in an open stand on top of that ridge. When the warm air met the colder air at the ridge the moisture condensed in the needles of the pines and it literally rained underneath the trees. Where we were standing with no tree canopy above it was dry but it started condensing on us too. We could see that this was a common feature here as the soil underneath each tree was moist and covered by vegetation but between the trees it was dry and devoid of plants.
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So humidity and air temperature have a large part to play Trond. This I can understand as it was relatively warm near the sea today in spite of the fog, but quite cold with us, only 5 or 6 kms away. The rain set in later at night and it is still drizzling for which I'm grateful as we're getting very dry now. The top of the South Island though has had what can only be called a weather bomb and has had 100s of mms of rain in 48 hours. Near Collingwood they had almost 600! mms in the time. I have to pinch myself to realize that's 24 inches of rain in 2 days, as much as we have in a year!
Collingwood and its surroundings are great holiday places and nearby is Golden Bay where I believe Martin B has a brother. I hope he and his family are OK. Houses are washed away, roads gone and hillsides slipped with devastating effects on the residents and the countryside. Houses which have been in the path of mudslides were shown on TV with liquid mud up to and above their kitchen bench levels. Truly heart-breaking for those affected.
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Yes, we've had a good drenching of rain here in Tauranga as well with 150 mm, good for the 500 iris species, PC and MDB's seedlings I transplanted the last few days, with a high humidity of close to 100 %.
Lesley mentioned the top of the South Island were in Takaka my daughter and her partner manage a holiday camp with a massive 580 mm of rain in 48 hrs to cope with.
Some campers and tents got flooded close to the river, but luckily most of the rest of the camp was well above the river and escaped most of the flooding.
I sympathise with the poor people that lost property and their livelihood in Nelson and the Tasman region.
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Collingwood and its surroundings are great holiday places
Not in Australia, they're not! Unless you are a mad Aussie Rules Football Fan! ;D ;D ;D (Apologies to Maggiepie!)
Some more liliums out now,
"Giraffe" - just for Gerry!
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"Deliana" a soft primrose trumpet
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"Tresor" a bright orange Asiatic
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cheers
fermi
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Lesley , in 2006 you sent me a few seeds of Oxalis laciniata . of the few that germinated one flowered for the first time yesterday , a lovely Christmas present . thank you . It was a long wait but worth it .
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That's great Otto, I'm very pleased for you and I hope it goes from strength to strength. I had 4 seedlings from the same batch but none survived longer than the second year. I think they were too dry as tiny babies. But I noticed 4 buds yesterday when I was resettling the bulbs after that damned cat had been scratching. (To be referred to in the future as TDC.) I think yours may be a better colour than mine but I'll soon be able to compare, TDC permitting. I'll hand pollinate this year which I haven't done before.
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Just think, I'll be making posts like this in 2016! 8)
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You have some seedlings of Oxalis laciniata?
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Nope, but I've got seedlings of other things that should be flowering in 2016.
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Sounds promising certainly better than 2061
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I hope to make 2016 but 2061 is doubtful. ::)
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You need to get to more conferences, Lesley - then you keep wanting to hang on till the next one! ;D
A few things in the garden yesterday,
Relhania pungens - do you think it would qualify for the AGS on-line comp?
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Alstroemeria angustifolia
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A seedling Origanum hybrid - possibly between O. laevigatum and O. rotundifolium
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cheers
fermi
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I hope to make 2016 but 2061 is doubtful. ::)
You could arrange to be taken to the 2061 Lesley, with all due ceremony ;D
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My place and garden. 2nd summer. Im a keen grower of perennials and bulbs.
Let me know if you want to know plants names.
cheers
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Some new and differant colour forms of Echinaceae.
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Looking very summery. It amazes me the colour range in the Lily hybrids now available with so much vigour.
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Angelica sylvestris, purple leaf forms, with pink flowers.
Euphorbia Blackbird, one of my fav Euphorbias, its colour changes throughout the season.
And I can finally grow Isoplexus
cheers
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You could arrange to be taken to the 2061 Lesley, with all due ceremony ;D
I will if you will David. But who will take us? :-\
Stephen, yes please, the names would be helpful. I actually bought a couple of double lilies this year, a white and a pretty pink. The pictures looked so good. (Fancy succumbing to pictures in a colour catalogue at my age!) One is going to flower, the other not.
I gave myself the Blue Mountains gardens book for Christmas. It arrived yesterday and is a truly beautiful book. Of course it helps to know a couple of the gardens and their owners/creators, but even apart from that, I am entranced by it all and will read it through and through over as long as I have. So thanks Stephen for pointing me in the right direction. :)
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My place and garden. 2nd summer. Im a keen grower of perennials and bulbs.
Hi Stephen,
great to see what you've achieved in just 2 years!
cheers
fermi
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Love the combination of the dark leaved Angelica and lilies stunning garden.Well done.
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Yes indeed, Stephen, your garden is looking both very summery and very lush. You must be pleased with how it is progressing. It's a treat to see, for sure. 8)
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You could arrange to be taken to the 2061 Lesley, with all due ceremony ;D
I will if you will David. But who will take us? :-\
Probably an empty match box each would do it Lesley, carried on a silver salver. To do the carrying? Perhaps we need to go for someone ultra young (possibly Arne!) most of the others would be in their dotage don't you think?
Lovely stuff Stephen, would be nice to see some general garden views too.
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Arne would be fine David, or perhaps Stellan so Gerry could come too. Remind me. Where is it we're going? ???
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No idea Lesley, lost in the ramblings of time ??? But as eminent psychologists might have said "It's the journey that counts not the destination" ;D
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They've not sprayed the grass verges for a while, so annual weeds, like this Centaurium erythraea have a chance to flower.
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My place and garden. 2nd summer. Im a keen grower of perennials and bulbs.
Looking very summery.
Stephen, I can see that! And you get me longing for summer :-X
They've not sprayed the grass verges for a while, so annual weeds, like this Centaurium erythraea have a chance to flower.
Anthony, do they spray the verges annually?
here they spray the verges especially on places with interesting flora - that is where rocky outcroppings and other obstacles make it difficult to mow.
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It seems to be policy - or crass stupidity - for council staff in NZ to spray the verges just after seeding so that all the annual weeds especially the grasses, go from strength to strength each year.
We saw the Centaurium growing in the fields on Holy Island, Lindisfarne, when we were in the UK. I loved that place, almost devoid of people and so wide and open to the sea and the sky. We were living at Lindisfarne, a few kms south of Dunedin at the time so it was something of a pilgrimage for us. I have a little album of flower photos from the island. Among others were orchids and Anagallis tenella, the 'Studland' form of which is flowering here now, much deeper pink than the Lindisfarne form. This is a nursery plant, just starting to bloom. Yet again I have cooked my two large potted plants and will have to replace from the nursery. It is exceptionally sensitive to dryness at the roots, or a hot, sunny day on the foliage.
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My place and garden. 2nd summer. Im a keen grower of perennials and bulbs.
Looking very summery.
Stephen, I can see that! And you get me longing for summer :-X
They've not sprayed the grass verges for a while, so annual weeds, like this Centaurium erythraea have a chance to flower.
Anthony, do they spray the verges annually?
here they spray the verges especially on places with interesting flora - that is where rocky outcroppings and other obstacles make it difficult to mow.
I've seen them spraying several times and I've not been here for a year yet! They seem to prefer bare earth between mown grass and untended bush than a riot of colourful flowers.
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Last time I was into Ak airport from the city there were plantings of "wild" flowers all along the route wherever there otherwise would have been grass. They looked fantastic. Don't know what it's like now though. There were things like Salpiglossis, various peas, poppies, annual cosmos, cornflowers, calendulas and a heap of other stuff.
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Curiously, the central reservations along the Great South Road in Manukau City have a sort of corn field mix with corn flowers, marigolds and Californian poppies, inter alia, growing there.