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 "I cry:
There are no nights more nocturnal than this one. What's the use of the stars, The millions of galaxies? You whisper: It is music. It was created for no reason at all." Raquel Angel Nagler "Naked Mirrors"
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 Why should a beautiful flower curl up its petals during the day when the weather is perfect and all pollinating insects are busy doing their vital job visiting open flowers? (That was a very long question, wasn't it). I suspect, Madia hearing that would blush because the answer might seem a little complicated if not improbable: to retain moisture. I must add, the leaves stay perfectly rigid at that time. Digging deeper we can find out that the answer is actually correct. Leaves can stay firm on sunny days because they are protected from wilting by a slightly grey velvety layer on the surface. The flowers have no such protection and need to close on a hot and sunny day. What is more surprising, it happens by the clock. I think we can let Madia have its secrets and not explain this unusual mechanism, especially if the stress related clarification is the reason. Who needs more stress? Instead, we can enjoy the fruity scent of both leaves and flowers, which resemble pineapple or freshly baked lemon cake.
 Little Swords means Gladioli. The word Gladiator sounds like a close relative and it really is. Only semantically. The brave but heartbreaking fate of gladiators is well known to everybody. The fate of gladioli is less tearjerking but definitely more colourful although it is in our hands too.
Few other plants offer such a variety of colors except for blue hues. However, the lavender blue shades of some cultivars are so close to true blues that we should not complain. But there must be something more about the name of these plants, not only that straight reference to their sword-shaped leaves. Hardly any other flowering plants look so untidy grown in a flower bed. But the moment you pick them and put them in a vase, you can witness a real transformation. They look great! That is why gladioli are grown primarily for cutting, not others but to be cut. Well, now it looks more like the gladiators' fate, doesn't it? Maybe this is the actual source of their Latin name?  And we take them all for granted. How unfair. In seed or plant catalogues we can see ornamental cabbages, unusual potatoes, rare beetroots, jewel-like tomatoes, but try to find ornamental wheat, rye, oat or barley. Never! Such an expectation is all against the grain. Nobody imagines these grasses to be decorative, they are to be useful. And they are. We eat them. Well, and drink them too, which can turn the prepositional phrase 'depend upon' into 'addict to' quite easily.
Long time ago when the fields sown with grain crops were smaller, they created picturesque patterns to be admired not only by painters. Now, the vast plantations do not give any reference point for our eyes. We get bored too quickly to think a little and decide to have a better look at the leaves of grasses which secure our worldly existence. If we made a slight effort and forgot about the practical aspect of all cereals, and concentrated on their simple beauty we might experience wonder and gratitude. A great starting point for changing our perspective on wheat, rye, oat and barley. And attribute terms like great, amazing, ornamental to them. I am sure the list of "grateful" adjectives is much, much longer.  Even rational individuals can go crazy about plants. Well, even empresses could behave in a way we might find a little odd or very odd. That was the case of Empress Josephine and her flower garden at Malmaison where she kept her collection of dahlias. She was totally head over heels in love with her beloved plants. Unfortunately, it was a poor case of blind love. She was so jealous of her plants that she had not let anyone look after them (which was very wise on the other hand, because taking care of any plant in the garden is a very healthy physical activity). But the reason was different, Josephine did not want anyone to possess any of the precious tubers whose price was comparable to the price of diamonds. Of course, some of the tubers "leaked out" and Josephine having learned that had the whole collection destroyed. Today it would meant a lot of work as there are more than 20 thousand cultivars of this Mexican beauty and the number is growing.
 Clematis heracleifolia 'Cassandra'  Clematis x triternata 'Rubromarginata' I have just married two beautiful individuals to each other without their consent. The name 'Cassandra' describes a lovely clematis with deep sapphire blue flowers; the title 'Rubromarginata' belongs to another species of clematis whose star- like purple and whitish flowers decorate the plant just like the stars do in the summer sky. The happy (I hope) couple attracts attention in a very appealing way as their blooms - being rather modest in size - are one of the most beautifully fragrant ones. Believe me, I am not Cassandra!
 Mid -August is still reigned by astrological Leo, a sign whose powerful characteristics like ambition, generosity, loyalty, being stubborn and dominant find their colourful (mostly yellow) incarnation in... rudbeckias. At least some of them.
Rudbeckias or coneflowers, natives of North American vast prairies, arrived in Europe long time ago with a very ambitious and secret plan to colonise the Old World (of course, it is my interpretation). Being very prolific responded with great generosity to hospitable new lands and spread quickly within gardens they were planted. And not only within. Confinements of all sorts are not for such energetic plants like rudbeckias whose ruler-according to Zodiac readings -is the sun and fire their element. They can dominate every territory showing uncompromising determination while seducing everybody with ornamental leaves and graceful flower heads.  The menu also offers Raspberry Tart, Summer Salsa, Guava Ice, Milkshake, Marmalade and HOT PAPAYA to name just a few. Apart from the tasty list of coneflower cultivars there are other selections of this lovely daisy-like beauty, e.g.: Robert Bloom, Evening Glow, Mamma Mia or Hot Summer. Such names could take part in a detective story or at least romantic comedy. Of course, the lists are longer and will be even longer in the future as new cultivars are being introduced every so often. Let us wait for a thriller cast.
All the names being quite appealing still cannot reflect - in my opinion- the outstanding quality of the flowers and most notably their colours, shades, half-tones. They change with time starting from buds and ending in domed brown centers which can decorate the garden until springtime.  Why poppy? Look at the pictures. This is one of the tricks plants play on us. They resemble other species so much but have one key element totally different to make that obvious similarity quite unbelievable. Red, white or pink poppies do exist but blue ones not.
Anemone coronaria resembles poppies but to be fair, it does not need that kind of comparison to be recognised. Its pretty flowers composed of so called tepals (you can call them petals if you like) appear naturally in the Mediterranean region. They grow on stems decorated with a crown of deeply dissected leaves just below the vividly coloured flowers However, the most important part of the plant is the tuber. It allows us to regulate the flowering time of this beautiful plant in such a way that we can enjoy "blue poppies" in midsummer.  Short but warm summer nights offer unique experiences to our senses: flowery perfumes. And a lot of them is produces by tiny, inconspicuous flowers we do not even notice while walking around the garden. The moment we see a beautiful flower we automatically try its smell. If it is not there we feel strongly disappointed. If we see a small flower we do not expect any olfactory sensations. And we might be wrong.
The sunlight makes those little blossoms look like wilted. But at twilight they become alive again and herald to the whole world their resurrection. They do it with their odour and that odour makes all warm summer nights memorable. Not all plants in the garden wait for the night to tempt with smell but even those do it better at nighttime. Marilyn Monroe when asked what she wore in bed answered: A few drops of Chanel 5. |
AuthorI was destined to be born gardener. In order to become a professional one I had to enjoy years of studying at various schools and universities... read more Archives
May 2017
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