Jack Go To Bed At Noon
Last year this rather exotic looking flower appeared on mine and several other allotments for the first time. Having been stumped (again) by Mr Allotment Warden as to its identity, I rushed home to find out what it was. It's salsify, aka the marvellous Jack Go To Bed At Noon - named as such because its flowers always close by midday. Here you can see both open and closed flowers - making it seem even more exotic and alien than in the first picture. I think this must be the cultivated version because the flower in my Francis Rose Wild Flower Key looks exactly the same in form, but is bright yellow in colour and called meadow salsify . Its other common name is Goatsbeard, which must be a nod to the fantastic dandelion-like clock which forms the seed head. With 'parachutes' like those shown above, who knows how far our plotted plants came from. I rather like the photographic dissection of the seedhead found in this link . Salsify is edible: its lateral shoots and fl
Indeed no words are needed, this picture is speaking thousand words. BTW what is this cabbage like green flower on the left?
ReplyDeleteFantastic photo! Alex, those look to me to be different varieties of chrysanthemums.
ReplyDeleteI was staggered! This is your garden? !!!!!!!!!!!!!! (This will teach me to read the post before its title!)
ReplyDeleteMHM - thank you and yes you are indeed right. Alex should know better, seeing he or she is deliberately linking back to a landscaping company.
ReplyDeleteEsther - sadly not and much kudos is due to the company managing to bring these chrysanths on to bloom so well outside of their flowering season :)
Brilliant photo,A friend of mine has the green chrysanthemum along with a bright pink and orange.Her growing instructions told her it needs to be kept in the greenhouse,I took some cuttings,left them in the garden and they have stayed there and flowered for me every year.
ReplyDeleteFlowerlady - thank you :) It's ages since I've grown Chrysanths - I wonder if I could make them last...
ReplyDelete