Bloom day – not from around here

For Gesine in Berlin – I collect the foreign, exotic, commonorgarden. 

The starring role in the garden now, is a rowing-boat sized white daisy bush. I know where it comes from; the gardener at my mother’s retirement village was ripping out wheelbarrows of the stuff. New gardener’s eyes light up, and I brought a bit home. It sulks in summer – does an Estherism – not sure if it wants to go on growing. So I put it on life support, water steadily thru the summer, feed a little in desperation. Once the rain came, I turned away for a moment – and the blooming thing is as wide and high as I am tall. Green fernish feathered leaves. Large white daisies on long stems, ideal for picking. But only once, the flowers smell evil. Anyone know what it is? A Shasta daisy? I know, despite the huge variety of South African daisies, it isn’t one of ours.

Nameless white daisy

From leopards to dent de lion lion’s teeth. Dandelion. Putting shrieks of WEED KILL IT aside, clear true yellow pompom, stars of parachute silk in the puffball of seeds, and toothed green leaves fanned out on the ground. Deep roots bring minerals to the surface. Leaves can be eaten in salad. What’s not to like?

Dent-de-lion Dandelion

Around the edge of the gravel forecourt we have nasturtiums. I never planted them. The faded flowers shed their seeds. And each year they return. Once had a packet of exotic mix, came with a gardening magazine. Those I planted under the fig tree. I see a really deep russet, and a yellow with brown markings. New variations come up each year. And again, leaves and flowers go in our salad. (He will persist in calling them Cistercians, well but they have a hood …)

Nasturtiums

The commonorgarden includes herbs and edible plants. Lavender. Plum, edible and Prunus nigra, orange blossom smells to die for doll.

Three sorts of lavender

Edible plum
Prunus nigra, orange blossom

There are still a few flowers on the Japanese flowering quince, but the glory is gone. The yellow Chinese winter jasmine is fountaining up thru a self planted guava tree. My most hated weed – Paterson's Curse – still sneaks past me. Salvia greggei and pineapple sage compete to see who can give the camera a migraine first.

Japanese flowering quince, Chinese winter jasmine
Paterson's Curse, pineapple sage

The roses after a ratty last year, are now burgeoning out exuberantly with an armload of flamboyant deepest red leaves. Fat buds. The first of next summer’s flowers. Chaim Soutine with pink and white Rosa mundi stripes. Anna’s Red, deeply fragrant, low growing. Courvoisier, in bunches of true yellow. Pearl of Bedfordview, bunches of open flowers, just touched with pink.

Pearl of Bedfordview, Courvoisier
Anna's Red, Chaim Soutine

My snowdrop has been kindly kept in the shade and has begun to flower.

Snowdrop Leucojum

Pictures and words
by Diana of Elephant's Eye
- wildlife gardening in Porterville,
near Cape Town in South Africa

(If you mouse over brown text,
it turns shriek pink. Those are my links.)