December’s memories of
foreign exotic commonorgarden flowers. November was the rose’s month of glory, but today the next buds are
unfurling in waves. Yesterday was overcast and it almost rained, about half a
millimetre. Kind weather for the rose petals – which are not doing their usual
– It’s summer! If you don’t pick us and bring us in out of the sun, we’ll just
shrizzle up to toasted hasbeens!!
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| Tropical Sunset at Paradise and Roses (the camera always lies, but I love this view of our garden!) |
Whenever we go to Cape Town to see my mother and have lunch with the family, I harvest what I can. What is neither full-blown and about to shed petals, nor so tightly furled that once picked, the bud will never open. This Tropical Sunset was just right.
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| Sheila's Perfume |
They have been fed their December portion of
certified organic from Talborne.
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| Burning Sky against Canadian Prunus nigra |
Burning Sky seems to be happy to make another
full house with bunches of buds coming thru on each stalk.
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| Dainty Bess |
Dainty Bess with her five fragile single petals, has the spirit of the wild dog rose (NOT wild here). Each flower
only survives one day of sun and afternoon breeze.
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| Helpkids, Chaim Soutine, Dainty Bess Pearl of Bedfordview Great North, Courvoisier |
Chaim Soutine
has been rescued from the embrace of Melianthus. The tall flower stalks had
gone to seed, so I pretended I was Jack Frost and cut back hard. Time and space
for someone else to shine now. Pearl of Bedfordview butterflies across her bush. Great North is trying
hard this year. She has flowers, but she is still dwarfed by the blue sage. Paradise and Roses.
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| Dusty Miller |
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| Dusty Miller flower |
My signature plant Dusty Miller has flowers that leave me
feeling ambiguous. A soft fluffy mauve gentle version of a Scottish thistle.
Rather a lovely flower if you take time to look at it. For the vase too. But,
the flower stalks SOAR UP and flop over. Morning after the night beforeish.
Most of them get harvested. Ideally I should take cuttings and start again
every three years.
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| Figs |
When we see starlings investigating the fig
trees, then it is time to nip out quick and see if any figs are yallery green
and soft enough for us to eat. If you blink, you miss it, and the birds are in
heaven in our wildlife garden.
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.)
Cloudy days are so kind once summer gets serious. I had no idea that Dusty Miller even bloomed--if anything I would have thought it might have those invisible yellow-greenish flowers, not such frivolous, exuberant blossoms just begging for a vase.
ReplyDeleteI'll be interested to see what Stuart creates (and grateful to him for his hard work)--I certainly owe a lot to Blotanical. I just find that I have the energy either to blog or to Blotanize--not both.
Stacy - there is also a much
ReplyDeletesmaller plant called Dusty Miller, don't what its flowers are like.
I am at Blotanical just to read messages, say thanks, and pick my faves. I used to browse but that time goes to Google Plus now.
That "Dainty Bess" is stunning. I don't think I have ever seen it growing here, but then again, I am by no means a rosarian.
ReplyDeleteI seem to have developed a taste for the single petal cultivars in recent years.
The only rose still blooming now in RI is good old Knockout.
Diana, I had no idea Blotanical was due for some changes. Thanks for posting this information. I will have to start visiting more frequently to see what the new format will look like.
ReplyDeleteStrange weather for December, but I'm glad your roses love it.
ReplyDeleteI hope the changes to Blotanical attract some more SA bloggers.
Is "yallery" a South African version of yellow? It sounds almost like the word was pronounced in my native Mississippi (yeller).
ReplyDeleteHello Diana,
ReplyDeletewe have winter and the roses in my garden are still in bloom. No snow to come.
Have a nice weekend
Elke
Marguerite - this info about Blotanical has been tucked away in News and Forums. That blog is days old.
ReplyDeleteGardenGirl - I have my South African blogs in the first slice of my blogroll.
James G - greenery-yallery is not South African. I read it somewhere. Anyone? Who did I lift it from??
What a lovely name - Pearl of Bedford View.
ReplyDeleteEsther - named for a suburb in Johannesburg, I guess it is famed for its roses.
ReplyDeleteDiana I truly love when I get an email that says you have a new post...I know I will see the most beautiful flowers and these roses are definitely beautiful. I am glad to ge the URL for Stuart and the new V2. Can't wait to see it and get back to Blotanical soon...
ReplyDeleteYou know how to brighten my cold day. Just looking at those roses and especially the Tropical Orange warms my heart if not my feet. LOL! The Dainty Bess is also quite lovely with her single petals. Simple but a beauty none the less. I appreciate your blog to give us a spot of color and warmth while ours are dormant. Have a wonderful weekend.
ReplyDeleteI also love that 'Dainty Bees' as i haven't seen it yet. Your garden is teeming with beauty. About Blotanicals, i am not going there often, as i found it very slow for me here, so i just go direct to my links or go to others comments. I just make pick once in-a- while.
ReplyDeleteWherever you go Diana I'll be right along. I've lost my heart to Dainty Bess now - each post you present me with a new love.
ReplyDeleteAndrea - Blotanical is slow for all of us. Really hope V2 will be better in every way. I learnt from Jean's Garden, to put all my faved blogs in Google Reader. I only go to Blotanical to pick them later.
ReplyDeleteIt feels odd reading about sun, heat, and roses in the winter chill here. It's really cold, and we had another little snow. Your roses would not like that one bit.
ReplyDeleteSo Blotanical is changing up? Very interesting news.
Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams
As ever Diana, I learn techi things from you as well as wallowing in SA landscape, practical roll in exquisite exotic plants as well as musing how much of the english garden - viz roses, that you have there. I shall make a note to try and learn about Google Reader.
ReplyDeleteI wish I had a fig tree in my garden
ReplyDeletewe all owe a lot to Stuart, for putting us in touch with each other. Like Stacey, it's hard to keep up with everything and often blotanical is the thing that gets neglected. I also often neglect plants like dusty miller, certainly lovely but a bit of a bother. The pic of the fig tree reminds me we live in the same hemisphere - over here too the figs are growing as we head for summer.
ReplyDeleteDiana, you have me totally besotted with two of your plants that I had to go and buy and plant in my garden because I loved them so much in yours - and they are doing beautifully here - the Festuca Glauca is my absolute favourite and Dusty Miller is just wonderful!
ReplyDeleteI have been looking forward to the blotanical changes. It's nice to know when they are finally coming!
ReplyDeleteYour Dainty Bess and Tropical Sunset are both gorgeous roses. I love my shade, but sometimes I wish I had more sunny spots to grow roses!
Hi Diana, Your roses are very beautiful. I had read somewhere that changes are coming to Blotanical. Perhaps I will finally be able to add a bit of biography to my own page! Up to now it has been impossible and the "About me" is blank. I would love to see more of a rotating "popular" page, as I find that many blogs stay near the top for the wrong reasons (most particularly , popular blogs get mouse clicked precisely because they appear on page 1 and then stay there on page 1 for that reason). I guess we will see in February...
ReplyDeleteJennifer - if a post at Blotanical has lots of picks I will read, maybe comment, but not pick. I try to encourage new blogs instead. But I get frustrated by the list and leave, so I'm taking it very quietly there for now.
ReplyDeleteI can't wait for the Blotanical changes. I keep trying not to give up on it, but some days it's just downright frustrating and glitchy. Hopefully a new year will bring a new and improved system. I need a better way to keep track of the oodles of blogs I want to keep up on!
ReplyDeleteWe're heading out on holiday on Saturday so I just wanted to take this opportunity to wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I have done forward posts for both my blogs so they will still come up on your feeds every day, I just won't be commenting as I'm not taking the laptop along.
ReplyDeleteWhat lovely, lovely roses. I'm going to have to dye some silk ribbon and embroider some they are so gorgeous! Val
ReplyDeleteI don't think I've ever seen Dusty Miller bloom...it's wonderful!
ReplyDeletealoha,
ReplyDeleteboy those figs look great along with the beautiful roses, thanks for sharing these
I never saw Dusty Miller bloom, yet sometimes it overwinters here. It really has a pretty flower. Not sure what V2 will bring, but activity is down on Blotanical by bloggers I think. I enjoy using it, but seem to less of late like many. I did join the supporter group and hope it revives the fun. Being a Blotanical expert like you are, did you get any insider info?
ReplyDeleteGWGT -I whined at Suart. At least we have a blog. Now you know as much as I do. He does answer via Google Plus (which is now open to all!)
ReplyDeleteDiana, I've been missing summer and all I had to do was stop over here to get a bit of sunshine and roses! I am liking 'Dainty Bess' a lot and admiring the gentle pink of Dusty Miller. gail ps I signed on for the new Blotanical~am curious to see what rolls out.
ReplyDeleteOh, the orangey yellow roses are wonderful!
ReplyDelete