Wednesday 10 August 2011

A successful plant (and thoughts about the weather)

Excuse me for feeling a little pleased with myself due to my successful growing of the above plant, Cerinthe Major Purpurescens.  I didn't plant the seeds until the beginning of June and they were saved from last year's flowers. However, they have been steadily growing too big and were desperate to be in the border, or a larger container at the least.  I kept seeing them and thinking, "I must get round to planting them", but never quite managing to do it.  Finally, on Monday, I decided enough was enough and planted them (rather unceremoniously, it has to be said).  They are quite sprawly in their habit but I like the combination of the glaucous green leaves with white ridges and the deep purple bell-like flowers.  Another benefit is that they are very attractive to bees - I think their common name is honey wort, which may explain why bees like them.  They are hardy annuals and hopefully I'll be able to save seeds for next year too.  They are also filling some gaps in the borders and help to keep the colour going for a while yet.
Incidentally, so far this summer has been 'typically English' with baking temperatures one day then downpours the next... Still, what would we talk about if we didn't have the weather?

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