That blue flower: A spring spotter's guide
Spring is a prime time for blue flowers and my daily walks currently have several from the same plant family* lining the local footpaths. As I walked past the Donkey Field the other day, I overheard some children ask their parents** what the pictured blue flower was. It reminded me it's often mistaken for those other familial blues and this time was no different, as they said it was forget-me-not, instead of the green alkanet it actually is. As well as similar flowers, most of these plants are hairy in their nature, flower around the same time, and favour damp, shady places. Many of them are great for pollinators too, especially bees and this week's warm weather has certainly drawn them to these flowers. This makes it even more likely for these plants to be mistaken for each other and it's a great opportunity for me to put together a spotter's guide in case you find the same flowers on your outings. Staying with green alkanet, the key features which set it ...
I think that I'll stick to the sow and forget varieties for the time being! Good luck with these.
ReplyDeletePatience is one heck of a hill to get over with gardening .. I don't think I could hold hands with seeds that long ! LOL
ReplyDeleteBUT .. I know it is so exciting to get seeds and find out how they are going to do .. my stash is very easy so if any fail .. I know it must be my fault ! darn !
Good luck and take pictures !
Joy
Happy sowing - it looks as if you have a veritable treasure trove there ! I have no experience of ordering from the RHS seed list but have had great fun in the past with the Cottage Garden Society seed exchange.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your good wishes everyone - I think I'll need it! You bet I'll be taking some pictures on this one - expect a Masterclass on stratification ;)
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by for the first time gardenjoy4me!