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
The tulips are such a lovely colour, VP. Do you keep them in the pot year-round? Are they multiplying or do you have the same number every year?
ReplyDeleteHi YEGTG - Yes I keep them in the pot alll year (though most 'experts' recommend you dig them up and store them each year) and I get the same number of blooms each year.
ReplyDeleteI have no tulips in my garden this year, I gave them a miss, although I miss them already! x
ReplyDeleteHi Louise,
ReplyDeleteIt's taken me a while to appreciate Tulips, but now I love them. I'm a bit lazy with looking after them though. I suspect you might have some next year?