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
Brrrrrrrrr....
ReplyDeleteBeangenie - it is brrrrr! I think my snowed up watering can's rather cute though ;)
ReplyDeleteAnd I love how snow hushes everything and alters the light's quality. You know it's there before you pull back the curtains :)
A day to sit with a hot drink and a gardening book!
ReplyDeleteDream and plan!
Lea
Lea's Menagerie
Gorgeous...now it looks like my garden except we only have a few inches here now
ReplyDeletelovely photo xx
ReplyDeleteSsshh - I struggled to find my watering can which I needed to water the greenhouse!!
ReplyDeleteFound my watering can today. It is totally solid! Being plastic it will probably crack when it eventually thaws out.
ReplyDeleteLovely photo. Keep warm.
Hah! I have a similar photo of my wheelbarrow swathed in snow. I do love the way snow creates "cushions" on all surfaces.
ReplyDeleteLea - I have 2 on the go at the moment :)
ReplyDeleteDonna - we have more to come this week apparently.
Kbower - welcome and thanks :)
PG - I can lend you one ;)
Dobby - they're usually quite resilient, so fingers crossed for you x
Janet - 'cushions' is a very good term :)