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
Wow - stunning! I love that all the veg is planted on the diagonal, it makes a much bolder statement.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely beautiful. A wonderful English garden in summer - does it get any better than this?
ReplyDeleteI agree it is stunning...I also love the diagonal planting...I might give it a try.
ReplyDeleteStunning and works well into the landscape
ReplyDeleteFabulous. Now all I need to do is re create it in a long narrow Abingdon garden!
ReplyDeletePerfect Planting!
ReplyDeleteOh, how beautiful! My favorite combination: a lot of green and some splashes of other colors.
ReplyDeleteHi everyone - so glad you like this photo. Holt Farm is one of my favourite gardens to visit :)
ReplyDelete