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'm trying to picture my back garden completely turfed in pink fake grass. It's oh so tempting.
ReplyDeleteI have a strangely unexpected liking for the purple version CJ, but did you spot the price! :o
DeleteWhy not? Light blue and the pink one looks good...
ReplyDeleteI can imagine you using something like this in your new shed ;)
DeleteOh dear that's nearly as bad as those dreadful dyed flowers. The reason we keep,our lawn is because the green sets off the flowery bits!
ReplyDeleteSue, I'm gradually converting our lawn to moss - it's much easier to care for ;)
DeleteNooooo don't buy it, that is just as bad as spray painted heathers.
ReplyDeleteNothing's as bad as those spray painted heathers David ;)
DeleteAaaaaaaaagh - the stuff of nightmares!
ReplyDeleteI couldn't believe my eyes Anna!
DeleteReally enjoyed reading this blog, it's very educational, especially when you're running your own gardening services company. Keep up the good work :)
ReplyDeleteThank you Martin. I'm keeping your comment despite it really being an advert (so it should really be composted) because you c*cked it up!
DeleteHmmm….not really for me…perhaps for a more groovy person than me?!
ReplyDeleteHi Helene, I did toy with the idea of adding a question mark to this post's title!
DeleteI might buy some! We used to have a lawn. Leather jackets ate it. Every year we re-sowed. Then I gave up. I created a mini-lawn a couple of years ago. Somewhere one person could sit and read a book. Leather jackets ate it. Now I can't even get seed to germinate there. (Haven't worked out why it won't.) So . . . a small, bright pink patch of grass where one could sit and feels summery - that could be just right.
ReplyDeleteWhich colour would you choose Esther?
ReplyDelete