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...
Hi VP, thanks for the link to the petition. First time round I wasn't convinced because I reasoned that temporary sites had their place. Thinking about it now I don't think it's fair that allotmenteers should have so little security so it really falls to councils to do their duty by the Allotmet Acts and provide enough statutory sites for everyone who wants one.
ReplyDeleteI've signed the petition. Thanks for the reminder as I should have done it when you first blogged about it!
ReplyDeleteWe have more or less the same problem too with allotments in the Netherlands. More and more are disappearing (new roads, housing development ect.). But more and more people want to grow their own food and where should they do that if they have no or a very small garden? sigh!
ReplyDeleteHappy Easter!
Done and dusted. Will pass the link on. Many thanks !
ReplyDeleteSimon - thanks for the matched posting on your site and the link back to me. It looks like a few people have come over to sign the petition.
ReplyDeleteFlighty and Anna - good for you!
Yolanda - it's really sad isn't it. Hope you had a good Easter too!