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
If Bob Flowerdew is going to be there I'd surely ask something about weeing on plants! :)
ReplyDeleteTee hee - I think that's been asked before :) I do have a particular question in mind amongst loads of them floating around in my head. We'll see if I get to ask it...
DeleteBob Flowerdew liked the conversation we were having on Twitter about asking the panel what cake they would choose at an NGS open garden!
DeleteA friend asked me today what shrubs to plant in the shade.
ReplyDeleteI told her Azaleas, Beautyberry, and Sweet Shrub.
Do you have them where you live?
I guess my question would be 'What else grows well in the shade?'
Hi Lea - I'm on alkaline soil, so Azaleas and Beauty Berry (Callicarpa) need to be grown in pots, if at all (which I have done in the past). I hadn't come across sweet shrub (Calycanthus) before. It looks a good candidate for my front side garden :)
DeleteI would like to know when to harvest my Conference pears - all seven of them. I had nine fruits last year but they did a disappearing act when we were on holiday. I would be happy just to be able to taste one of them :)
ReplyDeleteI grow 'Concorde' which has 'Conference' in its parentage Anna. October time is usually good for my pears, but of course it could be different for you as your further north and it's a different variety!
DeleteDid you get to ask your question? And when will be it broadcast??
ReplyDeleteI did Black and Tabby, thanks for asking :) I submitted 3 questions and they selected the 3rd one which popped into my head on the way to the recording. Friday September 30th is the first broadcast with a repeat on the Sunday. There's another blog post to come shortly...
Delete