Re: [Re: favorites that shouldnt be (Sunflowers)]
Yvonne Gregson wrote:
>
> Plant snobbery?
>
> Well of course there's not a garden in Greece without zonal pelargoniums and I
> can't apologize for mine. Or the gazanias. I have pink oxalis too as well.
>
> This year a middle-sized sunflower came up from nowhere, several heads and a
> bamboo stalk, anyone recognise? I have huge red cannas, vulgar trumpetty
> amaryllis, hibiscus, morning glory; not one a shrinking violet.
> All these will thrive cheerfully while I'm trying to wet-nurse new posh
> persons' plants I can hardly pronounce the names of.
>
> Nasturtiums are wonderful because they do their job, leave willingly, return
> with no effort on my part. I like the "peaches and cream" variety. I'm putting
> them amongst the spring bulbs, some of these are a bit common too.
>
> Why should we care? We wouldn't stop growing tomatoes just because everyone
> else had them, or beans or strawberries. Weed or flower, as long as they
> behave themselves they're welcome in my garden.
I do heartily agree with your attitude.
>
I think myself gardens in which nature takes a hand often end up far
more attractive and interesting than those with only human input in the
design. Moreover what nature plants is usually well suited to the
climate and so flourishes without any fussing.
A couple of things seen in my own garden illustrate this rather nicely.
For some years I have allowed a few "weed" patches at the ends of the
raised beds in my vegetable garden as emergency bee fodder and summer
refuges for spiders and other predators. Sometimes the grander
self-seeders like borage, dill or dandelions take them over, but very
often they end up as a little garden of more modest things. The
commonest combination is deadnettle, speedwell and a small but very
pretty polygonum. In full flower with blooms of mauve, blue and pink
tastefully mingled it can look remarkably pretty.
The other is in a bed beneath one of my apple trees. The main player
(which I _did_ plant) is Geranium incanum with deep reddish mauve
flowers. This year up through the plant has grown a Heartsease (Johnny
Jumpup to you Americans I think). They seed about my garden in several
forms from blue to yellow, but this one is bi-coloured in blue and
purple and looks stunningly right with the geranium.
All very serindipetous one might say!
Moira
--
Tony & Moira Ryan <theryans@xtra.co.nz>
Wainuiomata (near Wellington, capital city of New Zealand)
