A SLASH OF BLUE

A slash of Blue—
A sweep of Gray—
Some scarlet patches on the way,
Compose an Evening Sky—
A little purple—slipped between—
Some Ruby Trousers hurried on—
A Wave of Gold—
A Bank of Day—
This just makes out the Morning Sky.

—Emily Dickinson

I revelled in the many beautiful flowers I saw blooming in both Norway and the UK. Following Emily Dickinson’s words above, I will start by showcasing the slash of blue.

These irises in a Norwegian garden looked very pretty en masse.

They were well worth a closer look!

Might this be a harebell? It was growing wild beside a road.

These pretty flowers were growing in the Kristiansand Botanical Garden. [Identified by Bugwoman as Chicory].

I was most surprised to find these potted agapanthus in the Sissinghurst Castle Gardens.

This flower was also familiar as a type of Scabious grows in South Africa too.

SPRING IN THE GARDEN 2022

My posts are filled with the doom and gloom of the prolonged drought so it is time to showcase some of the bright spots in my spring garden. Although the freesias are almost over now, they brought great joy for their blooms have been more prolific and have lasted for longer than in previous years. Most of them are white and then there are these:

The rosemary bush growing near our front door is covered with flowers – again more than we have been able to enjoy for ever so long. It must be thanks to some of the light rain that fell during the latter part of August:

Plumbago blossoms are always a delight: the first ones are coming out now and so before long there will be masses of these lovely blue flowers in the garden:

We inherited several golden shower creepers with the garden and these thrive with no help from me at all:

This iris is part of a clump given to me by my brother in Gauteng – I love how plants can provide connections between people!

Lastly, even though there are a few more splashes of colour, I must highlight the dianthus seedlings that are showing a new lease of life after the rain:

A PRETTY IRIS

Some years ago my brother gave me a clump of irises that he was thinning out in his Gauteng garden. All such donations are gratefully accepted and for the next few years I enjoyed the bounty of their blooming. Then came the drought. Year after year more of them died. I simply didn’t have the water to keep them alive – although the unbearable heat was something they had to contend with too. I am left with three plants, one of which has bravely put forth a flower.

Such a pretty flower is worth a closer look.

I only noticed the tiny beetle (visible in both the above photographs) after taking the second one. It too needs a closer look.

SMALL FOREST IRIS

Also known as the African Iris or Cape Iris, the Small Forest Iris (Dietes iridoides) grows in moist conditions along forest margins and under-stories along southern and eastern South Africa. A significant number of them were growing alongside the paths that wind through the forested areas of Tsitsikamma.

Typical of their growth are the sword-shaped green leaves in the form of a loose fan.

Their waxy flowers are very attractive.

Note the yellow-orange blotches and orange marks at the base.

KAROO IRIS

The autumnal Karoo landscape is dotted about with mauve flowers of the Karoo Iris (Moraea polystachya) which has distinctive yellow markings.

This flower was first described by Thunberg in 1782, from a collection he had made in the Eastern Cape ‘in the area of the Sundays and Fish Rivers’. I find it fascinating to discover that our flora was already being studied over two hundred years ago!

Seeing them blooming so prolifically, it is surprising to learn that each flower lasts for only a day. The flowering period lasts for six to eight weeks, however, ensuring a succession of flowers that brighten up the veld – even though they have proved to be toxic to domestic livestock. The photograph above shows withered blossoms, fresh blossoms, as well as tightly curled buds getting ready to open.