In addition to the roses and hydrangeas that I already mentioned, we have a lot of peculiar things growing in our garden. Dave, Olga and I stayed home yesterday, the gray and mildly rainy weather discouraging exploration farther afield, and I spent some time trying to identify these mysterious plants. We'd eventually like to tame our wilderness a bit, but I want to allow room for wildflowers too. First we need to know what's what.
This (above) is a wild geranium. We have it in just one place so perhaps it doesn't fall into the weed category.
This is some type of aster. According to this page, most asters in the UK were imported from America. There is a purple variety called a sea aster that's native, but this one doesn't seem purple enough to be that species. We have just a few, and I like them.
This is called green alkanet (Pentaglottis sempervirens). We have tons of it -- and I'm finding articles online about ways to control it, so I suspect we're not the only ones who wonder if it's a bit out of hand. It's pretty, though.
I have no idea what this is. It grows on long stalks and appears quite weed-like.
This is a day lily -- or, I guess, a double or triple day lily. We have a small clutch of them, but they're a bit choked out by the other vegetation.
Blackberries! Again, we have lots of them. Probably too many, but they'll be great on cereal a little later in the summer!
This scary-looking thing is not a Body Snatcher, as I first feared, but rather a seed pod from an iris. We have tons of iris right around the patio. They appear to be done blooming for the year and now we have lots and lots of seeds bursting forth. More iris next year, I suppose!
The photos are, as always, remarkable. They make weeds look wondrous! We have lots of wild geranium in Los Angeles -- it grows bed-like, and I love it. At first I thought it was typical geranium! I so look forward to your ongoing photos of your new home --
ReplyDeleteThe blackberry has been declared a noxious weed of national significance in Australia, but is fighting all eforts to get rid of it. We are not able to eat them usually as most carry a sign saying that they have been sprayed with poison. Maybe you should get rid of them while you can. The very cold winters in England may help to keep them under some control.
ReplyDeleteAll I can say is- they are all very photogenic via your eye and camera.
ReplyDeleteYou will figure out what you want to keep and what you want to be rid of.
What Elizabeth said.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful back garden...Enjoy!
ReplyDeleteYou have lots of interesting things growing in the garden. I love iris. They bloom around February here, what few there are. Maybe some blackberry jam for your toast in the future?
ReplyDeletewonderful little garden! Beware the enticing blackberries, here, they are incredibly invasive, used as fences rather than barbed wire. They are hard work here, the fruit they bear is an armored fight to get it.
ReplyDeleteEvery year we fall for it though, now, I am more inclined to pick up berries at the farmers market rather than the horrendous pokes and stabs to get the berries for free.There will be blood!
LOVE the pod!!!
I love the wild kingdom of your new garden! How fun to explore, to get to expand your lives into a personal outdoor space. I'm so happy for you!
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