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You are here: Home / Care and Maintenance / Blooming Summer!

Blooming Summer!

March 2, 2017 By SandRa Timmins 2 Comments

Well, the weather has finally warmed up here in Horowhenua (in time for Autumn!).  I might get ripe tomatos yet!

The coolest thing that’s happening at the moment in my garden is the dainty flowers blooming on some of my herbs and succulents.

Southernwood flowering
Southernwood flowering

Most surprising is the Southernwood Artemis abrotanum flowering ~ it’s not rare but it’s not exactly common either and I don’t know what made this particular one flower (I have a few plants scattered around).  It’s planted near our swan plants so got a photo op with the monarchs emerging from their chrysalis’ (six in one day!).

Southernwood flowering

(the orange is a monarch if you couldn’t tell)

I have heaps of Thai Basil so can afford a few to go to flower/seed and what luverly liddle flowers they are…

Thai basil flowers
Thai basil flowers

My mint Mentha sp. is going to flower, I obviously haven’t been eating enough of it this year as personally, I’ve never seen it flower before.

Mint coming into flower

Mint coming into flower

Do I write about Soapworts Saponaria officinalis  flowers every year? There’s reason for that, they smell divine and look gorgeous, not so dainty mind but Bouncing bet suddenly looks like the perfect name for this plant!

Soapwort (Bouncing bet) flowers

Soapwort (Bouncing bet) flowers

The Lemon thyme Thymus x  citriodorus aureus is flowering, I’ll soon be chopping them off and pegging down stems for next season.

Lemon thyme flowering

Lemon thyme flowering

Catnip  Nepeta cataria  is harvested when it’s in flower (a lot of herbs are harvested just before flowering).  My catnip is in it’s second flush of flowering having harvested the first flush a while back.  The wee flowers almost look like orchids!

Catnip flowers

Catnip flowers

Now, here’s a long story short… mint, grown with brassicas is said to thwart the white butterfly… of course the mint has to be nigh constantly crushed to be effective, oh, and would probably help to not have flowering catnip intermixed which attracts the damn white butterflies!  Another lesson I have learnt for y’all!

White butterfly being attracted to catnip flowers

Curses!

Other stand out blooms have been a couple of my Sempervivum succulents that I have no idea of their official names and my bromeliad which has like flowers within its forever flower!

Flowering bromeliad

Flowering bromeliad

succulent flowers

succulent flowers

and the piece de resistance….

Sempervivum in flower

‘aint she a beauty!

Hope you too are blooming well and seeing the beauty in the little things!

xx

 

 

 

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Filed Under: Care and Maintenance, Pretty Pictures Tagged With: Catnip Nepeta cataria is harvested when it's in flower, Lemon thyme Thymus x citriodorus aureus is flowering, mint Mentha sp. is going to flower, sempervivum flowers, Soapworts Saponaria officinalis flowers, Southernwood Artemis abrotanum flowering, Thai Basil flowers

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Comments

  1. Denise Direen says

    March 2, 2017 at 6:46 am

    Lovely pics Sandra. Can you tell me the name of your final pic -the succulent. Mine only flowers when it is rootbound in a pot. Ive always been fascinated by it. It travelled over with me from Marlborough. Oh and we are enjoying the French tarragon which I got from you. Lovely in a light sauce over the top of local tarakihi.

    Reply
    • SandRa Timmins says

      March 3, 2017 at 7:01 am

      Hi Denise, all I can tell you is that it’s in the Sempervivum (Houseleek) family. All my succulents are off shoots or divisions pilfered from my mothers and mother in laws gardens~ they travel well don’t they! Glad the tarragon is doing well and lucky you to have fresh fish to go with it!

      Reply

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Beautiful, strong herbs
for gardeners
and herbalists
of all levels.

Grown
with passion
and persistence.

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