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.
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!).
(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…
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
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
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
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
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!
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
succulent flowers
and the piece de resistance….
‘aint she a beauty!
Hope you too are blooming well and seeing the beauty in the little things!
xx
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.
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!