Bookish Gardener: Bud by bud

Willoughby blooms

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Bud by bud

Afghan iris. I saw this flower open last spring. The blossom was furled in a tight, pointed whorl. I looked away. When I looked back, one of the falls had snuck out from behind the curtains, as if to say "Ta da!" with its tongue out. I vowed to stay and watch the pot come to boil. (My patience would be rewarded sooner than I expected.) As soon a gnat-sized flying something-or-another alit on the bud, the petals sprung open with a whfft and the minutest of tremors. Then there it stood, in pristine glory, sky blue and heaven-scented.

Oriental poppy. This treasure emerged last spring from the one-inch crack between concrete patio and concrete foundation, the product of my poor aim in scattering seed two seasons before. The petals are softer than tissue, but saved from preciousness by the edgy, contrasting, lush, weedy foliage. The purplish-black stamens undulate in the breeze like the tendrils of a sea anemone, guarded by Haman's hat. In twenty-four hours, the petals are gone with the wind.

Blackberry lily. I don't know why, but I think this flower's botanical name, Belamcanda chinensis, is indescribably luscious. The provenance of my garden's blackberry lilies is the garden right next door, courtesy of my neighbor friend's gift of a generous stalk of blooms gone to black-berry seed. All the seeds were meant to be scattered near the stand of Russian sage in the perennial border, but one must have slipped out of my hand right here, just outside the back door, where it took root behind a trellis container and, last summer, flowered more vigorously and more colorfully than its brethren (who keep getting elbowed out by the Perovskia).

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Comments

I read this yesterday, and thought it beautiful, but left to look up 'Algerian Iris', was sidetracked, and didn't come back to your post.

Today, in "Two Gardeners", I read a letter from Elizabeth Lawrence to Katharine S. White, sent in January of 1967. Elizabeth says that her Algerian Iris has been in bloom on the sunny side of the house for a fortnight - so something written 40 years ago reminded me to come and thank you for your lovely words.

I've been lucky enough to be present when a beetle landed on a just-opened 'Little Gem' Magnolia flower; just that tiny action caused the interior [stamens?] to shake and shatter into fragments that landed in the cup of the blossom.

Annie at the Transplantable Rose

Posted by: Annie in Austin | February 02, 2007 at 03:19 PM

Lovely photos. Love that blackberry lily - I've never heard of them before.

Posted by: Andrea | February 15, 2007 at 10:16 PM

Beautiful words and a lovely Iris. It reminds me of watching moonflowers open at sundown. They pop open right before your eyes!

Cheers,

Patrick - www.iheartgardening.com

Posted by: Patrick | February 21, 2007 at 10:11 AM

My garden would not be nearly as much fun without the surprise plants that pop up in unexpected places.

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