But over a couple of summers I gathered up samples of other wildflowers I had noticed around the island and brought them inside the fence as well. Others came in on their own. Mullein for instance. There was lots of it in the garden last year, and none at all this summer.
There was a small clump of white foxglove in the lower orchard that I moved inside the fence. It didn't do much at first. But last fall I started to notice what definitely was looking like foxglove growing all along the part of the garden supposedly dedicated to herbs, not wildflowers. The foxglove had a mind of its own. I couldn't believe this strong, hardy looking plant was actually foxglove, but I let it alone anyway. I wanted to see what it would turn out to be.
Which was foxglove. It turns out it's a terrific re-seeder as long as it isn't getting stepped on or gamboled on or napped on.
It's mostly white, but one big clump of it is a foxy pink.
The little wildflower garden is turning out to be a place of surprises, changing a bit every summer in ways I hadn't dreamed of.
There was a small clump of white foxglove in the lower orchard that I moved inside the fence. It didn't do much at first. But last fall I started to notice what definitely was looking like foxglove growing all along the part of the garden supposedly dedicated to herbs, not wildflowers. The foxglove had a mind of its own. I couldn't believe this strong, hardy looking plant was actually foxglove, but I let it alone anyway. I wanted to see what it would turn out to be.
Which was foxglove. It turns out it's a terrific re-seeder as long as it isn't getting stepped on or gamboled on or napped on.
It's mostly white, but one big clump of it is a foxy pink.
The little wildflower garden is turning out to be a place of surprises, changing a bit every summer in ways I hadn't dreamed of.
I love the foxgloves. We went out on some quiet country roads and dug up some of the plants that were growing on the edges of the road - in nooks and crannies and rocks - transplanted them and I have a nice start on a stand of foxgloves. I love the story of how it got its name - "folk's gloves" - for the wee folks that would use the flowers for their gloves.
ReplyDeleteOne of the joys of having lived in this place for close to thirty years is how the vegetation changes over time from year to year. I have a small but growing patch of lily of the valley that came from two plants I put in maybe five years ago - this year there are close to a dozen, but I have yet to see any bloom, so they must be travelling from roots underground.
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