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Old 22-06-2009, 07:30 PM posted to rec.gardens.edible
Billy[_7_] Billy[_7_] is offline
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First recorded activity by GardenBanter: Dec 2008
Posts: 1,179
Default Volunteer Flower I.D.

In article
,
"FarmI" ask@itshall be given wrote:

The magenta flower is Lychnis - it also comes in white. They are
brilliant survivors in dry conditions which they seem to prefer and in
my place the volunteer seeds sprout in a gravel pathway.


Indeed that is it, thank you Fran. It is odd, and reassurring that,
though thousands of miles apart, we have the same floral friends.


It is indeed nice and glad to be of some help. It's very, very irritating
to not know what a certain plant is. I have one in my front driveway and
it's a glorious thing in spring. It took me 10 years to find out that it is
a Parahebe, but beyond that, I still have no idea of its full name and I can
find nothing on the Net quite like it.

The
Lychnis coronaria, the red Valerian, Nasturtiums, and the Foxglove are
volunteer guests every year here, on the north side of the hill. They
seem to grow wherever I don't intrude.


I love common old Valerian and also Foxgloves but they don't do well here as
they prefer moister conditions than they can regularly get.

My really super duper favourites of the old fashioned plants though would
have to be Lily of the Valley, Lavendar Shower and Fairy Fishing Rod. I
can't grow Lavender Shower here but I can on our other farm where I've
tucked it inot the hsade behind a water tank on the eastern side of the
house and even though we are not there a great deal, without any help on my
part it thrives. I've done much the same thing with the Lily of the
Valley - south facing and moist and always in shade and it keeps on keeping
on.


I've been think about the Lily of the Valley because of all our tree
cover. I think I would have trouble with the Fairy Fishing Rod because
it requires full Sun. These are my kind of flowers in that they are low
maintenance. Is there another name for Lavender Shower? Google keeps
giving me bath gels :Ob
--

- Billy

There are three kinds of men: The ones that learn by reading. The few who
learn by observation. The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence and
find out for themselves.
Will Rogers

http://green-house.tv/video/the-spring-garden-tour
http://www.tomdispatch.com/p/zinn