Friday, 10 June 2011

Purple pleasures



After seeing the sun shining beautifully through a purple leaved plant, I thought I would show you the purpleness that is going on in my garden at the moment.
This is Red Orache (but it is purple) and is a vegetable apparently, but I got it as seed from a plant growing in the pavement and grow it just because I like the colour.  I must have a taste sometime.




Three different Geraniums






This next one I found as a single flower stalk in an area of our land which was once used for pigs many, many years ago (not by us) and had long been overgrown (it's where our little woodland is now).  I'd never seen the like of it before and thought it was either very rare or a new discovery!  This was at a time before we had a computer so I decided to ask at the museum if they could find something out about it.  We didn't have a digital camera then and I didn't want to pick it, because no doubt the high ups of the Scientific/Horticultural world would want to come and see it in situ when they found out about it!  :0)  So I drew a (very accurate I must say) picture of it and took it to the museum.
Anyway I got a letter back saying it was actually a bulb native to Greece related to the Grape Hyacinth.  So I didn't get the fame I was hoping for but it was interesting wondering how it could possibly have got here.  
I dug it up and planted it in the garden.  It's multiplied and is now in several areas of the garden.  It's an incredibly bright purple!


It's been flowering for weeks and weeks but always just has the top flowers open as it grows taller.


I've got  short and tall Campanulas which aren't as prolific this year as they have been because I've been moving them about.  Behind the tall one is a purple leaved Hazel bush.






A purple leaved Elder




and just for a change a red Poppy with some orache behind

9 comments:

  1. The red poppy looks stunning with the orache behind. But the greek 'grape hyacinth' is a real puzzle. I have just come back from 4 weeks on one of the Ionian islands and spent most of the time marvelling at and photographing the wild flowers but I did not see this. Perhaps it only grows in certain places or on the mainland.

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  2. What pretty plants but that greek one steals the show, I absolutely love it. xxx

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  3. I just love those purple candelabras!

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  4. It never ceases to amaze me how many different colours and shades nature produces. Your garden looks absolutely stunning. Love the Greek plant!

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  5. Doesn't it give you a buzz when you discover all these little gems. I love that grape hyacinth type purple-y one

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  6. lovely flowers, June is a great month in the garden isn't it?
    xxx

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  7. Beautiful photos of your gorgeous garden. Thankyou for sharing.
    Anne xx

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  8. The Greek Purple Plant, is simply stunning.I want one lol.xx

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  9. Your garden looks gorgeous LBM :o)
    I've never heard of an Orache? Have you eaten any? It certainly looks tasty as well as pretty.

    You have a huge profusion of geraniums. We have a huge profusion of Campanulas this year. They seem to want to get right up the trunk of our apple tree.

    That purple candelabra is gorgeous! Are you collecting the seeds? Not that I'm hinting or anything ;o)

    D'you know I'm useless at growing poppies, Whenever I have seeds, they just do not sprout no matter how much i look after them.
    I think I'll have to nip to the garden centre just to buy a flowering one and cheat!
    Your garden looks fab Georgia.
    I hope we get some more sun so you can get back out there to enjoy it :o)
    Hope Lotto and his girls are all back to normal now? Bless 'em.

    Take care, and have a great rest of the weekend,
    Donna x

    P.s. Loved your pinnies too :o)

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