We have visitors, blown in from who knows where. All over the garden too. And what a show they’re giving us with their fiery frills and flounces. Papaver somniferum, the sleep-inducing opium poppy.
The bumble bees have been mightily excited by the poppies’ presence; their behaviour far from somnolent. In fact I witnessed much unseemly rummaging through floral petticoats as they hoovered round the creamy anthers.
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Elsewhere in the garden there are more hot colours, this time courtesy of the Bishop’s Castle seed bank. This is a wonderful community venture whereby local gardeners donate flower and vegetable seeds. You can help yourself to the contents of the tray which lives upstairs in the Town Hall council chamber, and leave a donation to the seed bank.
These French Marigolds were grown to protect the carrots. Their minty-lemony scent camouflages the carroty smell so fooling carrot flies that like to lay their eggs in the developing roots. But by some failure of organisation they ended up by the cabbages where they do nothing to dissuade the egg-laying proclivities of cabbage white butterflies.
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And then there are the seed bank pot marigolds. I’ve planted them out everywhere because I use the petals in salads. They have many beneficial medicinal qualities including a high lutein content which is good for protecting eyesight. Simply to gaze on them might suggest this particular property.
Marigold with purple toadflax petals
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But back to the flamenco. I don’t know about you, but this wild display makes me want to lift up my skirts and dance…
WOW!!!
🙂 🙂 🙂
This post sure caught my eye! A poppy would make a beautiful flamenco skirt. Olé!
It simply would, Rebecca.
I’ve not seen any cabbage whites this year, strange.
They’ve just appeared here this last couple of days. There was the odd one many weeks back, but think that brood must have been rained/chilled off. No other species about though, apart from quite a lot of cinnabar moths.
much unseemly rummaging through floral petticoats, eh! But what wonderful petticoats, indeed. And I feel the flamenco waiting
It’s catching, isn’t it, Sue. Hear those heels tap-tap-tapping…
Let’s dance 💃
Yay! Or should I say ‘Ole!’
It’s amazing how flowers just pop up. Last year miniature daffodils popped up in my front planter. I’ve been here 6 years and that’s the first time I’ve seen them. I have a feeling the gardenia bush has overtaken them. We’ll see next year. Have fun outwitting the insects.
Ha! Outwitting the insects – if only, Anne. Or perhaps a better gloss on the activity: chasing butterflies.
Absolutely gorgeous…..
I find myself imagining those petals in finest silk 🙂
Beautiful ❤️
beautiful bailaores
Thanks
Thank you, Thom, for ‘bailaores’. Always good to learn an new word.
Oh this is a great post, beautifully written and illustrated. And to think I’ve never eaten so much as one marigold petal in my life. This will change …
I think the whole plant is edible, but I’ve always thought the leaves look a little hairy. The whole flowers have been used by herbalists for centuries – liver and hormonal tonic, and anti-viral and much more besides it seems.
Those poppies are gorgeous – what a welcome surprise! And the seed bank sounds like a great idea 🙂
I love the seed bank notion too. The seeds are all in little packets with the name of the gardener on them.
Gorgeous!
Thanks, Jennie.
Those flamenco poppies are something else – the absolute opposite of sleep-inducing! Your last shot they can hardly be contained; it’s about to jump off the page. You covered so many things in this post that I have just discovered this year: seed banks in May and edible flowers in June. And for July, courtesy of your post, I now know about French Marigolds…
Many thanks for that lovely comment. Happy to pass on my random gatherings of garden info.
Stunning 🌺
Thank you!