Tagged With: Hardy Annual

Cosmos

Cosmos

Cosmos

It was an absolutely gorgeous day and after church we decided to drive out to Rocklands Farm (http://www.rocklandsfarmmd.com/) and enjoy being outdoors. We walked around and I took some pictures of oriental bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus) growing on fence posts. The little fruits were quite lovely in the afternoon sun. I also took some nice pictures of the barn reflected in the pond that’s below it. I decided to post this picture, though, because it’s a little different from the fall colors that have so dominated my posting of late. This is a cosmos flower photographed from behind and I think it’s quite pretty in an understated sort of way.

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Veronica arvensis (Corn Speedwell)

Veronica arvensis (Corn Speedwell)

Veronica arvensis (Corn Speedwell)

It was a beautiful day and I took the opportunity to go out and take a few pictures in the empty lot next to my office. Although we had a lot of rain this winter and early in the spring, April has been relatively drier than usual (at least that’s how if feels, I haven’t checked the actual data). Nevertheless, the drainage pond that is usually dry in the summer was about has high as it can be without the entire upper area being a bog. In a slightly higher part of the area I found quite a bit of this little corn speedwell (Veronica arvensis) growing. It’s a native to Europe and has been introduced widely in North America (according to the US Department of Agriculture, it can be found in every state except North Dakota, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s actually there, too. The blooms are quite small, only about a quarter inch across, and are a lovely blue color. As weeds go, there are worse.

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Veronica persica (Persian Speedwell)

Veronica persica (Persian Speedwell)

Veronica persica (Persian Speedwell)

I went outside today in the early afternoon and walked to the empty lot next to my building. It still looks mostly brown but there are little bits of color if you look hard enough. The seedling pears are just about to start blooming and there is a small amount of pink in their otherwise white buds. The hairy bittercress (Cardamine hirsuta) is starting to bloom everywhere. Those flowers are white and not terribly conspicuous. Even less conspicuous because they are so small are the beautiful, tiny blue flowers of Persian speedwell (Veronica persica, also known as bird’s-Eye speedwell). You really have to look for them, but once you start to see them, you’ll notice them everywhere.

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Cosmos bipinnatus ‘Sonata’

Cosmos bipinnatus ‘Sonata’

Cosmos bipinnatus ‘Sonata’

I’ve seen some really impressive plantings of cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus) but we’ve never had enough to really make a huge impression. Some years I think about getting a few packets of seeds but never seem to get around to it at the right time. This is from the ‘Sonata’ series and it a lovely color. They will self seed, if you’re lucky, and you’ll get repeat bloom from year to year, but we’ve only had an occasional plant from seed. Maybe next spring I’ll actually get my act together and put some seeds down. This and Nigella damascena (love-in-a-mist) are two that I think I could stand a lot more of.

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Torenia ‘Summer Wave’

Torenia ‘Summer Wave’

Torenia ‘Summer Wave’

We’ve grown Torenia fournieri before but I don’t think it has ever done as well as it did this year. We have a couple of them in containers on the back patio and they have been in constant bloom all summer and will probably not stop until we get a killing frost. They are also known a wishbone flower because the stamens join to form a shape similar to the wishbone of a chicken. This one is a variety called ‘Summer Wave’. Ours got a bit of sun but they are also really good for shade. You better believe we’re going to get this again next year.

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Nigella damascena (Love-In-A-Mist)

Nigella damascena (Love-In-A-Mist)

Nigella damascena (Love-In-A-Mist)

We were out at Rocklands this morning with Dorothy for their chick-rental pick-up. I took a walk at one point to take some pictures of Anna’s flowers. It was a wet, cool day and there isn’t a lot in bloom at the moment but the love-in-a-mist (Nigella damascena) was blooming. The flowers are a lovely shade of pale blue and I think it’s even prettier in the rain, with water droplets on the various flower parts. This is a very hardy annual, growing well up to USDA Hardiness Zone 2, although it’s only native to northern Africa and southern Europe.

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Cosmos bipinnatus

<em>Cosmos bipinnatus</em>

Cosmos bipinnatus

We stopped at Rocklands this afternoon after a fairly long walk on the C&O Canal, starting at Violet’s Lock and heading southeast well past Blockhouse Point. We saw a few herons and a lot of turtles and enjoyed the walk quite a bit. I took pictures there but really like this one of cosmos blooming in the historic garden at Rocklands, which Dorothy is in the process of weeding and renovating. It’s a large garden and there’s a lot to be done, but the flowers that are there are quite spectacular.

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