a few flowers from my garden just now, in its first year

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MikeHardman

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a few flowers from my garden just now, in its first year
« on: August 02, 2011, 08:49:22 AM »
Limonium latifolium - very pleased with this - continuing to flower well, visited by butterflies (eg. Papilio machaon)

Asclepias tuberosa - mixed emotions - lovely flower and showing promise in my planting it with the Limonium (contrasting colours but similar airy habit); but despite it being called butterfly weed (in the USA, granted), I have yet to see a single butterfly on it  :(

Asteriscus maritimum - similarly, no butterflies, but it continues to flower in a modest way as it has been for months; it forms a useful firm and thin groundcover

Lantana montevidensis - like L. camara, this continues to flower and spread, and is a good butterfly attractant (Papilio machaon and Chazara briseis especially). I find it more scented than L. camara, but less easy from cuttings.

Portulaca umbraticola - I was sold this as P. grandiflora, but I am fairly sure it is not. I selected this one for its gorgeous colour, but the others in the nursery were very tempting, too. In the evening its foliage tends to look like it is collapsing, but it is gradually spreading and otherwise seems healthy. It remains to be seen if it proves at all perennial here in Cyprus; if so, it could prove a useful groundcover; we'll see.


« Last Edit: September 03, 2012, 07:12:45 AM by MikeHardman »
Mike
Geologist by Uni training, IT consultant, Referee for Viola for Botanical Society of the British Isles, commissioned author and photographer on Viola for RHS (Enc. of Perennials, The Garden, The Plantsman).
I garden near Polis, Cyprus, 100m alt., on marl, but have gardened mainly in S.England