[John J]

We have 3 Melia azedarach trees, 2 grown from seed from the original in the late 1990s, the tree shown below being one of them. As the flowers appear in spring along with the new foliage they are long gone. What we have now are this year's berries along with those from last year. We used to be visited by Egyptian Fruit Bats who took the mature berries but we haven't seen any for the last few years, although we do sometimes see evidence that they may have been overnight. Sadly their numbers are declining as their roosts are being systematically destroyed or at least rendered uninhabitable.

[John J]

We got our Melianthus major from Sparoza 7 years ago. As can be seen the flowers have long gone but the leaves and seed pod can be quite striking in their own way.

[John J]

Mespilus germanica despite its specific name does not come from Germany but is native to southern Europe and the Middle East. It was known to the Ancient Greeks and was possibly introduced to northern Europe by the Romans. The fruit is unusual in needing to be almost rotten (bletted) before it can be eaten. We grow ours for its novelty value and its attractive flowers.

[John J]

In 2014 we went on the MGS Excursion to Morocco led by Chris Gardner and in the gardens of Chellat, Rabat, we saw a tree with daisy-like flowers, Montanoa grandiflora. My wife decided that she wanted one and a few years later our good friend, and Forum Moderator Fleur, found one for her in Greece. It isn't looking its best in the summer heat and is nowhere near to producing flowers like the ones shown on the tree in Morocco. Maybe one day.

[John J]

Cyprus is the island of Aphrodite, in Ancient Greece she was referred to as the Cyprian, having been born of the foam off Paphos. In deference to those of a delicate disposition I won't relate how this came to be possible. Anyway, those familiar with the painting by Botticelli will be aware that she was born fully grown and completely naked. She initially hid her charms behind a Myrtle bush and so Myrtus communis became one of the plants that were considered sacred to the goddess.
We have several bushes in our garden, some that produce the usual black berries and others that are white.
In the past they were often offered at a meal and a few berries were chewed between courses in order to freshen up the mouth and taste buds ready for the next dish, but this is another tradition that seems to have fallen by the wayside.
My wife sometimes uses them to make a liquor, Mirto, in the same way as she produces Limoncello.

[John J]

The small white flowers of Nandina domestica have been replaced by berries that will turn bright red. They are held on the plant for a long time providing a splash of colour over the winter.

[John J]

The ubiquitous Nerium oleander. We have different colours but this double pink variety is one of the few that I know of that has a scent.

[John J]

Nigella ciliaris is an annual but I have included it as a special case. It is quite common in some countries but has not been recorded in the wild in Cyprus for over 100 years, so is on the verge of being declared extinct on the island. It has been found in a garden and we were fortunate enough to acquire a few seeds. For the last 2 years they have germinated and we have collected seed, along with the ones that have sown themselves. Next spring we will again be waiting anxiously to see if any germinate.

[Umbrian]

Absolutely gorgeous John - well done with your conservation work to keep it going 

[John J]

Just one of our water-lilies (Nymphaea) that is open today.

[John J]

Another of our water-lilies that opened up later in the day.
Among the things to be aware of when taking photos, light levels, shadow, focus, etc, etc, I have never heard mentioned that of  an over-affectionate cat looking for attention.

[John J]

Oenothera biennis add their brand of bright yellow to a sunny day.
I passed over the Ipomoea carnea ssp fistulosa as it had finished flowering but it has begun a second flush.

[John J]

Pallenis maritima a useful drought resistant ground cover.

[John J]

I'm going a little out of sequence here as our Pavonia missionum has produced its first flower. The small plant was grown from seed sent to us by David in Rome, thanks David.
We also have a Pavonia praemorsa, that we got from Sparoza a few years ago, that is currently in a pot and flowers intermittently all year round.

[John J]

Pancratium maritimum is beginning to flower. The original seeds were collected from a beach in Crete in 2010.