Only one type of flower has been picked for today's vase. It came to me early last year as a small plant from Alison. Had I not spotted the lovely bloom in her garden, I may never have come across this plant. I am totally enraptured!
Quite by chance our anchor for this weekly meme is also posting just one type of flower: do go there and enjoy, and also through the comments see what others will have chosen for our enjoyment this week.
Close us the blooms are complex, with intricately fringed petals, reminding me of some sea creatures wafting in the sea currents.
I had got to this place in my post and decided to look further into this plant, and as a result found some interesting information.
I have been meaning to return to my weekly French conversation group, but for now, I have had a little exercise in reading a post written in French by Sophie Le Berre a Japanese specialist, who has posted on the Dianthus Superbus...one of Seven Plants of Autumn in Japan. This plant is feted in Japan and many poems have been written. This bloom is associated with idealised feminine beauty in Japan.
Certainly the perfume is absolutely enchanting, and sitting in the garden at any time of day is a treat. In the situation, it is growing to 85cm. One reason to have just one type of flower on the mantel piece is to test whether this affects either of us...since we are sensitive to different types of pollen/plant material. Will report on that after a few days.
Last year I scattered seed from the first small stem, on soil nearby in September, and germination was excellent. The plants will flower next year, and I wait in anticipation to see what will emerge.
I posted about Dianthus Superbus on my SOS this week, when Alison confirmed its name.
Quite by accident, for this week's IAVOM, I had placed the stems in a very simple vase brought from Japan by my father, where he joined one of his Japanese and fellow World plant enthusiasts friends, on a plant finding expedition in the mountains in the 1960s. I can't remember what time of the year he visited, and just wonder whether he saw this one, or a similar one growing in the wild.
Oh what an intruguing plant, Noelle, and beautiful too - I was amazed to see it as part of a big clump in the picture of your garden, as I would not have imagined it to be growing like that. If you ever felt able to spare one f your seedlings I would happily find a home for it here... Thanks so much for introducing it to us, and for all the 'extras' in your post today as well.
ReplyDeleteThat is just one plant and stems from a central clump. I shall wait till it is cooler...apart from the two planted in the grit, I have three seedlings, so will spare you one, I am much more of a dead heading sort of gardener, and only found one little seed head, so it did well!
DeleteHow interesting. There is such a lot to learn about plants! Great close up photo.
ReplyDeleteThanks Alison....just a simple shot, no enhancements or crops....
DeleteThank you for introducing me to this enchanting plant.
Your Dianthus is a beautiful thing, Noelle, so I very much hope you're not allergic to it! A US seed provider I checked says it wants moist soil, something I'd be hard-pressed to provide, which is too bad as I love its airy quality.
ReplyDeleteSo beautiful!
ReplyDeleteI have a family of 3 penguins, from the same glass studio.
ReplyDeleteOh I am sure they are lovely, I hope you feature them sometime on your blog. I treasure mine...and to think my friend Diana, same name!..brought that heavy little piece all the way from SA for me.
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