Wicked Weeds
06/06/2014 11:30 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
izmeinaIzzie's not been slinking much in Cyberia these days or rather has confined her lurking to an assortment of online courses. It won't be long before the days of educational freebies will be over and it is time to make the most of the opportunities while they last.
It's been the crispiest crunchiest most gorgeous weather this winter. It's the only time of year when the light is somewhat delicate rather than bright and glaring. It is also the perfect time for planting.
Once more, big fat patches of the garden have been devoted to garlic in the hope of a bounteous harvest of bulbs in November. One can only live in hope.
This year a new weed will be taking pride of place in the Garden of Arcane Delights. There's an old Italian lady who is a regular at the Wednesday markets at the university. She sells dried herbs, eggs, tomatoes, olives, lemons and peppers from her own garden but also has a rather extensive collection of plants for sale. There are the usual specimens such as loquats, olive, mulberry and citrus trees and more exotic plants such as dragon fruit and pomegranates. But the one that caught the Izzie eye a few weeks ago was a single solitary Angel's Trumpet tree. As of this week it now has a new home.
Like its little cousin the daturas (also known as devil's trumpets) this pretty specimen has long pale fluted flowers with sinister powers. Not least of these is its habit of producing an intoxicating perfume at night.
It is still sitting pretty in its pot waiting to be transplanted to a spot worthy of its wickedness. In dappled shade but also sufficiently close to the door so that its charms can be admired from near rather than from afar. The full moon of Friday 13th will of course be the most auspicious time for performing the transplanting ritual.
June will also be the month for one last Diggers binge. That's when the last two year membership expires and there's little point in renewing since there's simply no room for more wicked weeds and seeds. Then there's the fact that the critters in their catalogue are just not quite as cute and useful as Cerbera Odollam which looks rather like a feral frangipani.
Wolfsbane is not happy in this hot climate and hemlock is also not easy to come by. As well as the weather, the Nanny State conspires against interesting plants but gives the green light to the truly evil specimens such as Monsanto canola.
Sunday will be devoted to a grand planting session. There's lots of garlic bulbs, coriander seeds, mangelwurzel and an assortment of beans and other strange beasties to be put in their beds.
Unfortunately none of them are from this particular pretty collection of curiosities
It's been the crispiest crunchiest most gorgeous weather this winter. It's the only time of year when the light is somewhat delicate rather than bright and glaring. It is also the perfect time for planting.
Once more, big fat patches of the garden have been devoted to garlic in the hope of a bounteous harvest of bulbs in November. One can only live in hope.
This year a new weed will be taking pride of place in the Garden of Arcane Delights. There's an old Italian lady who is a regular at the Wednesday markets at the university. She sells dried herbs, eggs, tomatoes, olives, lemons and peppers from her own garden but also has a rather extensive collection of plants for sale. There are the usual specimens such as loquats, olive, mulberry and citrus trees and more exotic plants such as dragon fruit and pomegranates. But the one that caught the Izzie eye a few weeks ago was a single solitary Angel's Trumpet tree. As of this week it now has a new home.
Like its little cousin the daturas (also known as devil's trumpets) this pretty specimen has long pale fluted flowers with sinister powers. Not least of these is its habit of producing an intoxicating perfume at night.
It is still sitting pretty in its pot waiting to be transplanted to a spot worthy of its wickedness. In dappled shade but also sufficiently close to the door so that its charms can be admired from near rather than from afar. The full moon of Friday 13th will of course be the most auspicious time for performing the transplanting ritual.
June will also be the month for one last Diggers binge. That's when the last two year membership expires and there's little point in renewing since there's simply no room for more wicked weeds and seeds. Then there's the fact that the critters in their catalogue are just not quite as cute and useful as Cerbera Odollam which looks rather like a feral frangipani.
Wolfsbane is not happy in this hot climate and hemlock is also not easy to come by. As well as the weather, the Nanny State conspires against interesting plants but gives the green light to the truly evil specimens such as Monsanto canola.
Sunday will be devoted to a grand planting session. There's lots of garlic bulbs, coriander seeds, mangelwurzel and an assortment of beans and other strange beasties to be put in their beds.
Unfortunately none of them are from this particular pretty collection of curiosities
