Abundant in the open sward this year, is mouse-eared chickweed, frosting great swathes of grass with its tiny white flowers. Common chickweed has also made a good showing in tilled soil. In Millefiori last year, I wrote about other annual wildflowers that grow here: some of them have made a rich matrix in wooded glades.
Shepherd's hay, clover too,
Ryegrass seed and turnips too.
One can whistle, two can play,
three can dance the Shepherd's Hey.
How quickly the flowery mead turns to meadow hay.
Mouse-eared chickweed, Field mouse-ear Cerastium arvense
Common chickweed Stellaria media
Weeds of Crops and Gardens in NZ by R.L. Taylor. Published by the author 1980
The Wild Flowers of Britain and Northern Europe by Blamey, Fitter and Fitter. Published by Tiger Books International 1987
7 comments:
Oh if it's weeds you're after, pick me! I seem to excel at growing them...mind you, at present I'm not overly interested in gardening (having said that I quickly visited my mum in Oamaru at the long weekend and raided some plants for our rental to ensure I don't have to garden too much!)
Pick you Saj? With pleasure and I'll add you to my bloggers' posy :-)
I would love to know (though this may seem a bit callous) what is growing in your garden of silt now that spring is here? I have this notion that all sorts of extinct species are going to sprout from seed vomited up from ancient lagoon beds!
These photos show a fabulous meadow with so many flowers and anyway who decided what is a weed in the first place? I love it weeds or not? So very pretty.
Looks like maybe you should get a few sheep in there to keep the weeds down... just think of all the wool and sheep's milk cheese you could get out of them ?
The Cuby Poet: I knew you'd like this post:-)
Owen: Of course there are reasons why I don't do sheep, but the time may well come. I rather fancy a flock of Karakul but they mightn't appreciate the lush pasture. Sheep's milk cheese isn't big here but it's sweet nuttiness is divine isn't it.
We scattered grass seed down and it is growing very lush indeed, plus the vege garden got a dosing of the silt and seems to be doing very nicely! As we wait for the house to be demolished we haven't kept the front garden too well as it will be trampled by the demo ball etc, but have shifted my yellow roses to buckets round the back of the house. I am told all over the city that those who got liquefaction sans 'poo' have lush gardens! Wouldn't it be great to have a triffid or something emerge tho?
Interesting that the poo hasn't been good for growth. I wonder if that's really an indication of everything else that goes into the sewers as well... cleaning products, cosmetics etc.
Glad to hear you have some productivity going on in your vege patch while you wait for demolition. Hope you are all maintaining good spirits.
Post a Comment