I was so excited yesterday by the arrival of the first bloom from Berlandiera lyrata, that I
posted immediately. But yesterday's pictures did not do justice to the charm of this flower, which was not quite fully open in any case. This morning's photo session gave better results, showing the bright brown filaments and the veining of the petals.
I can also say that a concentrated attempt to smell the chocolate fragrance yielded a whiff that could certainly be interpreted as "chocolate" though it had a definite plant component to it. We shall see...
A curious fact which I have not seen mentioned elsewhere is that the flower appears to be heliotropic. Midmorning sees the bloom facing upward and south; by early afternoon it is pointed due west.
Another attempt to photograph the Tetraneuris acaulis bloom gave the following picture...
The brilliant, incredibly even colouring may increase its charm in the garden, but also makes it particularly difficult to communicate by camera lens!
Back to the Berlandiera...
P.P.S. Happy Friday!
The Berlandiera is lovely and definitely worth the follow-up. I rarely see it offered here for some reason.
ReplyDeleteI wonder why... I believe it's carried regularly by High Country Gardens, if local sources fail, though I was lucky enough to find this one at a nursery. It really is worth growing, I think. It looks like being a classic border perennial for the dry garden.
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