Green Flowers

Two greenish flowers bloom on March 17th, left – Lachenalia aloides var. Vanzyliae, and on the right, Gladiolus watermeyeri. Two wild bulbs from the Cape of South Africa, that are in bloom today in my greenhouse.

On this Saint Patrick’s Day, I share with you some green, greenish or otherwise thematic subjects that are all blooming in the greenhouse on this sunny, yet cold, March 17th. Green coloration is rare in most wild flowers, but it wasn’t until I started looking at the photos that I took today while in iPhoto, did I notice that many had the green tint in common, which thankfully allowed me to find another reason to group together some of my favorite plant – Lachenalia, into another post!

Gladiolus watermeyeri, native to the Cape of South Africa, is a fragrant, small wild gladiolus that makes a nice potted greenhouse subject bloomin in March. Even as the snow falls outside ( 12 inches tomorrow???) this beauty is protected under glass.

 This is the time of year when I feel a little guilty about not sharing my collection at some of the spring flower shows, such as Philadelphia or Boston, but honestly, I just don’t have the time. So my little spring flower show remains private, and something I share with a few friends. In mid March, there are so many bulbs and South African plants in bloom in my greenhouse, that sometimes the display is almost a little obscene. I will try to share some of the best photos here, since after all, this blog is as good as a spring flower show, right? Ok, so there isn’t any wood bark mulch, you got me.

Full pot images of Lachenalia aloides var. Vanzyliae,  with its striking spotted leaves, and Gladiolus watermeyeri, making a nice collection even nicer, as most gladiolus species are too weak for display in small pots.

Veltheimia ‘ Lemon Flame’ has more green than one may at first believe.  It could be named ‘Lime Flame’.

OK, Oxalis annae is technically South African, but hey, it is ‘clover-like’, right?  So Irish, it is.

More Lachenalia aloides species, here is L. aloides var. aurea, with only a hint of green, but lovely in the raised bulb plunge bed in the front of the greenhouse.

Lachenalia aloides selections get their name from the fact that their blossoms look like that of the aloe ( compare for yourself with the aloe in bloom in the back of this image.

More Lachenalia species grouped together, so that you can see the scale, foliage and other variations side-by-side/

…and Lachenalia aloides var. Luteola, just beginning to bloom. Look at how green the open blossoms become, while on the same inflorescence, the buds are scarlet.

Irish of the terrier kind. Our Irish Terrier puppies are getting bigger! Official now, the girl’s name is Daphne, and the boy, Weasley. Lydia (middle) looks pissed because she was caught attacking the turkeys this morning after sneaking out of bed, and zipping out of the house via the cellar door. Bad dog, no cookie.

Finally, yes…according to Yankee lore, March 17th in New England is the traditional time to plant peas. I am settling on sowing some Sweet Pea seeds, this year, I am focusing on black and those known as flakes – striped, speckled and broken flowers that were once so popular in 1900.