Monday 29 July 2013

Pictorial Meadow revisited


One of the great things about blogging is being able to look back over the months and years. On 29 July last year, I posted about the patch of wasteland I pass on my way to work, which each year transforms into a flower meadow. I still drive past that patch of land and once again it's been in bloom.


As I said then, it's part of a gardening movement called the 'Pictorial Meadow' which several local councils seem to have taken up to transform public areas and wasteland into things of beauty. 



When these photos were taken it was a sea of poppies. However, looking back at last year, I see there are far fewer varieties of flower this time. I wonder whether that's the natural order of things in that some species take over, or whether it's been affected by the weather? It's not quite as spectacular this time but there is still lots to look at and marvel over.


I have no idea what this is and it's not in my book of British wildflowers but there was lots of it around. Any ideas?

[Note added later: I've now identified this as Phacelia tanacetifolia or scorpionweed]


Oxeye daisies.


Lots of cornflowers in different colours.


Golden corn marigolds.


A white plant which could be any number of ones in my wildflower book. Chervil?


And last but definitely not least, the very pretty and delicate Fairy Toadflax, which has to be one of my favourite plant names ever.

As I went by this morning most of the flowers had gone apart from a mist of white flowers. Hopefully the rain over the weekend will refresh the ground and bring forward a new flush of colour. Fingers crossed. x

PS My wildflower book has been getting a serious workout lately and I'm definitely no expert, so please let me know if I've got the name of any of these flowers wrong!

4 comments:

  1. It's so lovely to see wild flowers around. I love to see what insect life they've attracted. It's hard to see the unidentified plant from your small photo, my only thought would be some kind of clary but that is just a wild guess - I'm not great on plants!

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  2. Wonderful posting!I recognize many of the plants, as there are in Greece mainly during spring. Unfortunately I don't know their names in English.In fact, I hardly know their names in Greek!

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  3. So pretty! I love the idea of wastelands being transformed into meadows. The poppies are just beautiful.

    I hope your work stresses are resolving themselves. xx

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  4. I love wildflowers so very much and I love this post!
    We have the oxeye daisies here too, they just come up in our yard and Richard will leave them and cut the grass around them. Most people don't like them but we think they are pretty. xx

    Wish we had poppies here too!

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