Zalu what? Upon first sight, the botanical name of this flower looks like a mouthful and why shouldn't it? After all it was named after Adam Zaluziansky von Zaluzian - say that one 3 times in a row - undoubtedly quite a botanist in his day in the 16th-century (1558–1613).
I received a very young plant from Bakker's online catalog last year, but only now has it grown big enough to start producing flowers. The tiny buds remind me of matchsticks, and the blooms open to 3/4-inch in diameter in the evenings - a really petite and dainty-looking thing that exudes a scent reminiscent of orchids and tuberose at night. It's been said that a whole bunch of these will look better in a display since they're sort of unkempt and leggy. Cuttings can be made easily from the plant, and sure enough, I accidently broke off one of the branches last year and stuck it immediately into the potting soil along with the mother plant...and it grew on its own. The main concern in our area is that this plant doesn't do well in extreme cold. Grown in pots, I can shelter them close to the house with protection from snow and frost.
The weather has been warm, sunny and unbelievably agreeable in the past 2 weeks. I've only remembered spring to be cold and soaking wet in the prealps, but with the higher temps, all I can see is a harvest that will come earlier than normal. I'm out weeding and checking for pests every morning but so far - knock wood - no problems. Even that threat of a rat or mouse is gone because as soon as we put out the traps, no more tunnels were being dug! Maybe it/they didn't like the gorgonzola bait? These are just some of things growing out back.
Uva spina | gooseberry
Apricots
And this year's pink and white tulips and narcissus next to the westie's throne.
7 comments:
your garden is doing well. mine because of the weather is not doing so well :( oh wella, always next year!
Kat - in some ways I feel that I'm "pushing" it. Putting tomatoes out so early like beginning of April, planting stuff right and left without considering the possibility of a freak freeze which is known to happen in June. I even went against my usual "grow only from seed" mentality and bought a drafted eggplant bush and hybrid chile pepper. If all goes good...me make sacrifice to the garden gods. Let's see...that humbug doxie bit my tulips in the other planter, so...
You are right, there's always next year, and btw, the cilantro seeds that you sent me are already 2 inch high seedlings!
my cilantro is amazingly doing well. no freesia this year though :( boo! mr B, hope he got spankings.
I would settle for just "zalu....". Beautiful indeed those flowers..
Everything is look very pretty Rowena, love the Westie's throne too. ;)
Bangchik and Kakdah - they are sometimes referred to as the "z" flower!
perennial gardener - that westie demands pretty places from which to look out from onto her domain. The most unusual spot though was one to hide in when she was little. She loved to disappear into the triangle of lavender bushes and not say a peep!
Lucky you with apricots and you much further north than me! Mine were in flower when the cold NE wind blew and every single flower was frosted! You have some lovely plants. Christina
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