I found this post in my “Drafts” folder dated August 30, 2015. It was meant to be published then. The flower is still in the garden over a month later. Even though the fields are brown and dry, deer have not eaten it.
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It is exciting to me, as a gardener, when a plant I was sure died over the winter, shows up in bloom later in summer.
I am sure glad I did not mistake this emerging plant for an unwanted weed.
The teeny-tiny, one inch (2.5 cm) flower of verbena bonariensis, might be easy to miss, even though its stem is almost 3 feet (one meter) tall.
When this plant was purchased, I was sure it was a perennial. Not exactly.
It can return, but my winters are too cold (unless global warming keeps the mild winters around) for the plant to stay put.
It comes back by reseeding. Wind and birds determine just where it will show up. In fact, it can be invasive (that is a very nasty word for gardeners).
In my little corner of land, I am not concerned about it taking over, as it is barely surviving. I wouldn’t mind seeing a small patch of these cute purple blossoms in my flower bed.
Tag Archives: teeny
Delicate Dill
It has taken a number of attempts to get an acceptable photo of these teeny-tiny dill flowers. The leaves are feathery delicate and lightly aromatic.
This herb is short-lived, but easily reseeds itself. In the photo above is a late season seedling that emerged in a bed of turnips.
I have tried to preserve the leaves by freezing, but the results were just passable. Best used fresh, dill is delicious on a fresh (not frozen) salmon, or try it on other light-flavored fish.
Baby’s Breath
What I don’t know about photography could fill volumes. My trying to take a picture of the teeny-tiny flowers of baby’s breath is a prime example. Perhaps a small tripod and learning how to leave the lens open long enough would help get many more of the flowers in focus.
These flowers are often used as fillers in a bouquet, but my vase is holding only baby’s breath. It is a 3-inch high mini-vase, made of porcelain. The upper part of the vase has a transparent blue glaze, and the lower part of it shows a light brown toasty color from the wood fueling my kiln.
