The always welcome Baby Blue Eyes and the always
not welcome Chickweed, even though the tiny white flowers are pretty. It would be welcome if it didn't try to choke out everything else.
Stinging Lupin: It also has pretty flowers, but those tiny hairs on the leaves cause a reaction worse than stinging nettle.
Tulips...sadly, not mine. Some critter thought they were quite tasty!
My favorite, lilacs! The temperatures have been in the upper 60's for the past few days, and the air is saturated with the scent of lilacs. I've had all the doors and windows open so my cottage would fill up with their wonderful fragrance. I wish I could bottle up the fragrance and send each of you a bottle. It's supposed to be much cooler tomorrow, but I still plan on leaving the all doors and windows open, only I'll have fires going in all the fireplaces to keep the cats warm. The white and the pink lilacs haven't opened yet, but it shouldn't be too long before they do, hooray!
Hello Victoria. you certainly have lots of variety of what's in bloom around you. The perfume from the Lilac is heavenly, like you we have the deer around us and unfortunately they ate mine down to the ground and it never grew back, but now they seemed to have changed their eating place maybe I ought to try planting one again. Maybe next year as I have enough to do at the moment, and it's difficult holding me down to rest after my treatment, I must be patient take it easy and let nature take it's course. Loved seeing your lovely photos. Enjoy your beautiful area.
ReplyDeleteHi Barbara, I've never had any trouble with the deer eating the lilacs (touch wood. I hope you're feeling better soon!
ReplyDeleteI love the evocative thought of the air saturated with the scent of lilac.
ReplyDeleteHow lucky you are, Victoria. I sigh, and am amazed at the beauty you are surrounded by.
I too would be over the moon to see a wild deer tip-toeing (and munching) her way through your tulips :)
Lupin blue/purples are so very pretty.
Interesting you say the little hairs cause reactions like nettle.
I'm slowly developing arthritis in some of my fingers, and am keen to try an age old remedy, which involves rubbing stinging nettle on the affected/swollen arthritic parts.
I'm very interested in natural remedies and am interested to see how effective this might be.
When you weed out the chickweed, try keeping it to make valuable poultices for rashes, burns, skin ailments and to reduce scarring.
I wish I had these wonderful weeds growing wild. Nature's apothecary at your fingertips :)
Victoria - what an interesting post. I have never heard of stinging lupines before. Nettles (been there and can't imagine something being any worse). I grow lupines in the garden but they are not stinging. Your lilacs are beautiful and I so wish you could have caught the picture of the deer. I know that feeling as well. Just a tiny bit too late - drat!! Have a great day.
ReplyDeleteVicki, I'd stick to stinging nettle. The stinging lupin (Lupinus hirsutissimus) causes a horribly painful rash, plus it's extremely poisonous. I've used stinging nettle on my hands by just picking a leaf and rubbing it on my finger joints, but, while it did reduce the pain, it also caused me to break out in hives! I have a lot of plant allergies though. I have friends that use it the same way and they say it's very effective.
ReplyDeleteHappily, I'm not allergic to chickweed. I make salve in huge batches using olive oil and keep the jars in my studio fridge. Does it grow in your part of Australia?
Debbie, I grow the garden kind of lupins, too. These (I just looked them up) are native to central and southern California, also Baja California. Lucky us, ha ha.
ReplyDeleteThose Lilacs are wonderful.
ReplyDeleteSorry about the Tulips, but then the dear deer enjoyed it I suppose.