More pictures of flowers sent in by Indra.
Regarding a comment appearing under a previous post, please note that the captions and descriptions of orchids and other flowers are not mine. I just copy what Indra had sent with each picture.
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| Bi color Azalea ( small leaves), next to a Rhododendron ( larger leaves also in bloom , next picture) |
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| Rhododendron - the common variety purple |
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The dainty Peony
CAMPANULA - low growing, very small bluish purple flowers. A perennial |
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Interesting fact - there are very few genuinely blue flowers around.
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Mountain Laurel
Iris
Peony
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Indra- Just saw your beautiful flowers!
ReplyDeleteIam not surprised you've made our friends burst into poetry-
Your collection also makes me nostalgic for the garden we enjoyed prior to our move to apartment living.
New Zealand has over 2000 varieties of Rhododendrons/azaleas, but the Exburys I find are very dainty and fragrant- also attracting a lot of butterflies-probably second only to the Swan plants!
You mentioned the scarcity of genuine blue flowers-
It might surprise you when I say that my earliest memories of flowers are of those of blue hue- the Plumbagos quite common in SL,and the beds of deep blue Forget-Me-Nots which my mother loved- She even had pretty Forget-Me_Nots embroidered on our
pillow slips!!
It appears blue has not been a primary pigment naturally selected for flowers and foliage.
The blue in them are derived from the red pigment Anthocyanin
(antioxidant/flavonoid found in red grapes,aubergines ,plums etc) by alteration of PH and various ionic transfers into compounds that appear blue in reflected light.It is not due to a natural blue pigment in them.
If you've ever grown Hydrangias,you may have discovered that a blue hydrangia you brought from the shop produced red flowers once planted in your garden- and vice versa!! This again according to the PH and other chemicals in the soil.
There are ways of manipulating the colour you want though not accurately.
As you'd know, the rare blue orchids and roses that appear in the florist shops at great price are not naturally blue !!
However the intense richness of the natural blue/purple flowers are unbeatable. Thanks for sharing all of this with us-Rohini
This is the time of our lives we can enjoy nature after years of study, career and commitments. We can dwell on its beauty and be intoxicated by its sheer variety. Beauty is all around us if we just care to pause and be mindful. Amazingly when we studied botany we drowned in the science and weren't alive to the charm elegance and grace of the flowers and the plants. Thank you Indra to this welcome to a brand new world. Unlike many of the other bloggers I took it all for granted.
ReplyDeleteFor how many years did I wander slowly
through the forest. What wonder and
glory I would have missed had I ever been
in a hurry!
Mary Oliver
Rohini, I am amazed at your admirable collection and your knowledge of flowering plants. You are obviously inspired by your mum. I confess that most of these beautiful examples were just names to me before. This is exactly what we want. i.e. our colleagues informing us and teaching us by their varying non-medical experiences. We've had music and now flowers. I hope there are many more in the pipeline.
ReplyDeleteThanks again, Rohini! From Zita