Moon Flowers

[mysid]

I had a lovely surprise just in time for the full moon Sunday night--my moon flowers bloomed. For those who don't know, moon flowers are a climbing annual with large, white, circular flowers that bloom in the evening. I planted them on a trellis near some wolfsbane.

I had hoped to grow lupines in the same section of my little garden--yes, it was a "theme" garden, a private little joke for me (and you)--but couldn't find lupines in the local garden center.

Anyway--I'm terrible about remembering to water, so the flowers didn't take off until Mother Nature decided to do it. I had also planted morning glories (similar but blue and bloom in the daytime) there, and they got off to a stronger start. I thought they had crowded their nocturnal cousins out.

So it was quite a nice surprise when the first two blossoms--looking for all the world like two miniature full moons--suddenly appeared. I'd like to think they waited until Sunday so they could greet their namesake when she was in her full glory.

Sorry to have been away so long--I was on vacation for a week, and I haven't had much time for lj since I got back.

Comments

[yuan-18.livejournal.com]

Good to see you again. ;) Moonflowers ARE beautiful, and the big, blue-violet morning glories are the coolest color.

I'm not really a gardener, so much as a weeder (glances at parents) but one day I took four of fuzzy oleander seeds and soaked them until they germinated. Tiny roots, leaves and all that jazz shucked the seed coats off like four mini skinny-dippers shucking off clothes. I planted them and only two survived the winter. Then only one made it through spring. The one oleander plant I have now is magnificent. No other word for it, in my opinion. My parents want to plant it near the house, but overprotective me is a bit edgy about that. We'll see, though.

What does wolfsbane look like?

[mysid.livejournal.com]

Wolfsbane is tallish (mine is about 3 feet) and has dark-green, saw-toothed leaves. It's supposed to get purple flowers, but mine hasn't yet (this is the second year it's in my garden).

The tag on the plant said "Monkshood (Aconitum Fischeri)," but I paid attention in Snape's first Potions class and knew what it was!