ByGD
Latin names are necessary because common names are so unreliable. But sometimes they can be so disappointing. The common lilac is properly called Syringa vulgaris. That doesn’t sound proper at all. It makes this beautiful flower sound like a heroin addict. It’s hardly fair for such a traditional shrub.
On the other hand. That deep purple color is almost shocking. And the scent is intoxicating. Hey, does that photo look blurry to you or…
ByGD
If there is a purple version of a vegetable, that’s the one I plant. If there’s a black-flowering variety of a plant, that’s what I want in my garden. In Seattle, black mondo grass is the go-to plant for dark foliage. In it’s small way, it’s awesome. I have some planted in my yard.
I’m scared of bamboo, with its kudzu-like tendency to take over the world. I don’t trust myself to be consistent in maintenance and keep it in check. But I covet Phyllostachys nigra, the black bamboo. It looks so cool. It’s the bamboo with a leather jacket and a tattoo. I think, as far as bamboo goes, it’s relatively well behaved. But I still wouldn’t trust it.
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A rose by any other name would smell as sweet. This plant is called Epimedium acuminatum ‘Night Mistress’. The variety name has some style. Common names for Epimedium include barrenwort and horny goat weed, which will not do at all. Bishop’s hat and fairy wings are better. Whatever you call it, this tiny, shade-loving plant is my favorite thing in the garden.
ByGD
I think these are anemones. Maybe? Whatever they are, they are phenomenally beautiful.
ByGD
My freshman year in high school, I had to read the book The Gossamer Years. I think I was the only person in my class who actually finished the diary of a lady of Heian Japan. It was a hard read, but I was fascinated by the world it described; it seemed stranger than anything out of science fiction. I think that book was the first time I heard of the New Year being connected to plum blossoms.
Growing up on the desert, plum blossoms were an exotic concept to begin with. I didn’t know about lunar calendars then, either, so I imagined these magical flowers blooming in January. I was so excited when, nearly 15 years later, I bought a house with a plum tree by the kitchen door.
For most people, cherry blossoms are the important Asian flower obsession. But for me, the new year begins with the plum blossoms.