Thursday, November 29, 2012

... on an incredible flower.

Have a look at what is bursting out of two very-neglected plastic pots here.

You know these type of pots - you've been meaning to redo them for two years, so they're only half-full of too-well-rotted soil, and they'd been missing under a pile of fallen leaves in a forgotten part of the garden for some time. I rescued them, completely leafless, a few weeks ago, stuck them out in the sun and started watering them. I KNEW what was in them, but I certainly didn't expect so many.

What grand timing! They're blood lilies, or scadoxus multiflorus, and I was given one bulb by our dear family friend Jan some years ago. Over time the bulb has multiplied, and I had divided them into two pots-ful a while back. Looks like they've come to maturity since then! So far I've cut at least four for vase-flowers and there's still at least eight in the pots.
Oh for the right spot in the garden to let them naturalise...

Edited to add: The size of one of these blooms is almost 20cm (or 8in) across!

3 comments:

Gina said...

its peculiar in a lovely way that this post and the one before seem connected ....

the archeology of what is beneath the beneath ...layers of time and love ... light and colour ...

luverly ... (i read you over time and oddly today i seem to be commenting on a few i read - and dont often comment) ... but the thoughts seem enligthened (to me anyway) ... :) >>>> Gina

kuber... said...

Thanks so much for your insight, Gina! I can see what you mean - I hadn't thought of them as linked but you're so right!

Hot Fudge said...

They are stunning images Emily. I must confess I haven't heard of this plant before, although I've probably seen hundreds of them.