The azaleas which line my driveway are abundant this year. Maybe I'm imagining it but the flowers seem pinker than in previous years.
While in Taranaki last week I was reminded of walking around in Dingle in Ireland and spotting a plant I didn't recognise. I asked several passersby if they knew what it was but each one suggested I ask the guard, he was the local gardener. Except I wasn't quite sure if they were saying the guard or something else, and if they were saying the guard, who the guard was and where he/she lived. Finding the guard led to a few more conversations with locals but I still had no idea I was looking for the local policeman which may have explained why some of those conversations seemed a little odd, to me at least. I was wanting to identify a plant, why were people so concerned for my wellbeing and offering assistance if I needed it?
Anyway, the guard was delightful and only too happy to engage in his favourite subject - plants. I was given a personal tour of the guard house gardens. Turns out the plant was Gunnera and the ones I saw in Dingle were huge, much bigger than the plant I found in the back yard of my daughter's rented home in New Plymouth. I can't recall seeing them here in the north of the country, I guess it is too hot and dry for them.
I also learned from the guard that the rhododendron is on the Irish Invasive Species List. It really thrives in their climate creating dense thickets, blocking the light and reducing biodiversity.
Gunnera! We have been having a major attack on the plant here on the Eye Peninsula on Lewis. They can swamp areas very quickly indeed - a complete water drain ditch can be swamped in a couple of years because the seeds travel on the water. I find the massive seedpod in the centre absolutely revolting.
ReplyDeleteHi Graham, I remember now Bill telling me it's a noxious plant and he had to dig it out of their drains at their old house. Thank heavens our climate doesn't suit it, we have enough noxious weeds. I've never been close enough to see the seedpod!
DeleteBeautiful flowers. Happy Spring.
ReplyDeleteThank you. I don't like the changeable weather in spring but the flowers make up for it.
DeleteThose are lovely! As for life in the stump, where a seed can take any hold, it will try to grow and thrive. A good lesson, to bloom wherever you find yourself.
ReplyDeleteMy thoughts were along those lines, too, Messymimi. I thought they were more beautiful because of how it was for them to survive.
DeleteThere certainly are alot of colours blooming at the moment. It's been beautiful here lately.
ReplyDeleteYes, it's lovely to see all the colours again, isn't it, Amy?
DeleteBeautiful photos, Pauline.
ReplyDeleteSpring has sprung here, too...and brought with it bushfires in many areas.
I've been thinking of my home state - and all my family and friends, Lee. Stay safe.
DeleteInteresting post about the Rhododendrons. pretty azaleas too.
ReplyDeleteI remember my surprise when I discovered the hedge around my first home in NZ was lantana, Diane. It was a long time before I felt comfortable with that smell around me all the time. I still can't bring myself to like it although it is not at all a pest here.
ReplyDelete