:: campsis radicans ::

Although my phone camera has depicted this as a rather shocking pink, this red trumpet vine or 'cow itch vine' or 'trumpet creeper' is really much more salmon red.

I spy this one on my morning walks - it is truly incredible - the number of blooms and the huge number still to come - there are just cluster upon cluster of buds in the wings.

The thing I noticed, apart from the noise of the bees busy at every available orifice, was the star shape created by the neatly-folded petals of the buds, ready to fling open at their turn. Exquisite.

Apparently, the radicans part of the name refers to the fact that this plant is so set upon world domination, even the stalks will set roots as soon as they touch the earth.  

Seems it is a plant that needs a firm hand - a bit like the wisteria, perhaps.  On the fenceline that I see this specimen, it is testament to this fact - I could not be sure which is holding up which!

:: rosa ix ::

A sunset rose for a soft Autumn sunset tonight.

:: echinopsis chamaecereus ::

Peanut cactus - courtesy of Miss P

I am really learning how my enthusiasms or curiosities emerge in clusters or phases...at times there are days in a row where the process of finding a flower and writing something about it is easy and it all happens in fast flow.

...and there are other days where the habit of creating a blog entry is rather, um, mechanical... I might just leave it at that, then, tonight ;-)

:: echeveria ::

The shiny, fat perfectly round droplet of water sitting tight in the clutches of the leaves of this echeveria is on its way to the part of the plant that needs it most. 

And is one of the things I find incredible about succulents and cacti - their ability to extract and retain as much water as possible. 

:: graptopetalum ::

Not strictly a flower...but this Easter Sunday I'm about relaxing away from the 'puta as much as poss...from the Crassula family a rather pretty, flower-looking succulent sometimes called 'ghost flower' from Miss P's garden today.

Hope you've been finding some restorative relaxing time over the weekend.

:: cosmos iii ::

Flowers evoke all kinds of memories for me and these cosmos brought a couple of them back just now...

...a very long-time local at Morere sometimes planted out a not-often used paddock, which could be seen from the highway (and from our little patch across the river)in a swathe of beautiful cosmos of all colours...such a wonderful, beautiful act from someone who seemed otherwise to be endlessly busy...

...and the pure joy of finding these particular cosmos growing seemingly wild on the side of the highway between Nuhaka and Wairoa - just before Whakakihi, I think...

...and although it was windy and raining and the highway busy with more than the occasional logging truck, I got A to stop while I gathered some seed heads of these gorgeous bright pink cosmos...that was about 5 years ago and I've still managed to keep the seed each year...

:: antirrhinum ::

Another something that has bounced up out of an area of the garden without any help or nurturing from us...another fun discovery.  These are, of course, snapdragons, taking their name from looking a bit like a dragon's face, sometimes called dragon flowers, too. Do you remember squeezing them and it was like a frilly mouth snapping open?

Interestingly the botanical name, antirrhinum, comes from the Greek words 'anti', meaning 'like', 'rhis', meaning 'nose' and 'inus', meaning 'of',which altogether gives the meaning 'like a nose' - I've been looking at the flower a bit sideways trying to figure that one out...

I've always just thought of them as pretty bedding flowers and nice to cut for inside, but apparently a green dye is extracted from the flowers, in some places the seed is pressed to release an edible oil and in Russia, the leaves and flowers are useful for their anti-inflammatory properties.