Fennel Flower

Foeniculum vulgare

Last summer was my first time trying to grow Fennel. It wasn’t a huge success as I had to transplant it and it was in a part of my yard that was hot, red clay. But, she did well enough to get a couple good late season flower photos.

Cultivating Fennel
Fennel is an umbelliferous (aromatic/hollow stem) perennial herb that was said to originate from the Mediterranean but it has been naturalized and shows up roadside all across the world. The name comes from Latin/Old English and the etymology essentially means “hay”. The flowers are umbels (like the Cilantro flower). Umbel has its roots in “umbrella”, which is pretty descriptive of their flat, splayed bloom pattern.

Eat More Fennel!
Fennel tastes a little like Anise, but a bit more mild. It is often mistaken for anise in farmer’s markets or at grocers. The root grows in a bulb structure and the leaves and seeds are also flavorful and edible. Fennel pollen is the most potent part of the plant, but is also the most expensive. It is a delicious little plant with lots of uses. It flavors toothpaste, eggs, meat, soups, desserts and more. It is commonly used in Mediterranean, Chinese, German, Greek and Persian food. A quick search on Google yields some delicious results like this Fennel Blossom Soup (lovely photos too!).

Other Fennel Uses
Fennel is one of the original ingredients in Absinthe, originating in Switzerland as a medicinal elixir and is known as a stimulate. It’s also been used to control chronic coughs and even given to cattle as the fleas don’t like the taste of it. Ha!
Medicinally, Fennel contains Anethole which has some great herbal properties and is 13 times sweeter than sugar. It is the Anethole that gives the Absinthe its cloudy look. Fennel has been sited in use from everything to glaucoma, constipation, increase of breastmilk production, hypertension, colic, and to aid flatulence, etc.

Flower of Goatsbeard

Tragopogon pratensis

Hooray for weeds! This little yellow one was growing around Pilot Mountain in North Carolina where we go to rock climb. This flower is known as the Flower of Goatsbeard or Meadow Salsify.

The Goatsbeard is native to Europe but is now well established across North America. After the flower blooms it results in a puffy cotton ball similar to the dandelion but a bit more robust.  Though it is a weed – it is sometimes cultivated as an ornamental flower. The plant is sometimes called John-Go-To-Bed-At-Noon because the flowers often close during the heat of midday.

Eat More Weeds!
The root of the Goatsbeard can be eaten raw or cooked and have a sweet flavor due to inulin. Generally the roots are eaten raw when they are young but when they get older are often cooked similar to parsnips. The plants young leaves and stems can also be eaten and if young and tender are often tossed into salads.

Weeds for Health!
The Goatsbeard has a stimulating and detoxifying effect that can also stimulate appetite. It is thought to help the liver and the gallbladder. The root can actually act as an expectorant and also contract tissue, purify the blood and induce urination. With its ability to stimulate appetite and purify it is thought to help those who use it gain weight and strength. It can be used to create a syrup that helps with a particularly stubborn cough, and as a treatment of heartburn. For diabetics, the plant is ideal because it has a high inulin content which is a nutrient made of fructose, not glucose, so it doesn’t mess with your blood sugar levels.

Two White Bells

White Bell Flowers

Pieris japonica of the Ericacaea family

These flowers live at the Raulston Arboretum in Raleigh, NC in the partial shade garden. They weren’t overly showy, but incredibly pleasant shrubs that bloom so thick with tiny little white bells that smell just slightly sweet.

A Picky Plant Indeed
These flowers require fairly specific growing conditions like well-drained moist soil, acidic soul, full or partial shade, etc. They don’t perform well otherwise (with soil pH being a big factor for failure resulting in iron/nitrogen deficiencies). Beyond their pickiness for their home, they are also susceptible to several pests (lacewings suck the juice out of them but they are also often bothered by scale, mites or nematodes). Other diseases often cause spotting and sometimes death. They have a general slow growth rate but are still often used as decorative plants because they are an attractive evergreen shrub.

The plant, coming from the Ericacaea family is related to the better-known blueberry or the rhododendron. However, do not eat this plant! It is known to be toxic to most livestock and likely humans as well. The flowers that you see in the photos above usually develop in the late winter or early spring. In the summer there are sometimes pinkish or greenish blooms that can be seen. The fruit of the shrub is usually a 4-5 partitioned little round dried fruit which isn’t particularly noticeable. The new growth usually starts out yellow or red, then goes through chartreuse before maturing to its dark green color making it an attractive plant year round and throughout its growth cycle.

Neat side note(s): The name Pieris comes from Pierides which is often used as an alternate name for  Muses of mythological fame, the goddess of the arts. The specimen does originate from Japan and the smallest varieties have been used in bonsai.

White Candytuft

Candytuft Close-Up

Iberis sempervirens

Hooray for bilateral symmetry! Makes for super lovely flowers. This one is from the Raulston Arboretum, Raleigh, NC.

I didn’t have much to say about this nice little flower. It’s an evergreen shrub and does well with not too much water when established, making it especially appropriate for rock gardens. The flowers bloom in the spring in big white mounds. The plant also attracts bees and butterflies – yay for pollinators, too!

Blue Flossflower

Ageratum houstonianum or Ageratum mexicanum

This flower is also commonly known as Bluemink. 

This one was found on the fringes of an out building at the Raulston Arboretum. Looked like a lovely weed at the time. The corymb that is in focus in the picture above shows the flower cluster with florets that once blooming will have thin, threadlike petals (hence flossflower). 

The flossflower is an annual plant that likes cooler temperatures and is often used in garden as a good flower for rocky or border areas or even in pots (as most retain a shorter stature). The plant is thought to originate in Mexico and Central America but has naturalized itself nicely in other areas – including the coastal Eastern US (where it found me). The flowers are most commonly blue – but they can also be lilac, white or pink.

Flossflower Defense
Plants are neat – sure, but plants are also really incredibly smart and sneaky. Because plants can’t run/hide from predators, they have to be much more clever about defending themselves.  They usually do this with irritants or thorns, chemicals that attack the nervous system, bad taste, bad smells, mimicry, etc. The flossflower, via pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) defend themselves in a very interesting way. The PAs, when eaten by insects, can affect the insects’ sex hormones rendering their larvae sterile. Protection by reproductive sabotage!

P.S. Happy first day of Spring!

Purple Butterfly Bush

Buddleia and Moth

Buddleja davidii

This particular bush is called Buddleia (Buddleja and Buddleia are both used, the latter being the more common term) “Attraction” and is the type that is closest to having red flowers. This lovely specimen, along with the battered moth pal, were photographed at the Raulston Arboretum in Raleigh, NC. 

The butterfly bush is a perennial shrub, and although it is very lovely – it is considered an invasive pesky plant in many areas (including the Pacific NW). It spreads by dropping seeds, so you can pull the dead flowers before they drop seeds to help prevent the butterfly bush from taking over your backyard. It is native to Japan and parts of China but does well across the US and in many other countries in growing zones 5-10. They usually bloom from midsummer until the first frost. The flowers come in clustered cones, are tubular and smell like sweet honey. The colors range from white to purple, pink and other variations. 

Who likes ‘em
Bees, hummingbirds, moths and butterflies! Oh, and me – because they are always attracting neat flying things that I can photograph! My not-so-clear, but kind of pleasant, second pic above shows a month enjoying the butterfly bush. Though that poor buddy’s wings shows that it has been on a journey and looks a bit rough and weary.  But I like him/her anyway.

Shell Ginger Flowers

Red Ginger Flower

Top = Shell Ginger Flower = Alpinia zerumbet

Bottom = Red Ginger Flower = Alpinia purpurata

Neither of these are the same plant we regularly use for belly aches, but the flowers are awesome. These photos were both taken at Pinecrest Park in S. Miami very early one summer morning. The angle of the sun and the sticky/suffocating/wet humid air made for some lovely lighting effects. 

I also have the sneaking suspicion that my earlier “soft serve” cone flowers also belong to the ginger family due to the stacked nature and growth patterns of the flowers…

Shell Ginger Flower
This plant is native to southeast Asia but has been widely naturalized in Brazil; they are hardy growers with the right conditions. They need well drained and organically rich soil and prefer moderate shade and high humidity. The leaves generally have interesting irregular strip patterns and it makes for a really attractive plant overall. The flowers form in long stalks that often arch over with their own weight. The flowers produce 3 stamens, but only one has pollen. Generally they grow 6 ft, but certain species can grow up to 12 ft. The rhizomes (root like underground stem) is used in plant variegation. It is thought that it got it’s name because the individual light pink flowers resemble sea shells.

Though it looks like the ginger you can buy for food/medicine – the shell ginger rhizome isn’t generally used as such. Although the rhizomes of the shell ginger do contain kavain and dehydrokavain which are also found in the Kava plant (known for relaxing effects). For that reason, sometimes the leaves and oils of some shell ginger species are used for anti-stress and anti-hypertension qualities. Though if you’re looking for an easy way to get the same effect – I bet $1 that your local organic food market carries kava kava tea that does the trick nicely. Mmm… sleepy tea. 

Red Ginger Flower
This flower is considered “very showy” and is also known as Jungle Queen (+awesome+). This perennial monocot is native to Malaysia and is common to the tropical US (Hawaii and Puerto Rico) and can do well in S. Florida. It has spread to other tropical areas including Samoa and Central America. It needs rich, well drained soil, shade and to be kept warm. For that reason you can keep showy red ginger flowers easily as house plants. It grows from the same rhizome structure as the shell ginger above. These flowers don’t really seem to smell – but since I’m awesomely allergic to every lovin’ plant it is possible that my mucous was blocking the olfactory delights. That was a nice way to say I had to much snot to smell, right?

White Plumeria

Pink Plumeria

Also called Frangipani!

So, these might not be the best photos – but I was pumped to identify them. These are from Pinecrest Park in S. Miami near our old apartment. 

Plumeria are from Mexico and Central America but have spread widely to tropical zones all over the world, especially Hawaii. They are commonly used in making leis because they smell so darn sweet and they are fairly hardy plants that don’t wilt too easily. The flowers range from white to pink to yellow. 

Plumeria & Insects
First, plumeria is related to Oleander and shares its poisonous qualities. Beyond not being safe to eat, the plumeria is devious in other ways as well! The flower smells extremely sweet – but is most fragrant at night. They release the scent to attract the sphynx moth to pollinate the flower. The moth comes searching for the delicious nectar that belongs to the sweet smelling plumeria, but alas – the flower is nectar-less and the pollen is spread by the sphynx moth’s fruitless search for food from bloom to bloom. The plumeria is also susceptible to several insect pests like borers, whiteflies, spidermites and thrips.

Plumeria in Popular Culture
The dark side
- Malay cultural beliefs associate the smell of the plumeria flower with a vampire (pontianak)
- Some Asian cultures believe the flower doubles as  shelter for demons and ghosts
- In Bangladesh, white plumeria flowers are associated with funerals

A bit lighter
- In Polynesia & Hawaii, beyond leis these flowers are commonly used to symbolize relationship status (right ear – lookin’ for love, left ear – taken!)
- The flower is associated with some Hindu and Buddhist temples
- Plumeria is the national flower for Laos and Nicaragua

Want some of your own? They are actually pretty easy to keep if you live in a subtropical or tropical zone. To propagate the plant you only need to cut a non-blooming stem from an already mature plant and put it in the ground. It will grow into its own Plumeria plant!

Yellow Orange Lantana

Pink Yellow Lantana

Lantana camara

Native to tropical areas in Central & South America, this beauty has become naturalized all over the world. My BFF Pef likes this flower. These ones, found at the Raulston Arboretum, are for her. eep!

All over the world Lantana has shown to be hardy and survive even in climates that receive little rain and can get searing hot. Because it is so lovely and easy going it is a gardener’s dream. It also is widely used in butterfly gardens because those flying critters are also partial to those clustered charming little blooms. Lantana camara, shown above, is also known as Spanish Flag because it is native to Central and South America.

Lantana Trouble!
Not always full of niceties – this species of lantana is also considered to be invasive in parts of India and Australia because it can spread very quickly and it is fire resistant. It is also causing problems in Texas and Hawaii. In greenhouses it is notorious for attracting whitefly which is a nasty little fly that feeds on leaves and can destroy entire crops.

Lantana Redemption!
It doesn’t have to be all bad! Lantana provides shelter for several native marsupial species in Australia (the very country that calls it a pest). Its hollow stems is an ideal habitat for the Exoneura Australian Bee, which is considered vulnerable. Many folks also get extra use out of the plant by using branches to make brooms and sturdier stalks in the construction of furniture. The berries, when ripe, are edible – but if they are still green are poisonous so go easy on putting strange things in your mouth.*

*Note-to-self as I suppose I can’t resist sniffing and tasting everythingn the garden (never learning my lesson after long nights in the bathroom and snifflingly-miserable allergies….).

Creeping Phlox Flowers

Phlox Flower Close Up

Phlox subulata

A simple but lovely ground cover, from the Raleigh Raulston Arboretum. 

These flowers are most often found in pink, but the periwinkle ones above are common as well. Creeping phlox can come in a variety of flowers including red, white, pink, purple, blue, etc. 

The flowers grow in tight clusters of 5 petals. They are known for being hardy in the shade and for prolific flowering. These are excellent ground cover plants and do well in rock gardens as well. They stay short and spread quickly. Sometimes these flowers are called “pink moss” due to their most dominant coloration and the growing environment that they prefer, similar to moss. 

The plant is an evergreen that flowers in the spring. The pests that the phlox are most susceptible to are spider mites and foliar nematodes. 

Phlox translates from the Greek word for Phlox.