Monday 4 June 2012

A pretty blue flower

A profile shot of this pretty blue flower. Do you recognise her. She is showing in the garden at the moment. She has two common names one of which is very attractive, however, the other is the complete opposite.
Answer will be given on Wednesday morning, when I shall also show comments of those who got the right flower.
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6th June 2012
Pretty Nigella damascena - love-in-a-mist or devil-in-the-bush
Seven pairs of very sharp eyes got the correct flower. I have named them in alphabetical order:-
Dani: got the botanical name and the pretty common name.
Gina: who got all three names correct.
Karen: who has just bought a packet of seeds to sow. She got my other flower correct too.
Marian: Her answer came zooming in as soon as the post hit the blog.
Nilly: who said it is one of her childhood favourites.
Paul: who also correctly recognised my previous flower quiz.
Rosemary: My namesake, also correctly named it.
Well done, I am impressed with you all. It is not easy to recognise small glimpses of flowers.
Hope you will check out some of their lovely blogs, which you can find in the comments section. They all have a beside their comment.

54 comments:

  1. O, I absolutely LOVE Love-in-a-mist(Nigella)!!!! I usually have lots of them in the garden but haven't seen much coming up this year, such a pity.... Are they really blooming in your garden already??? What a joy!
    Bye,
    Marian

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    Replies
    1. Correct✓ - yes, they are in flower at the moment.

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  2. Dear Rosemary,
    Great shot of the beautiful flower.
    I'm not sure, but is it the Himalayan blue poppy?
    Mette

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for trying Mette - sorry not the right flower.

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    2. Dear Rosemary,
      It is so beautiful and know that I know the name I have to see if I can find a suitable place to sow it
      next year.

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    3. Dear Mette - it is a very pretty border plant that happily seeds itself once established. You can also get it in shades of pink and white, and there is a very dark almost navy blue.

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    4. Dear Rosemary,
      I think I'll go for the same color as you have. I love blue flowers, but I don't have to many blue ones in my garden.
      I'm so happy my husband is doing fine.
      Wish you a wonderful weekend.
      Mette

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    5. So pleased to learn about your husband - yes, I think the blue is a lovely colour. You can get seeds from Thompson & Morgan website:-
      http://search.thompson-morgan.com/seeds/Nigella

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  3. Hi Rosemary - Is that a cornflower / centaurea? I'm not sure. Fabulous photo! Can print it out, and frame it. I love the close-up....cool angle! BTW, I have blue garden, but most of the plants bloom more lavender blue. It's so difficult to find true blue flowering plants. Delphiniums do not do well in our hot and humid climate. Looking forward to your answer on Wednesday! :-)
    Loi

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  4. My brain is mush today because I have been making up nonsense passwords that are terribly long since I read about a bloggers domain being stolen via her email being hacked. I have no clue but it is gorgeous and so is your photo.

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    1. Dear Olive when you make your passwords do remember to use letters and numbers, upper case and lower case, it makes them more secure.

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  5. Love in a Mist = Nigella Damascena ?

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  6. My sweet Rosemary
    Now is around 10 at night, I returned this afternoon, I thought to see the block and .... my sweetie, I smiled when I saw yours!! Comfort in the fact me , that I have time tomorrow to investigate! I hope I can find what is this lovely blue flower!
    Olympia

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    Replies
    1. Dear Olympia - you made me smile in return. Do not spend too long on the Kew Garden website.

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  7. Will have to check back on Wednesday!!!!

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  8. I don't...but what a stunning centrepiece she has, Rosemary!

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    Replies
    1. She does Kate - almost like a Jubilee crown.

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  9. Nigella, Love-in-the-Mist, Devil-in-the-Bush. Have a great week, dear Rosemary. ox, Gina

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    1. Correct✓ I am beginning to feel like a school teacher with all of these ticks.

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  10. I have an idea... I'll go out this morning to check out whether it is right. The photo is perfect! Christa

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    1. Looking forward to seeing what flower you choose Christa.

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  11. Is it love-in-a-mist or nigella? One of my childhood favourites.

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  12. Oh Rosemary I have no idea what flowers are called ( not even in Greek...)

    I enjoyed your previous post and I have been watching both days the festivities. I must say that although I had very little interest in monarchy before I moved to Norway I realize how much it means to British people ( and Norwagians ) and I admire the sense of continuity, the common referance, that one person everybody accepts, respects and even loves. That feeling of belonging, that people need so much, is certainly a good thing to have.

    Enjoy your day dear friend : )

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    1. Botanical and common name will be shown on Wednesday Demie.

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  13. I'm not sure, Rosemary... it's a kind of Delphinum powder blue, but... I don't know... maybe a double Clematis of some kind?

    I'm sure I got it wrong, again, but at least I tried!

    CIAO!

    ANNA
    xx

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    Replies
    1. Dear Anna - thank you for trying, not quite right, but I did appreciate your attempt. It does have a slight resemblance to the Delphinium I agree.
      Ciao♥

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  14. Replies
    1. Dear Lisa - a good time was had by all - old and young alike.

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  15. I am really enjoying your macro mystery flower series. Your Jubilee Party look a very civilised British affair Rosemary and the weather looks like significantly better than Sunday's offering.

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    1. Dear Paul - we were certainly lucky with the weather, the sun even dared to appear. Are you not going to hazard a guess? you were one of the three successful ones previously.

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    2. Oh yes of course! I thought it might be Love in the mist initially but I'm doubting myself now..........OK final answer is an unsure Love in the mist.

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    3. Well done again Paul - thats two in a row✓

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    4. Just got in this evening and there in the front garden are this years unseen until now self seeded Love in the mist. I have never heard of Devil in the bush. I wonder what the Damascena part derives from!

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    5. I am glad you have some in the garden too, it is a really pretty little flower. I do not like the name Devil-in-the-bush, the name Love-in-the-mist is far nicer.
      I can't really answer the question about Damascena but in Latin it means Damascus and in Italian it means Damask. I found that out on Google Translate.

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  16. Wonderful setting for a party! I love the tablecloths...but would also love to know what was on the menu :) I have no idea what the flower is and will be tuning in for the big reveal!

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    1. Dear Rosemary - we had the most wonderful collection of food dishes. Everyone made something and contributed to the pool of food and drink. There was so much left over that we thought about having another party today. We had BBQs, savoury flans, salmon mousse etc and the most fantastic desserts. One person made cup cakes with union jack flags on them - all very jolly.

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    2. Wonderful idea having everyone contribute; sounds delicious (especially the cupcakes)!

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    3. It was a good idea, because it was easy for everyone to do, but the result was a delicious spread of food.

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  17. Oh it looks like such a fun time was had by all, Rosemary. What a special treat to be able to celebrate outside at such a brightly decorated spot. I am more than slightly envious. :)

    What a pleasant and green backyard.

    Notice I didn't attempt to name the flower. I haven't a clue. But the blue is rather beautiful. Blue flowers are so eye-catching and somehow, always, a bit mysterious.

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    1. We did have a lovely time, and the weather got better as the afternoon wore on.
      I agree, there is something very special about blue flowers. If I could only chose one colour of flower, it would probably be blue.

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  18. I agree with Kate that the "centerpiece" is splendid — it would make a very dramatic painting. I'm thinking Georgia O'Keefe.

    The party looks like a successful affair, and I'm so glad you didn't get rained out. Just so you know, folks on this side of the pond are enjoying the celebration, too! And you should all be proud that the face of Britain is an 86-year-old lady who can stand up unaided on a boat — in the rain — for four hours! I'm certainly impressed!

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    1. Dear Mark - a Georgia O'Keefe painting of this would be lovely.
      We were certainly lucky with the weather in the west of the country when we had our party, in fact as the afternoon wore on it got warmer and sunnier.
      The Queen and Philip were amazing the way they stood for so long, but I think that perhaps it would have been better if they had sat down, and perhaps Philip would not be in hospital now with an infection. The immune system does not operate so well when you get older.

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  19. Looks like Nigella also known as Love in a Mist. I have a packet of these seeds waiting to be sown - they look so pretty on the packet and in your photo.

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    1. Well done Karen, second flower correct✓

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  20. I have no idea what flower it is, but it is a most amazing piece of floral 'architecture'! I look forward to finding out what it is. Your party looks lovely!
    x

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    1. Just about to reveal the answer Alix - yes, I think a good time was had by all up and down the country.

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  21. I could not find a flower here that looks like it and I have never heard of it. Does it also grow here? I'll have to check it out. The table of the Jubilee Party with all the happy people looks very inviting and happy. I do love the table cloth a lot! Have a good day, Christa

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    1. Dear Christa - it should grow with you, it is native to Northern Africa and southern Europe, and is now grown all over Europe. You should be able to get some seeds from Thompson & Morgan, they sell blue seeds, mixed white, pink and blue, and a lovely very dark blue called Oxford. Once you have them they scatter themselves.
      http://search.thompson-morgan.com/seeds/Nigella

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