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03 May 00 - 04:06 PM (#222421) Subject: Flowers & Weeds - Which in Your Country? From: katlaughing Last year we had some pretty neat threads on what we all were planting in our gardens and then what we harvested. In this year's May 2nd thought for the day thread, we've gotten into a discussion of whether dandelions and buttercups are the same in the US as those known by those names in the UK, and elsewhere. I posted photo links in that thread, which you will find here. To start things off, here is a link to one of my favourite botanic gardens located on the campus of Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts. Used to live just down the hill and went up there frequently. So...let's hear about your flowers and weeds, and if you can, please post some links so that we may see their beauty. Thanks, kat |
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03 May 00 - 04:15 PM (#222426) Subject: RE: BS: Flowers & Weeds - Which in Your Country? From: MMario kat - I have no idea what that flower is that is labeled "buttercup" in your links, but the Buttercup I grew up with had five shiny yellow petals, formed into a cup that was about twice as wide as it was deep, and was about a half inch across. They liked moist areas along the ditches. |
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03 May 00 - 04:30 PM (#222431) Subject: RE: BS: Flowers & Weeds - Which in Your Country? From: katlaughing Yeah, I know, MMario, that one isn't like the hybrid ones I grew up planing, nor the wild ones. Hopefully I will find a photo of one of them or someone else will enlighten us.:-) |
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03 May 00 - 04:31 PM (#222434) Subject: RE: BS: Flowers & Weeds - Which in Your Country? From: MMario This is more like what I grew up with as buttercups...buttercup But while searching for an image, I found several other genus of plants known as "buttercups"
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03 May 00 - 04:45 PM (#222455) Subject: RE: BS: Flowers & Weeds - Which in Your Country? From: Allan C. I agree with Mario. The one pictured here and of this Latin name is the one I am familiar with. |
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03 May 00 - 04:57 PM (#222472) Subject: RE: BS: Flowers & Weeds - Which in Your Country? From: Allan C. And here is more than you probably want to know about dandelions.
Anybody know the words to the song about "poor little buttercup"? (trying desperately to link this to music in some way) |
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03 May 00 - 04:58 PM (#222476) Subject: RE: BS: Flowers & Weeds - Which in Your Country? From: Llanfair I have started my annual battle with bindweed, but this year I intend to win, now that I don't have to go to work anymore. Creeping buttercup shouldn't be as much of a problem, I just throw them to the geese, which think they are delicious. The big question now is....shall I get a couple of ducks at the smallholder's show next month, it would appear that they scoff all the slugs and snails.i am a bit short of space, what do you think? Hwyl, Bron. |
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03 May 00 - 05:05 PM (#222483) Subject: RE: BS: Flowers & Weeds - Which in Your Country? From: Bert Definately get the ducks Llanfar. They make the most delightful pets. Get half a dozen Khaki Campbell ducks (not drakes) and you'll get plenty of eggs as well. |
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03 May 00 - 05:07 PM (#222485) Subject: RE: BS: Flowers & Weeds - Which in Your Country? From: Peter T. Dogen Zenji, Japanese Zen master, (1200 - 1253): "the Buddha way leaps out of emptiness and fullness, arising and perishing, sentient beings and bodhisattvas. This happens though flowers still fall to our sorrow, and weeds grow to our dismay." from the Genjo-Koan. (I guess this is a placeholder for the thought for May 3 that never arrived). |
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03 May 00 - 05:25 PM (#222495) Subject: RE: BS: Flowers & Weeds - Which in Your Country? From: GUEST,firehair28 Our garden is currently pretty mundane.. roses, sweet alyssum, several varieties of sage and lavender. However, we got in some "wildflower" seed - which I guess qualifies as pot luck. Guess we'll see what comes up. The only flower song I really remeber is this one, which my dad sang at me whenever I got into a really good temper tantrum. It worked, too -- it always made me laugh, which of course made me madder than ever... "I'm a lonely little petunia in an onion patch, an onion patch, an onion patch, I'm a lonely little petunia in an onion patch, and all I do is cry all day! boo hoo, boo hoo, The smell's so strong it takes my breath awaaaay.. I'm a lonely little petunia in an onion patch, and all I do is cry all daaaay.." (repeat until giggles appear) |
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03 May 00 - 05:28 PM (#222499) Subject: RE: BS: Flowers & Weeds - Which in Your Country? From: Jon Freeman No Llanfair, getthese. Incidentally, the picture is of my parents old house in a tiny Welsh village called Bryn Pydew and you can just about see some of the cowslips which as I mentioned in the wine thread used to cover a lot of the ground. Jin |
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03 May 00 - 05:33 PM (#222501) Subject: RE: BS: Flowers & Weeds - Which in Your Country? From: Sorcha Bindweed-----arrrgh! One of the few things I bother to pull up, along with buckwheat and wild "Morning Glory", they are all pretty, but wrap around and strangle anything they can get their greedy little vines on!! But I leave the soapweed alone, it's pretty and not invasive at all. |
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03 May 00 - 05:44 PM (#222510) Subject: RE: BS: Flowers & Weeds - Which in Your Country? From: Allan C. Cool little dittie, Firehair. I can picture a little girl singing it. I just found a song in the DT called BUTTERCUP JOE that I kinda like. I may have to do some looking around to get the tune for it though. |
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03 May 00 - 05:58 PM (#222517) Subject: RE: BS: Flowers & Weeds - Which in Your Country? From: katlaughing Sorcha! We always called the same plant bindweed and wild morning glory and I WILL pull it up, too! Allan! Thanks for reminding me of that song. Mom used to sing it! Here it is at Lester Levy: SWEET LITTLE BUTTERCUP. When I get time I will post all of the lyrics, but the refrain goes like this:
Sweet little buttercup |
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03 May 00 - 06:04 PM (#222524) Subject: RE: BS: Flowers & Weeds - Which in Your Country? From: Allan C. Thanks, kat. The link didn't work though. It is a common problem with the Lester Levy site for some reason. But here is a link to the Levy homepage where I wll do a search for it. |
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03 May 00 - 06:14 PM (#222532) Subject: RE: BS: Flowers & Weeds - Which in Your Country? From: Allan C. Buggers! That search page (not homepage after all) didn't work either. This one does, though. I don't quite understand what is going on at Levy. |
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03 May 00 - 06:44 PM (#222556) Subject: RE: BS: Flowers & Weeds - Which in Your Country? From: Jeri I've tried to plant some grass seed for a couple years or so But my soil is very sandy, and nothing much will grow I haven't had much luck at all, and my heart is full of woe But the crabgrass it is green, and it's growing... (Too bad they haven't bred a flowering variety) I hate the stuff, and I've had it with dandelions. On the other hand, I have asters, daisies, joe pye, jewel weed, queen anne's lace, buttercups, yarrow, goldenrod, some tiny purplish-blue flowers, and a couple of yellow things I can't remember the names of. (And butterflies and hummingbirds.)
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03 May 00 - 07:07 PM (#222571) Subject: RE: BS: Flowers & Weeds - Which in Your Country? From: katlaughing Oh, I'd forgotten about jewelweed! If I remember right we used it for bug bites back there! It is so pretty! Thanks, Allan! |
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03 May 00 - 07:11 PM (#222576) Subject: Lyr Add: I'M CALLED LITTLE BUTTERCUP (Gilbert...) From: Mary in Kentucky Allan, do you mean I'm Called Little Buttercup from H.M.S. Pinafore by Gilbert and Sullivan?
I'm called little Buttercup
I've snuff and tobaccy,
I've treacle and toffee
Then buy of your Buttercup, My notes say: "Little" Buttercup whose size is just the opposite of her name, comes aboard the ship to peddle all sorts of trinkets, knick-knacks, tobacco and delicacies to the sailors. Back to flowers--It's fairly common here in Kentucky to refer to jonquils as buttercups or as Easter flowers. I've also heard of various primroses referred to as buttercups. Mary |
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03 May 00 - 07:14 PM (#222578) Subject: RE: BS: Flowers & Weeds - Which in Your Country? From: Allan C. One of the beauties of jewel weed is that it often likes to grow in the same conditions which are conducive to the growth of poison ivy which produce the rash for which the juices of the jewel weed has long been used for medication. |
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03 May 00 - 07:20 PM (#222586) Subject: RE: BS: Flowers & Weeds - Which in Your Country? From: Allan C. Yep, MiK, that's the one! Thank you! |
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03 May 00 - 07:52 PM (#222616) Subject: RE: BS: Flowers & Weeds - Which in Your Country? From: raredance Botanically most of what people consider to be "buttercups" belong to the family Ranunculaceae which is commonly called the Buttercup Family or sometimes the Crowfoot Family. The latter name comes from the shape of the leaves in many members of the family. they typically have lotts of pistils and stamens that form a bushy cluster in the center of the flower. Some species are aquatic. A large group in the family is yellow with 5 petals, but some are other colors (red or blue - columbines; purple - monks hood, pasque flower; white or pink - hepatica, wood anemone). Some like the the meadow rue have no petals at all and other such as the hepatica have colored sepals but no petals. The "buttercup" that Kat linked to above is not a Ranunculacae but rather a Compositae (daisy or sunflower familiy). It looks very much like a species of Bidens or tickseed sunflowers, although it is hard to be more certain without information about its leaf structure and growth habit. Most people would not plant tickseed sunflowers in their garden any more than they would dandelions. The group gets its name because the seeds or achenes have 2 or more little spines on them. Other members of the Bidens genus are commonly called bur-marigolds, sticktights and beggar's ticks. To call anything yellow a "buttercup" is upsetting to us botanical purists. It's like calling any tree with needles a pine or any little brown bird a sparrow. The richness and diversity of nature is lost in such lack of precision and observation. I leave my pulpit to Jack. rich r |
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03 May 00 - 07:54 PM (#222618) Subject: RE: BS: Flowers & Weeds - Which in Your Country? From: Jim Dixon Near downtown Minneapolis stands the Ard Godfrey house, the city's oldest frame house, now a historic site. Ard Godfrey built sawmills; his wife's claim to fame is that she introduced (deliberately!) dandelions to this area. She missed the flowers from her old home back east, so she had a friend send her some seeds. They even celebrate Dandelion Day on May 16. In case you suspect I am making this up, click here. And while you're at it, you may as well look at these dandelion recipes concocted in honor of Ms. Godfrey. |
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03 May 00 - 08:23 PM (#222644) Subject: RE: BS: Flowers & Weeds - Which in Your Country? From: NancyZ I grow roses and hollyhocks (which the deer eat like ice cream:( I also throw in some herbs which the deer don't like. I can make my own tinctures and teas with most of them and really enjoy that. My newest crop are hops, nice and hairy so the deer leave it alone. I've made great "dream pillows" for my kids with the cones, but I suspect my husband would like me to take up brewing instead:) I may someday when time allows, however, I've forgotten if the hops are Fuggles or Hallertau, which does make a difference in what type of beer you want to brew. Oh yes, I grow lavender too, I love lavender! Happy gardening! |
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03 May 00 - 09:30 PM (#222689) Subject: RE: BS: Flowers & Weeds - Which in Your Country? From: Caitrin I'm not the gardener in my house, but I'll be glad to relate what's blooming in my mom's beds. There are a few rugosa roses blooming, and the daylilies are starting to bloom. The mock orange is on it's way out, as are the irises. Mom is busily pulling grass and chickweed from the flowerbeds, and just dug up the mother of all honeysuckle vines. My buttercups are the same variety as MMario's. I had never realized people thought of different things as buttercups! : ) |
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04 May 00 - 03:46 AM (#222784) Subject: RE: BS: Flowers & Weeds - Which in Your Country? From: roopoo I joined the Cottage Garden Society last year and am doing my best with a small walled garden which used to be a fold-yard about 110 years ago. They semm to think the building practice of "infilling" which goes on in many villages is modern: they pulled down a barn in around 1890 to put up my house(s) - (used to be two, now knocked together). Consequently I have little depth and quality of soil and a good shady area where the ex-farmhouse next door overshadows my veggies in the afternoon. My shed is older than my house as it's one of the old farm buildings. I have apples, plums, currants, gooseberries, blueberries, assorted veg (though not in large quantity as the plot is too small), roses galore, and self seeded cottage plants. Buttercups as well, but not the creeping variety. The green bit which passes as a lawn is full of self-heal. But never plant Herb Robert or Greater Celandine unless you can cope with the explosion of them all of the place! Robert's a cranesbill and quite attractive in its own way, but not when it is appearing in every nook and cranny! Likewise with the Celandine, which can grow to a couple of feet tall, and has rather garish orange sap to get on your hands when it breaks as you try to remove it! My soil is fairly awful, but it gets pretty well manured as I have a neighbour with 2 horses and someone else in the village has goats. I got some wonderful poppies via goat muck! It's interesting to wonder what different people would think of as weeds: it has been said - "a weed is only a plant in the wrong place". mouldy |
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04 May 00 - 04:07 AM (#222789) Subject: RE: BS: Flowers & Weeds - Which in Your Country? From: Llanfair I do like this thread, it deals with my OTHER favourite subject!! Jon... I already have two geese, and they look exactly like those in your picture. Only problem is that they are vegetarian, and don't eat slugs. The chickens will eat slugs if they are marinated in beer first...straight out of the slug traps!!!! Mouldy, I envy you your walled garden, and I have the same problem with herb robert, it's amazing where it will grow!,br> Jeri, what's Jewel weed? it sounds really pretty. Fortunately, we don't have poison ivy here, but then we don't have hummingbirds, either. Hwyl, Bron. |
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04 May 00 - 09:12 AM (#222836) Subject: RE: BS: Flowers & Weeds - Which in Your Country? From: bassen There are now official "county wildflowers" in Norway, selected not by popular vote, but by the National Botanical Museum and the Norwegian Botanical Society. You can see them here Click on each county. Gives you an idea of some of the most common wildflowers in Norway. If some of them seem a little strange, like beech trees, remember that what's common one place is rare another, especially this far north. White clover is Oslo's flower, because the only place it occurs naturally in the wild in Norway, is on the island Hovedøya, which is part of the city of Oslo... bassen
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04 May 00 - 09:15 AM (#222839) Subject: RE: BS: Flowers & Weeds - Which in Your Country? From: bassen Whoops, sorry, wrong address, that should be klikk her bassen |
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04 May 00 - 02:58 PM (#223060) Subject: RE: BS: Flowers & Weeds - Which in Your Country? From: Sorcha Stuff blooming in my yard now--not much besides tulips. Stuff coming up in my yard, that will be left alone, or was deliberatly planted--day lillies, meadow sweet, sorrel,comfrey, horehound,sage,hyssop,bedstraw,lovage,cotsmary,lemon balm,echinea,calendula,yarrow,spearmint,peppermint, chickweed,lily of the valley, blue hosta,cloumbine,tansy, tarragon,oregano,chives,garlic chives,tansy,fennel,southernwood,beta grape vine, and the veggie garden. Can't tell I'm an herbalist, can you? Oh, and the stuff I called soapweed earlier isn't--it's Showy Milkweed/aka Asclepiadaceae speciosa Torr, and a photo is here, It is really beautiful stuff. Oh yes, and dandelions!! |
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04 May 00 - 03:10 PM (#223070) Subject: RE: BS: Flowers & Weeds - Which in Your Country? From: JenEllen LOL...my geese only eat the marinated slugs too! Between the geese/slugs and the cats/nip, the garden is a very mellow place to be. The only buttercup song I could think of was:
My little buttercup |
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04 May 00 - 03:52 PM (#223090) Subject: Lyr Add: FLOWERS IN THE RAIN From: Mbo Our flower bed out front at my parents' house has tulips, irises, crocuses, and candytuft. Out back we have begonias and geraniums in festive beds around the bird feeders! Woke up one morning half asleep With all my blankets in a heap And yellow roses gathered all around me; The time was still approaching four I couldn't stand it anymore Saw marigolds upon my eider down I'm just sitting watching flowers in the rain Feel the power of the rain making the garden grow, I'm just sitting watching flowers in the rain Feel the power of the rain keeping me cool! --Mbo |
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04 May 00 - 04:08 PM (#223095) Subject: RE: BS: Flowers & Weeds - Which in Your Country? From: Mary in Kentucky Llanfair, do you realize how fast ducks multiply and how big a mess they make? We started with one female on our pond here in the city limits...well she laid eggs...and my husband thought it was so cute to watch her...elderly friends of ours thought my husband (the veterinarian) was totally mad thinking the eggs would hatch when there wasn't a male duck in site...well, in just a few years we had 23 ducks and the dock was covered with poop everyday. It sure was fun to watch them though, especially when Mama Duck decided to give swimming/preening lessons or wean selected babies by ostracizing them. We eventually had a "duck catching," and they went to other homes. That was funny too, because they can spin when you grab them. Mama (Grandma) Duck was the smartest and last to get caught. Mary |
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04 May 00 - 05:06 PM (#223134) Subject: RE: BS: Flowers & Weeds - Which in Your Country? From: Jeri Bron, Jewel weed is Impatiens capensis or Impatiens pallida. I have the capensis variety. I wish I could have found a picture of what a whole lot of them look like together. Here are a couple of sites: Closeup of flower and some info Different angle with description |
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04 May 00 - 07:04 PM (#223204) Subject: RE: BS: Flowers & Weeds - Which in Your Country? From: Dave Swan I wonder whether Kat or any of the other accomplices in the great postcard conspiracy of 1999 have heard from their California poppies yet. Anybody seem 'em? E.S. |
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05 May 00 - 04:42 AM (#223399) Subject: RE: BS: Flowers & Weeds - Which in Your Country? From: Llanfair Mary...Yes, I've kept ducks before, that's why I was uncertain wether to have them again!! Jeri......We call that Himalayan Balsam, and my last garden was overrun with it to start with. Fortunately, it's easy to pull up, not like the bindweed and ground elder. Nice pictures, thanks. Hwyl, Bron. |
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05 May 00 - 05:13 AM (#223401) Subject: RE: BS: Flowers & Weeds - Which in Your Country? From: GUEST,Sian in Wales Bron What about hedgehogs? I hear that they're mighty slug-slayers. I had thought of geese, but am afraid they'd boss my old dog too much. He deserves an easy retirement. Sian |
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05 May 00 - 08:34 AM (#223443) Subject: RE: BS: Flowers & Weeds - Which in Your Country? From: Mary in Kentucky ...another thought...the slugs eat my hostas, so I've been watering them with diluted vinegar water this year. It's working beautifully so far! Mary |
