Last year I bought a rather bedraggled white Echincea ("Pom Pom White") in an end-of-season sale at our local Garden Centre, and was fortunate enough to get a plant which was easily divided into two
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| September 2013 |
A couple of weeks later I also bought another Echinacea plant, this time one called "Little Magnus". It has flowers that are magenta coloured. Unfortunately I didn't take any photos of the plant at the time I bought it.
The plants have grown a lot during the year. This is what they look like now:
I am currently so enthused with this plant that I have taken loads of photos, some of which I want to show you now...
That beautiful green beetle thing (I have no idea what it is!) appears to be carrying a load of those little Brown Mites, like the ones I found in my compost bin back in April. Here's another shot of it:
These plants have already earned their place in my garden, and I expect them to get even better as they mature.
I love cone flowers too. You'll get plenty of seeds from it. The poor beetle is Cetonia aurata, the rose chafer. I never sow one so infected! Amazing catch! Beautiful close up photos too.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the identification Vesna. Mark has got a wonderful picture of that poor beetle!
DeleteWhen you get up close to natural control it's not nice!
I'm glad there are knowledgeable people like you out there to help with the IDs, Vesna! My knowledge of insects etc is very limited.
DeleteAny time, Mark, as long as I know the species. That is my area, biology, horticulture, animals, plants. Even if I don't know the very species, I recognize the family or genus and I find the species more easily.
DeleteLovely colours. Hard to tell if the beetle is happy about carrying all his little friends around with him or not!
ReplyDeleteI haven't grown echinacea but I've always fancied them, I love the magenta one. I've never seen a beetle that colour before, I didn't know they carried mites like that.
ReplyDeleteThat's a mega-photo at the top of the post. One would take it to be a very large flower!
ReplyDeleteAt my last house I had a purple coneflower, but at this house it is a pale yellow one I like the purple ones better - not that I'm even thinking of ripping the yellow one out. But I do want a couple for the front yard. I'll probably grow some Prairie Splendor from seed this winter. Coneflowes are a favorite of mine.
ReplyDeleteJust love coneflowers. They are beautiful and super easy to grow - I have completely ignored the ones that are growing in my backyard and yet they still flourish. Can't go wrong, really.
ReplyDeleteShould make cleaning up the mites easier, when they simply stick to the big beetles. :)
ReplyDeleteOur garden is abundant with these. I love how alien they look. Gorgeous pics!
ReplyDeleteFantastic photos Mark, beautifully edited ;D
ReplyDeleteI've actually planted five Echinacea this year...I think they're going to be a big hit!
Great photo of the Cetonia aurata too. We had masses of them when we arrived back in this garden last July but I haven't seen any this year.
Enjoy your blooms...and veg of course
I love cone flowers especially the magenta ones but I cannot for the life of me grow them. I have tried them from seed, and bought plants but they just disappear over winter never to be seen again - so I have given up on them now - I love to see mass plantings of them especially.
ReplyDeleteGlad you have added flowers to your portfolio Mark.
ReplyDeleteEchinacea don't overwinter very well on my sandy soil , although I do have a beautiful orange one flowering at the moment. I am starting to think that on my sandy soil they need an extra bit of nutrition.
My Echinaceas are currently in pots, Roger, so I will be able to over-winter them under cover.
DeleteThat poor beetle must be weighed down - I wonder if the mites make it itch!
ReplyDeleteAh I love Echinacea and yours are looking great. I've only ever grown them from seed, and this year they have all finally given up the ghost - I suspect swamped by all the lush damp green foliage that our mild winter and spring brought alas, and the cover it gave the slugs and snails. I do have some little echinacea seedlings in a tray though, so hopefully next year we'll have their beautiful flowers here again!
ReplyDelete