Thursday, 16 July 2009

Transitoriness



The short but spectacular life of a

Delphinium



not quite fully grown,
once the flowers are fully out the spikes will measure 1m


the full glory of the individual blossom



this morning,
on its way to the compost heap.

Wind and rain have done their careless best to destroy my beautiful

delphinium.


20 comments:

  1. What a spectacular flower. Bet you're really glad you snapped it at it's best.

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  2. They really don't last long, do they. I love the photo of the wheelbarrow.

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  3. It was sure beautiful when in perfect stride. I love canna lilies too but they are out then in and I can't do all that work anymore. Good for you.
    QMM

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  4. Well, my sunflowers never even got the chance to show any beauty. First the lack of sun where I planted them and then a nice rabbit eating a few every evening did them in! I must try delphiniums some time.

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  5. They are such gorgeous flowers! Somehow they don't want to grow here, maybe it's too warm and humid. Too bad yours got mangled by wind and rain... :) Silke

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  6. I came to you from Pondside - and I think there's another short story in this post! I've just read you previous post too - there were slugs all over the country lanes when I was running this morning -ewwwww!

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  7. When I think of an old fashioned garden, delphiniums always come to mind. Unfortunately I never seem them around here. I did not know that they did not last long. Your garden must be so pretty.

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  8. Wipso - Yes, I sure am. Otherwise the rain and wind would have got there first. I hope you are enjoying blogging? Keep at it; I suppose it always takes a while for bloggers to hit their stride.

    English Rider - My wheelbarrow is my trusty garden steed. Very necessary.

    Queenmothermamaw - How sad for you; I dread the day when that happens to me, I'm not so far off having to cut back on the work myself.

    Tabor - You need to watch delphiniums, they are a lot of work and rabbits and slugs love them.

    Silke - They really are gorgeous and rather delicate seeing how tall they grow. They don't like too much heat.

    ChrisH - thanks for calling, ChrisH; nice to meet you. Thanks for your comment. How do you avoid slugs when running?

    Vagabonde - I do have a very old-fashioned garden, a real English country garden with lots of old-fashioned flowers and many, many roses. All a lot of work.

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  9. The wind and rain got mine - but they're still in there somewhere, along with the bindweed.

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  10. Hello from New York, where it is very rare to come upon any delphinium as lovely as yours.

    Glad that Mother Nature granted those gorgeous blooms time for you to click a photo, before the windy rain took its turn.

    Perhaps this is yet another reminder to enjoy each moment as it occurs.

    Cheers!

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  11. Delphiniums have long been on my wish list - the one for the day when we no longer have deer in the garden. I can now tick that box as we have a deer fence and maybe next year I'll see that gorgeous blue too.

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  12. You are so lucky. Any delphiniums planted in my garden would have a very short life indeed. SLUGS ugh!

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  13. What a lovely blog,so much to read I will be back.
    I love the Otter poem by Seamus Heaney, hadn't come across it before- I have otters here and have written about them myself.
    Wish I could grow delphiniums, slugs love those and lupins.
    (Thanks for calling by my place)

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  14. Hello Friko, from a very bad blogger.....(Purplecooer too)...I hvae been neglecting both my own blog and those of others too - but at last I'm here.
    LOVE your delphiniums - have a passion for that fabulous blue.... I have foxgloves which rival them in height though now of course collapsed by the mad wind of our divine summer!
    Lovely to have you on Purplecoo...and a lovely blog. Janex

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  15. Hi Friko - what a sorry sight, those gorgeous delphiniums all windblown and bedraggled - that's nature for you. Its a good job it doesn't stop them from flowering next year!!

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  16. How ephemeral and transitory life really is. We don't realize it until the delphinium blossom bows its head.

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  17. mountainear - sorry about the bindweed, pernicious evildoers.

    Frances - greetings to you in New York. Wise words, wish we could always remember to follow them.
    I've visited you before, will be back.

    Pondside - delphiniums are beautiful but very demanding, very labour-intensive. Watch out, you might prefer the deer!

    lampworkbeader - I have plenty of slugs, see previous post. I provide nourishment for them with other delicacies. Thanks for calling.

    Cait O'Connor - thanks for the return visit. Seamus Heaney is one of my favourites.

    Exmoorjane - Hello there - thanks for the welcome.

    Twiglet - I'm not sure about next year, it's becoming hard work and heartbreaking to see it all go for nothing.

    Margaret - Yes, indeed. Must make the most of it while we have it.

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  18. All too true. Ah, the transience of life is brought home once again. But that's all part of the beauty and the glory, no?

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  19. Hi Friko :)

    Now it I am only on my first cup of java here, but is there another name for delphiniums? Larkspur? no, I think I'm mistaken. Anyway, THOSE are so pretty!!!

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  20. Dave - yes, indeed. To every thing there is a season....

    seashell cosmos - no, delphiniums are delphiniums; I've just looked them up. no common name.

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