Who's Been Sprinkling BBs in the Garden?

Ok, so these aren't really BBs, but they sure look like it to me! So here's another Mystery Plant garden baffler for the astute out there reading this blog. This time there are two mysteries to solve.

First, what do you think those little "BBs" are? Did someone put them there? Did they come in on the powerful winds we had last week? Were some fairies "bowling" in the Woodland Garden and leave their balls behind? Hmm, those leaf veins do kind of look like tiny lanes, come to think of it! If so, looks like there were a lot of gutter balls in that game.

Second mystery: Can anyone confidently (or otherwise) identify the plant to which this leaf belongs? Hint: it's a mid-to-late summer bloomer in the Woodland Garden, and no, it's not a Toad Lily ... It's actually something that has become a real favorite of ours since we've been growing it, and we put yet another one in this spring, just to keep its cousin company. If you don't have one of these, and have a shady garden, this is an absolute must have plant, not only for its gorgeous foliage, but for its luscious flowers as well.

Have fun with this one, and let me know what your guesses or informed opinions are in the comments...

Photo by Fernymoss, taken June 24, 2008. After this coming week, I sure hope I can get back out with the camera more often, but until then, it's still very work intensive for me ...

Mystery Flower and Bonus Pepa Pic!

Fernymoss decided to get all arty yesterday with the Mystery Plant now blooming in our dining room. Here's an example of one particular shot that I thought was quite striking. What do you folks out there think? And is it immediately obvious what this is? Hint: it's a flower not normally associated with blooming during the summer ...and, if you've ever grown one, I'm sure you know what it is!And here is Her Highness Queen Pepa (Approximately), disinterestingly supervising from her spot on the floor ... apparently she wasn't particularly impressed with what Fernymoss was doing. Of course ... it had nothing whatsoever to do with food , thus the blasé attitude, lol.

Further Decadent Decrepitude

Well here's the view for today folks, and as you can see, it ain't pretty! Of course, that does depend on one's aesthetic sense, but I can easily see this view delighting one of my all time favorite characters in French literature, Des Esseintes ... the infamous "hero" of Joris-Karl Huysmans' bible of Decadence, Against Nature. Without revealing too much of the book (see the Wikipedia link for more), suffice to say that being the ultimate decadent aesthete he is, Des Esseintes devotes a period of his explorations to collecting bizarre and artificial looking plants, and though I'd have to go back and check to make sure, it wouldn't surprise me in the least if Dracunculus vulgaris figures among the items in the catalogue he creates to document his "research."

Somehow the shot I got tonight reminds me vaguely of a rather withered cobra who's lost most of his sass. Or it could be the back end of some creature ... or any number of things not so pleasant to contemplate. What do you see? Let me know in the comments if the thought so moves you.

Photo taken June 4, 2007.

UPDATED:
I did a little more research out of curiosity as to whether the Arum was referenced in Against Nature and found that the entire text of the novel is available online (links to English and French below). Though Huysmans doesn't cite Dracunculus specifically, he does reference the Arum family (and I wonder if Dracunculus was even in common cultivation back in 1884, but that's a dissertation topic I'm not going to pursue at this moment). The relevant paragraphs are quoted below, though if you're curious enough to read the entire chapter on bizarre plants, make sure to jump to Chapter VIII in the online text. Huysmans' stylistic renderings probably aren't for everyone, but if you've ever been curious about what "Decadent" literature was all about, you owe it to yourself to read at least a few chapters of this truly seminal late 19th Century French novel.

It was the Anthurium, one of the arum family, recently imported from Colombia; it formed part of a section of the same family to which also belonged an Amorphophallus, a plant from Cochin China, with long black stalks seamed with scars, like a negro's limbs after a thrashing.

Des Esseintes' cup of joy was brimming over.

Link to the English translation (from 1928, and not the best I've read, but it does give the flavor of the original fairly well.

Link to the original French text ... if you can read the French, it's a deliciously wonderful wallow in syntax gone beserk. A real delight.

PS to Manny. If you read all the way through the chapter, the linkage with venereal disease is made surrealistically (and hilariously, I might add) explicit. After all, it all comes down to syphilis... Or so Des Esseintes said!

Intrepid Fly

Just a bit of reminiscing of the glory days (all 4 of em!) of the Dragon arum bloom. This shot was taken the first day, when the flies were swarming it and going all gaga over its delectable aroma. As you've seen in the previous post, it doesn't quite look this way today, but I really liked the perspective Fernymoss got here on the whole "runway" aspect of the bloom (and yes, it was cropped to make it look this way). To my biased eye, it looks a lot like a Dalí landscape with a solitary figure (and there are many of those) or perhaps some isolated frame from an early Buñuel film... but that's just the innate surrealist in me, and for others, it may evoke very little ... though the other thing that occurred to me was some cryptic shot from The Twilight Zone where a lonely figure gets caught between light and dark. Either way, this fly looks on to his destination with a bit of trepidation I think ... hard to say if he made it all the way, but we sure hope so.

We want to see that weird seed pod/cob that it is prone to producing ... when/if it happens, you'll see it first here!

Photo courtesy of Fernymoss, edited by IVG, taken May 30, 2007.

The Party's Over ....

Yesterday I was a bit dismayed to go out and see that the Dragon Arum had begun to look a little droopy, as the "petal" was sagging down a bit ... I thought at first perhaps the heavy rains in the morning had caused it to bend down a bit. But upon closer inspection, I began to think that the bloom just isn't very long-lived ... a suspicion that was definitively confirmed when I looked out this morning.

Indeed, the party's over for this part of the cycle! You need see nothing more than the pictures I'm posting here tonight ... yep, this bloom is done spent. Flaccid, indeed. Laughably obscene I'd even say! But it still remains fascinating, even if we are a bit disappointed that it barely lasted a mere five days after all the dramatic build up since it emerged earlier this spring. So now that everything has done its seductive show and partied till it dropped, the real work of the plant is just beginning. We can already see that the base of the bloom, which obviously contains the ovaries, is swelling more, clearly preparing the next phase of its yearly cycle ... the equally bizarre seed pod.

What's also remarkable about the number of changes this flower has gone through since the beginning of the week, is that the colours have evolved on an almost daily basis... from starting a deep red, then to maroon, purple and now a muddy mixture of all of them ... I suppose one could analogize that the bloom has gone from its party best dress, on to some bacchanalian excesses and now complete and utter exhaustion has set in.

I hate to keep bringing up the blatant sexuality of this flower, but honestly ... what else comes to mind when you see what was once a boldly erect spadix wind up looking like this a mere two days after it was in its crowning glory? We just hope that all those flies who just days ago were flocking to it have done their work for the season and that the plant will be able to successfully complete its reproductive cycle for the year. And you can be sure that if we are able to harvest any viable seeds, they won't be long to find a home near the parent in the garden!

Photos Courtesy of Fernymoass, taken June 2, 2007

The Shadowy Runway

Two close up views of the thanatogenous runway for unsuspecting pollinators. I'd hope that you'll agree that the suggestive potential (huh, there's a suggestion here?) of this flower seems virtually unlimited. We can't wait to do more macro exploring of the plant in the following days, since this bloom should be around for at least a couple of weeks .... we'll keep tracking his progress!

Photos courtesy of Fernymoss, taken May 30, 2007

Mystery Plant Exposes Himself!

It happened one night ... sometime last night, to be precise ... but it happened! The long wait (since planting in fall 2005) is now over and the obscenely spectacular Dragon Arum (Dracunculus vulgaris) finally burst into bloom. Imagine going into your dining room early one morning before work and opening the blinds facing on your woodland garden to see this pointing back at you!

Such a bloom is definitely something you don't see every day! And neither is this plant, which is of course what prompted us, connoisseurs of the florally bizarre, to seek out a bulb and try it out in our garden. When we first saw a photo for this arum in a catalogue we were positively enthralled and intrigued by its in your face blatant sexuality and were thrilled to see that it was actually hardy to our zone! And now that we've successfully brought one into bloom, we are going to be ordering several more to plant this fall ... alternately known as Voodoo Lily or Dragon Lily, no matter what you choose to call it, it's one attention catching plant when it blooms!

All flowers, of course, have their intimate sexual sides to them, but it's something most of us rarely pay attention to unless you're as eager as we are to cultivate the odd and unusual (or you're an inner bits fan and flower de-pantser like Olivia). To call this specimen an exhibitionist would be a bit of an understatement. There's no mistaking what's going on with this bloom, and the more you examine it, the more it thrusts its eerie sexuality right in your face, where, I must add, it emits quite a stench. This plant manages simultaneously to embody both eros and thanatos all in one big display held high on a sturdy trunk that is now about 3 1/2 feet tall. Its clearly phallic spadix and lurid colour easily evoke eros, but the thanatos side is a bit more subtle ... that is, until you get up close and you're immediately assailed by the fragrance of what can only be compared to something dead, or at least rotten meat. And with the wonderful logic of so many flowers who have adapted themselves to schemes both ingenious and bizarre, there is a reason for its odoriferous nature. It's pollinated by carrion flies who flock to the flower, attracted by the promise of death and decay, only to be lured into pollinating this very clever flower. If you look closely at the first photo, you'll see several lurking around, eagerly exploring this exotic garden destination.

Fortunately Fernymoss had the day off today, so he was busy (in between rain showers) outside capturing as many angles and details of the flower as he could get. I'll be posting some more views and close ups over the next few days to illustrate just how intriguing this flower can be. I do have to say that from its first emergence as an oddly patterned spike (see previous posts labeled Mystery Plant for details) to its current state, every aspect of this plant has an attractive feature to recommend it to those courageous iconoclasts who would find a space for it in their gardens! I'll be featuring this again periodically to chronicle its progression through its annual cycle, since apparently when it is done blooming it will then put on an equally odd and suggestive seed pod that we hope will provide us with some viable seeds come fall. More to come ....but if you're interested in seeing more photos of Dracunculus vulgaris, go to this entry from Davesgarden.com.

Photos courtesy of Fernymoss, taken May 30, 2007.

Mystery Plant Update, May 26, 2007

Things are definitely starting to happen out there with this guy ... after more rain off and on today, and the rains from the other night, our mystery subject is really starting to get serious about blooming. As you can see in the first photo, the maroony-reddish stripe is enlarging and taking on more colour ... my theory is that this will be roughly the colour of the interior base of the petals.

The insects seem to be getting more interested as well, considering we saw both flies and a wasp circling around late today. I thought I caught a wee waft of something rather foul smelling, but Fernymoss can't detect it ... just an olfactory expression of impatience perhaps? In any case, here's the update for today ... I'll keep these coming as long as something significant happens until it's open even more.

Lots more is going on in the Woodland Garden right now, and there will be much more appearing here in the next few days (including luscious peonies!) so stop by again soon ....

Mystery Plant Update, May 25, 2007

Well folks, it's been a few days since I've provided an update on this plant, and after a good soaking rain the other night, the bud has definitely grown more, plumped up and given sure signs that it is preparing its spectacular show! Fernymoss had the day off today and wanted to try getting some shots in different light than we usually get (morning versus late afternoon) and he did a dandy job of capturing some more interesting details ... the most exciting of which is that flies are now coming around to explore. Now, most people would probably not want flies flocking to their flowers, but for this particular one, they are apparently an essential companion to assure pollination. Though we can't detect any odors coming from it yet, the flies seem to know what they're after and appear to be eager to do their part once the bloom finally opens.

At this point, the bud is now over a foot long and has become more "lewd" looking every day (thanks to Olivia for that adjective!). The "stripe" along the edge of the bud is taking on more colour each day, hinting at what it will be revealing in the coming days .... Stay tuned here for more, and when it unfurls fully, you'll be in for a fascinating view of a flower not commonly seen in city gardens ... nor smelled, if all of our resources are correct. It's already causing passersby to stop and wonder what it is ... and we can't wait to hear the What's that smell?! comments it will most likely elicit when it is in full bloom ...!

Photos courtesy of Fernymoss

Mystery Plant Update, May 22

This is going to have to be a quick one tonight, with just the most recent down and dirty shots of our friend starting to unfurl its bloom ... this is definitely a bit of change since the last picture I posted, though we're still wondering just how long the process is going to take before it's fully opened.

Notes on the photos:
The first one is a close up detail of the edge of the bud, where you can see the outer layer just starting to peel back ever so slightly ... From looking at photos of the fully open bloom on other sites, I've realized that this will be part of the base when all is said and done. So, unless it starts speeding up soon, this may still take a while.

The second shot is a detail of the base of the flower being hidden by the outer layers ... I've noticed a slight bit of swelling of this part the past couple of days, which makes sense, as this will eventually become the seed pod when it has progressed through more of the bloom cycle.

I really like the degree of texture in this one ... not only can you see the mottled "trunk" of the plant, but you can clearly make out the pale "stripes" at the base of the bud. Without knowing what this plant is, I would really be baffled as to what it could be. But even knowing what's still to come, I have to admit that this is the item in the garden this year that we're anticipating most eagerly, and we're scrutinizing each step of the way!

And finally we have a full view of the entire plant to add some contextual perspective to all these shots ... if you've been following the previous posts, I'm sure you'll notice that the bud itself has begun to lose its totally vertical position and is dropping down slightly, which again makes sense when you know what you're looking for, so again, we're sure it will be coming soon, but how soon is anyone's guess! So, stop by again ... I'll update more frequently as we notice significant changes taking place. We're supposed to be in for a rainy spell the next few days, so I'm wondering if the rain will help to speed things along a bit ... we'll see soon enough!

Mystery Plant Update, May 19

Here's the Mystery Plant update for the day, and I'm going to have to report not much change since yesterday, except that it appears that the bud is apparently just starting to unfold oh so slightly. Nothing dramatic is evident yet, but maybe tomorrow there will be more definitive signs that the show is on the way ... SO, in lieu of taking yet another shot of basically the same view as yesterday, I decided to put up one of the purple Columbine currently blooming in the front boulder bed. This shot was taken using the flash, so it does manage to give a better sense of detail, yet compromises (just a bit) the depth of purple evident in this bloom (see the following post for more representative examples of this plant).

In any case, the bloom watch continues for the Mystery Plant and when things really start to take off, you'll see it first here (where else would you see it, if you don't have this in your own garden?). Yes, we're impatient to see it bloom, but it's going to have to take its time to achieve its aim, so we'll just have to give it the time to prepare itself for the eventual display ....

Mystery Plant Update, May 18

As promised in my last post, here's an update on our Mystery Plant for today. I took these photos after work this afternoon, and honestly, I can't really see that anything dramatic happened overnight. I thought I'd just try to get a good close up of the actual bud, to give you a better idea of what it looks like now in order to contrast it with what it develops into later. There's no real color developing in it yet, but I expect that it will change soon as it gets ready to unfurl into bloom. I'm not quite sure exactly what to expect at this point, but we'll find out!

Though these shots may not reveal anything startling yet, you can get a pretty good view of some of the woodland garden in the background, where you can see the holly bushes, some ferns, Coral Bells and other plants ... those little splashes of blue are the Alpine Blue Columbines who are still happily blooming away. You can also see a lot of daffodil foliage still hanging in there after their frustrated attempt to bloom this year. I'm going to leave it for now so it can help recharge them for next year's show, which I hope will happen ... unlike this year's fiasco. There's also a fair amount of weeding and clean up that still needs to be done in this area, and I hope that soon, with another update, things will be looking a bit less savage than it does right now ....

Something's Coming ...!

Here it is ... at long last ... the anxiously awaited appearance of the bud on the previously posted Mystery Plant! I'm going to hold off on identifying it until it opens completely, but for those of you who may have been following the development of this plant, I've dropped more than a few hints that should help if you just can't wait to find out.

Something's coming soon, as you can see arising in the center of the leaves at the top of the central stalk. It's going to be one of the oddest flowers you'll see here, and we've been waiting patiently for over a year now to see it finally appear ...

It's a bulb we planted in the fall of 2005, and though it did come up and put out a good number of leaves last spring, we were disappointed to see it didn't bloom its first year. But this year, it came roaring back (it was fortunate enough to wait until after the cold spell to emerge) and has been growing phenomenally fast since late April.

And now the moment of anticipation is upon us ... we know it's going to bloom and it's a waiting game from here on out, but given this bud hadn't even emerged two days ago and now it's here and huge, we don't think it's going to take much longer! So, I plan on trying to post a daily update from here on out, so I can chronicle its dramatic entrance on the stage here in the garden. I hope you'll follow its progress with us from now until then ...

I know the title of this post is a bit obscure, and if you click the link above, you'll find the Wikipedia entry on its origin. If you'd like to listen to a clip of the song that inspired the title, just click on the following link, which is the title of the song ... Devotion?

Mystery Plant II

I posted an earlier photo of this plant a while back, inviting guesses as to what it is, but didn't really have any takers on it. So let's give it another whirl and see if it provokes some more interest this time around!

A few more hints ... it's of Mediterranean origin, has a common name that sounds pretty ferocious and is from a genus of bulbs known not only for their odd flowers, but even stranger scents. This specimen is already twice as big as it got all last season and we're pretty sure it's going to reward us with blooms this year ... and of course, you'll get the picture and the whole descriptive write up then.

If you'd like to see one of its more distant and dramatic cousins, check out this link! This entry is from my dear old grad school alma mater, the UW-Madison, where they have a magnificent specimen!

More to come ....

Mystery Plant Way Out of Context

I thought I'd just pop up a sneak preview of a plant I'll be highlighting in the coming weeks ... so here it is! Obviously this is a detail of the stalk, but Fernymoss thought it would make an interesting subject, and after seeing the resulting photo, I really had to agree. Though it may resemble somewhat snakeskin, rest assured it truly is a member of flora rather than fauna ...

Anyone want to venture a guess as to what this is? (Olivia, no fair spilling the beans, ok?) I will say that it is one of the more exotic plants we have planted in recent years, and that's all I'll say for now, other than you will be seeing more of this plant as it progresses in the next few weeks!