I could have presented Echeveria 'Afterglow' as my favorite plant this week instead of as the focus of my Wordless Wednesday post but the Echeveria lost out to another plant that I've been watching for the past few weeks, Trifolium repens, also known as white clover.
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Yes, I know it's often thought of as a weed but it isn't common to my eyes - I can't remember seeing it pop up in any of my gardens. Unlike the weed I featured as a favorite plant last year, Hibiscus trionum*, I didn't plant the clover. My guess is that seeds hitchhiked in with the additional topsoil we brought in last year after digging out our front lawn and that our recent rains caused these seeds to sprout.
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I was struck by its pretty leaves before the flowers appeared (even though I was unsuccessful in discovering a four-leaved clover within either of the 2 clumps growing along the path).
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The bees, already spending time feeding happily on the flowering thyme and geranium in the front garden, also seem pleased with the clover, even though they defied my efforts to get a photo of them on the clover this morning.
According to my western garden guide, the clover needs regular water so I don't expect it'll survive our long, dry summer. It therefore seemed appropriate to acknowledge its presence in my garden, however brief that may be. After all, it's helping my garden by drawing nitrogen from the air and fixing it in the soil. It may not be the most exciting plant I've proposed as a favorite but I appreciate the common members of the plant community as much as the exotic ones.
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Loree of danger garden features a favorite plant wrap-up on the last Friday of each month. You can see her May summary here.
*Contrary to the dire predictions posted on-line concerning Hibiscus trionum, it hasn't proven at all invasive in my climate.
All material © 2012-2015 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
Yes, I know it's often thought of as a weed but it isn't common to my eyes - I can't remember seeing it pop up in any of my gardens. Unlike the weed I featured as a favorite plant last year, Hibiscus trionum*, I didn't plant the clover. My guess is that seeds hitchhiked in with the additional topsoil we brought in last year after digging out our front lawn and that our recent rains caused these seeds to sprout.
I was struck by its pretty leaves before the flowers appeared (even though I was unsuccessful in discovering a four-leaved clover within either of the 2 clumps growing along the path).
The bees, already spending time feeding happily on the flowering thyme and geranium in the front garden, also seem pleased with the clover, even though they defied my efforts to get a photo of them on the clover this morning.
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| Bee on Geranium x cantabrigiense 'Biokovo' |
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| Bee absorbed by Thymus serphyllum 'Minus' |
According to my western garden guide, the clover needs regular water so I don't expect it'll survive our long, dry summer. It therefore seemed appropriate to acknowledge its presence in my garden, however brief that may be. After all, it's helping my garden by drawing nitrogen from the air and fixing it in the soil. It may not be the most exciting plant I've proposed as a favorite but I appreciate the common members of the plant community as much as the exotic ones.
Loree of danger garden features a favorite plant wrap-up on the last Friday of each month. You can see her May summary here.
*Contrary to the dire predictions posted on-line concerning Hibiscus trionum, it hasn't proven at all invasive in my climate.
All material © 2012-2015 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party