Digital Flower Pictures.com: King Richard II

Wednesday, November 07, 2007

ABC Wednesday ~ Wild Sweet William

Wild Sweet William
Phlox maculata 'Natasha'
(floks) (mak-yuh-LAH-tuh)
Synonyms: Meadow Phlox, Spotted Phlox

If you are here for Wordless Wednesday scroll down to the next post.

Seems like just a couple of weeks ago I was featuring another Phlox for ABC Wednesday. This one is new to me and I planted a few of them on the advice of the person at the nursery. I was lucky they had been cut back in the summer so I was able to enjoy this blooms a couple of weeks ago. It still maybe flowering, as I haven’t seen the plant in about 10 days. Each flower looks like it was hand painted and has a delicate look about it. This Phlox grows to about 24 inches and has fragrant flowers. Why it was recommended was its resistance to Powdery Mildew (another ‘P’), which the Garden Phlox (P. paniculata) always seems to get.

I had an outbreak of Powdery Mildew in the Rose Garden last week and sure enough when I examined the Lilacs planted nearby they were loaded with it. I have never noticed it so late in the season before, but it probably has been there. I am torn about spraying the roses with fungicide or just letting them fade into the season.

The harbor at Padstow, Cornwall

Since I was reminiscing about England and in honor of the ABC people that hail from that great island I thought I would post this picture of some boats in Padstow, Cornwall .

I really loved visiting the villages and the Eden Project and even though it was the off-season we had a wonderful time. The air was a bit chilly and rainy (go figure) but the people were warm and the towns were inviting.

Like the Phlox here is a quote from Wild Sweet William:

“This royal throne of kings, this sceptred isle,
This earth of majesty, this seat of Mars,
This other Eden, demi-paradise,
This fortress built by Nature for herself
Against infection and the hand of war,
This happy breed of men, this little world,
This precious stone set in the silver sea,
Which serves it in the office of a wall
Or as a moat defensive to a house,
Against the envy of less happier lands,
This blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this England.”

William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616), "King Richard II", Act 2 scene 1