FFF631 - BELLADONNA LILY

Amaryllis belladonna, the Jersey lily, belladonna-lily, naked-lady-lily, or March lily, is a plant species native to Cape Province in South Africa but widely cultivated as an ornamental. It is reportedly naturalised in many places: Corsica, Portugal, the Azores, Madeira, the Canary Islands, the Scilly Isles of Great Britain, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ascension Island, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, Cuba, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Chile, California, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Michigan and the Juan Fernández Islands.

It is a perennial bulbous geophyte with one to two erect solid stems which appear in late summer. The inflorescence bears 2–12 showy fragrant funnel-shaped flowers on a 'naked' (leafless) stem, which gives it the common name of naked-lady-lily. The pink flowers which may be up to 10cm in length, appear in the autumn before the leaves (hysteranthy) which are narrow and strap shaped.

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FFF630 - SUNFLOWER

The common sunflower (Helianthus annuus) is a species of large annual forb of the genus Helianthus. It is commonly grown as a crop for its edible oily seeds. Apart from cooking oil production, it is also used as livestock forage (as a meal or a silage plant), as bird food, in some industrial applications, and as an ornamental in domestic gardens. Wild H. annuus is a widely branched annual plant with many flower heads. The domestic sunflower, however, often possesses only a single large inflorescence (flower head) atop an unbranched stem.

The plant was first domesticated in the Americas. Sunflower seeds were brought to Europe from the Americas in the 16th century, where, along with sunflower oil, they became a widespread cooking ingredient. With time, the bulk of industrial-scale production has shifted to Eastern Europe, and (as of 2020) Russia and Ukraine together produce over half of worldwide seed production.

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FFF629 - BIDENS

The genus Bidens belongs to the daisy plant family (Asteraceae) and is made up of more than 200 species worldwide. The large genus Bidens contains annual and perennial herbaceous plants which grow anywhere from 10 to 150 cm tall. Bidens has many common names including beggartick, black jack, bur marigold, cobbler’s pegs, Spanish needle, tickseed sunflower, to name just a few! 

Bidens ferulifolia, "Taka Tuka" hybrid (shown here) is a compact perennial (often grown as an annual) originally from Mexico, growing to 60cm tall. The green divided leaves form a neat mound, and the striking daisy like flowers with gold centres and red/orange outer petals bloom in the heat of summer. Suitable for wildflower plantings, beds, borders and containers, are also ideal for hanging baskets. Drought tolerant once established. 

After pollination, elongated seeds with dark shells form the so-called achene fruits. They have an appendage for propagation, called a pappus, which inspired many of the common names used for Bidens. It usually consists of two bristle-like teeth with small hooks, which hook into the fur of animals when they brush past the flowers, transporting the seeds over long distances.

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FFF628 - PERSIAN LILAC

Syringa × persica, the Persian lilac, is a hybrid, thought to originate from a cross of Syringa × laciniata and S. afghanica. More compact than common lilacs, it grows up to 1.2–2.4 m and spreads about 1.5–3.0 m. Persian lilac prefers warmer winter climates (hardiness zones 5–9) than many species of lilac. It is slightly fragrant.

Its hybrid with Syringa vulgaris, the common lilac, is Syringa × chinensis, sometimes called Rouen lilac. This is a different plant than Melia azedarach, also sometimes called Persian lilac.

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