How Long Does It Take?
Posted By Judith on 23rd July 2018
About 18 months ago I sowed some Carnation seeds. They germinated reasonably well and last Summer I planted about half a dozen small plants in the border by the drive. I wasn’t too bothered when they didn’t flower last year as I guessed they needed time to get established.
This year I was delighted when each plant began to grow and produce multiple flower stalks. I’d planted them between the geraniums, thinking that the colour combination of pink and purple would be pretty special. How wrong could I be?
For a start the buds took forever to open, the geraniums had flowered, set seed and been cut back and still the buds refused to open. How long does it take for a Carnation bud to open? It got to the stage when I’d actually convinced myself they never would.
Then one morning at the beginning of July, a good 5 or 6 weeks after the first buds appeared, I saw a touch of colour, and boy were they worth waiting for!
A wide variety of shades from deep red to pink and I think one clump might even be yellow, but I’m still waiting for those buds to burst! They’re all beautiful and the scent is aromatic and wonderful.
In other news.
Remember the wood pigeon nest in the plum tree? It seems it takes less time for a wood pigeon chick to hatch than a Carnation bud to burst! Sadly one chick has fallen out already, but the remaining one seems OK and looks more like a pigeon everyday.
Elsewhere.
Normally it’s around this time of year that I take a picture of the front door, specifically to show what I’ve planted in the ‘Brighton Heads’ that year.
Some of my attempts have been more successful than others, and up until now I’ve tried to ring the changes. This year I’ve gone for Calibrachoa commonly known as ‘Million Bells’.
I’m pretty happy with the result as you can see here in more detail.
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I’m so pleased with them I think I’ll probably have them again next year.
