I live in a victorian house and all of the houses have back alley ways with back entrances to the gardens.
Once upon a time the dustmen used to come all around the back alleys and take the metal dustbin empty it and return it to your garden.
Now we have nasty plastic bins littered all over the pavements but that's so called progress.
Anyway, I'm not posting about the bins, I'm posting about this plant that has decided it is a good place to grow at the bottom of the wall in the alley.
Last year it was just leaves but this year it has produced a sort of flower.
Any ideas what it is?
Your plant looks very like an acanthus...otherwise known as " Bears' breeches". I have several big plants in my garden. The spike will become a mass of purple and white..if it is indeed an acanthus!!
ReplyDeleteThat's just what I thought. My friend has a gorgeous one in her garden
DeleteThanks Frances. How on earth it has survived I don't know it has had very little water and there is no soil to speak of just the small amount in the crack.
ReplyDeleteYes Frances is right according to my phone app, they thrive in those conditions. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acanthus_mollis
ReplyDeleteI've always known it as an Oyster plant. Its pretty tough and virulent, will grow well anywhere. My parents took a tiny cutting of it from our old house a few years back and now it covers a fair patch of their garden
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it's really a nice plant to be surviving in that tiny little bit of dirt. Hope we get to see some purple flowers
ReplyDeleteAs an expert botanist, I would say that that plant is "weedus brightonae". In other words, a weed. Even now its root system is undermining the foundations of your house. Better tell the landlord.
ReplyDeleteFrances beat me to it! We have one too. Yours definitely ought to win an award for persistence, but apparently they are quite durable plants and live in rocky areas in the wild -- so it thinks it's home. :)
ReplyDeleteA triffid?
ReplyDeleteIt is an interesting specimen. I had no idea what it was. But you have to give it credit for hardiness.
ReplyDeleteI had a huge one of those plants come back each year in my garden despite digging it up. I loved the way the flower head looked like a artichoke head before it extended into the petals.
ReplyDeleteGoodness, I have not seen a plant like it. Will you leave it? Let me know if you find out, I want to know what it is.
ReplyDeleteApparently its called 'Acanthus' Ginny. It grew there last year but didn't flower. I will just leave it, its' doing no harm and I like it.
DeleteHow it is surviving I don't know but Tom has started going out and watering it, I know we are bonkers, lol
Be interesting to see the flowers when they open.
ReplyDeleteI love garden and flower "surprises". Can't wait to see yours open, Briony. I trust you will let us see. Love, Andrea xoxo
ReplyDeleteI've never seen anything like it before.
ReplyDeleteIsn't it amazing how some plants are so tenacious!
ReplyDeleteLooks pretty amazing! Can't wait to see how it continues to evolve.
ReplyDeleteMy plant policy too. Let it grow and see what happens.
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