Friday, April 12, 2013

Sheaves of gladiolus


Has anyone else seen these before? I nearly gave myself whiplash looking at them, celophane-wrapped in a bucket of water when I was out shopping for supper last night. It was like falling into one of my flower dreams, where I go hiking in improbably lush fields of indigenous flowers, perhaps in Cape Town.

These are so South African, a souped up version of Gladiolus monticola or its cousins. I have never seen them sold commercially before and was so excited I bought two bunches.

9 comments:

  1. We buy and love them in İstanbul.

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  2. Here? No, the only things we see are called either glad's or sometimes, gladiola's. Dame Edna has much to answer for!

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  3. There is someone who sells them at the farmer's market when it's warmer here. Love your milk bottle vase. I happen to have picked some hyacinths from my balcony and also have them in a milk bottle! Those plus my erlicheers smell divine in the living room.

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  4. We see quite a lot of them in the UK. After a long period of being regarded "old fashioned", they seem to have benefited from the trend for stately sculptural cut flowers. The way the flower-opening progresses up to the tip of the stem pleases me.

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  5. I'm immediately taken back in time to the flower sellers in Adderly Street...sigh

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  6. And they will last and last. Beauty and endurance. perfect.

    xo J.

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  7. I love it when you love cut flowers!! Yes, these are much wilder looking that that old standard.

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  8. Beautiful pairing of that exquisite tea cup with the flowers....perfectly styled.

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  9. A local farmer has them growing wild on this farm. Deep purple with yellow throats. Spectacular. He once brought armful of them to a function we were having at the local cricket club.

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