Yesterday was one of those perfect winter days - warm enough that you could sit in the sun and feel toasty but not hot. We went for a walk in Kloof Gorge, to take some photos of the red hot pokers that were sitting proudly above the dry winter grass.
On the way back I started to notice a scattering of these Helichrysums in the veld. The flowers were already dry and silvery, but seemed to reflect the sun like little mirrors in the grass.
The flowers are probably several weeks old now, and if the veld isn't burnt too soon they'll probably look just as good for a few more weeks. (True to their common name - Everlasting)
I changed the photos to black and white to show how striking the silvery flowers really are.
The only blight on the day was discovering hundreds of tiny little red ticks the size of pin-heads on my ankles. I had to spend the next half an hour making sure they were all off me.
On the way back I started to notice a scattering of these Helichrysums in the veld. The flowers were already dry and silvery, but seemed to reflect the sun like little mirrors in the grass.
The flowers are probably several weeks old now, and if the veld isn't burnt too soon they'll probably look just as good for a few more weeks. (True to their common name - Everlasting)
The only blight on the day was discovering hundreds of tiny little red ticks the size of pin-heads on my ankles. I had to spend the next half an hour making sure they were all off me.
2 comments:
Using the black and white for the Helichrysum is a stroke of brilliance. I use that technique in my classroom sometimes to emphasize the impact of using foliage combinations to solidify a garden design. If it shows up in B&W, it shows that the composition works.
Although just about every plant has to be native to somewhere, it always amazes me that plants I associate with "nursery grown imports" can be found in the "wild." Thanks for those robust Kniphofia. It's one of my "go to" plants in many designs.
I know what you mean - the idea that Bouganvillea or Lavender might be anything but cultivated seems quite strange to me.
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