Friday 19 August 2011

Wild flower meadows


                …wild flowers in meadows, the wind’s plainsong in the trees…

Most years, by the third week of August, the grass of a hillside garden in the Luberon would be an expanse of close-cropped straw, dried and baked in the sun. But this year, June and July were suprisingly stormy and a great deal wetter than normal, with the result that our garden has become a series of wildflower meadows. And as the idea is to relax and go with the flow in summer, we have left them to bloom.

Butterflies are flitting around from one flower to the next, and bees are busy on their rounds too. Sitting under a shady tree is to be surrounded by humming and buzzing and constant movement.


Just as Dom predicted: comfrey and meadow clary, autumn squill, watercolor blue chicory in scrubby clumps and scabious.


Here is the vibrant blue meadow clary. A sturdy form of pale blue chicory is everywhere, as is the wild geranium and cow parsley. I do love the old-fashioned names of wild flowers. Who named them, the jack-go-to bed-at-noon, the march pennywort, the ladies mantle and the enchanter's nightshade? They all seem to hold the history of country language and folk tales.

…the butterflies on meadow flowers and the scrubby spikiness of the land underfoot as we chased them…



14 comments:

Genie -- Paris and Beyond said...

Lovely words to match the lush meadow scene. Leaving the wildflowers to finish their season will ensure a field of flowers for future summers. I would say that this is the silver lining to those storm clouds of June and July.

Bises,
Genie

Anonymous said...

Ces fleurs sauvages sont magnifiques, et elles vont se resemer pour l'année prochaine. Le naturel, c'est ce qu'il y a de plus beau en Provence!

Why this blog? said...

what a lovely outlook and much better than dried grass eh. I am halfway through your wonderful book 'the lantern' and loving every minute of it, in fact, i dont want it to end

Gill x

http://sat-child.blogspot.com

Muriel said...

Well, what can i say...London is very, very different!

Julia Munroe Martin said...

Beautiful! Love wildflowers and I love to see the difference between different countrysides!

Pet said...

You really capture so well the preciousness of the declining summer!

aguja said...

Mmmm! I always leave wild flowers to bloom and hate it when they are referred to as weeds. There are always surprises. Yours are both vibrant and delicate. Enjoy them and thank you for sharing.

Irene said...

Beautiful words and pictures. :-)

James Kiester said...

You definitely have some beautiful scenery to help inspire your writing. You could almost do a book on the etymology of the region.

Olga said...

Wild flower meadows are full of hidden potential for sensory experiences of the artistic person. Despite their modest beauty, they contain harmony and inspiration.

Elizabeth Young said...

Truly amazing Deborah, there is such a timelessness associated with your home.

Anonymous said...

Our lawns - what pass for lawns, anyway - are normally dusty desert by this time of year. This year they're green, although the canicule of the past few days is starting to reduce them to their normal state. Lovely wild flowers; what a good idea to let them bloom.

Lisa Erin said...

Lovely post. :)

Samantha Sotto said...

Gorgeous! :)

Guess what! I spotted your book in NYC. I posted a photo on my blog. :D (I tried to link it to your blog but the linky thingy isn't working. I'll try again later.)

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