I always think of George O'Keeffe's painting of a white convolvulus when I see this beautiful plant, rambling rampantly through the hedgerows. I saw her painting of a single bindweed (or jimson weed, as she knew the plant) at an exhibition in London in the 1970s, and I have just read that a similar work, Jimson Weed/White Flower No. 1, was sold in 2014 by the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum, at auction to Walmart heiress Alice Walton for $44,405,000, more than tripling the previous world auction record for a piece by a female artist.
So, this simple, white wild flower is really rather something special, but don't get me wrong, I would not want one romping through my garden! She is a very invasive lady. Having said that, I wouldn't say no to her glamorous, luminous sky blue cousin, morning glory!
And the pink little cutie in my second vase is also a convolvulus, field bindweed Convolvulus arvensis, but is far more modest, spreading out along field margins and the edges of paths but in rather less spectacular fashion than its relation above, large bindweed, Calystegia silvatica.
Some of the flowers in my vase are not in the best condition as we have had a very wet and windy weekend, and they are so delicate, but I hope they give enough of themselves for you to understand why I chose them for my vase today.
Good morning Amanda! I didn't realize that bindweed is a morning glory. I just ripped some out yesterday. It had what I thought were seed pods, but probably were blossoms, although I have never seen it bloom. It was strangling my daylilies. One wonders by what means these invasive plants enter a garden, never to leave again. Thank you for the education.
ReplyDeleteYour vase is very delicate and exquisite. It would almost make you want it in your garden - almost, but not! A lovely and striking vase for this Monday - truly a beauty.
Good morning Cindy! Greetings from a very wet and windy east coast of Scotland! Yuk! I remember seeing morning glory romping over Bermuda when I visited there in 1971! And of course I have seen in other warmer climes than ours as well. It is a beautiful flower, but these bindweeds are certainly stranglers!! I suppose in their minds they are just being, and where possible I am happy to share my garden with wild flowers, but sometimes one just has to draw the line! I once used white convolvulus in a wild and rather romantic wedding flower arrangement which was placed next to the spot where the happy couple were to be married. That night I dreamt that someone came and replaced the lovely white flowers with bright red, poker straight gladioli! Happily when I arrived at the church the next day, all was well and the convolvulus was dreamily spiralling away! Phew! A
DeleteWe've been admiring both of these in the lanes, but as you say: " not in my yard"...every piece of these plants is beautiful, worthy to grace your vases.
ReplyDeleteThank you very much. I really do feel our wild flowers are every bit as lovely as those we spend so much time and money on in our gardens, and yet the wild ones just get on with it, and still look as good! A
DeleteI don't think I have come across the field bindweed before, Amanda - that is especially pretty. We do have a bit of bindweed in our garden which has come under the fence, but it has never got as far as flowering, so I suppose is under control. It makes a lovely vase - and romantic is definitely the right word to use. Thanks for sharing it with us. Were the wedding flowers a one-off?
ReplyDeleteField bindweed is very sweet and I think I probably met her for the first time on the front cover of Flowers Fairies of the Summer! She's always been in my life except when we lived overseas for a short time. The wedding flowers were for my housemate when I lived in Totnes, when I was 21, a very long time ago. I did do a second wedding about 10 years ago, but I don't make a habit of it! Very stressful!
DeleteIt's a lovely flower despite its pesky proclivities. I made the mistake of planting a morning glory in the ground in my former garden even though I knew better. It was spectacular for a time but, in addition to spreading everywhere, it became infested with giant whitefly. It took me about 2 years to get it all out.
ReplyDeleteI was interested that Georgia o'Keeffe knew the flower as jimson weed. Is that the name you use? Giant whitefly sounds horrid!! A
DeleteI love bindweed, vetch, all those terrible weeds we call wild flowers. But of course only if they do not invade my garden territory! Beautiful photos. :-)
ReplyDeleteThank you Cathy. Ditto! A
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