Today is a day of celebration. I am happy to announce that overnight I have become a proud mother to a dear little Carthamus tinctoria seedling. Hang on a moment, what is that coming up behind? A double reason to celebrate, we’ve got twins! Hopefully.
Actually I am planning for a much larger brood of the safflower or false saffron. I first came across this stunning yellow thistle a couple of years ago, and was instantly smitten, as you can see here in a previous post ID . Still I haven’t managed to grow one myself. Yet. This will be the season. Hopefully.
Last year I made a feeble attempt, but they suffered from parental neglect and came to nothing. In my defence, their preferred conditions which are “arid, poor soil” is hardly North Devon’s default climate. This year I will try again, hopefully in tandem with Mr Kingdom at The Rivendell Garden Blog, who I shared some seed with. Mind you, I’m not sure his South Wales environment is any more Kazakhstan-y than we are. This is not a competition. Just a scientific experiment. What do you say? A packet of chocolate hobnobs for the first one in bloom? After all it is going to be a fantastic summer and the dry and sunny weather that is on its way will suit it perfectly. Hopefully.
Off The Edge Gardening 
Aaaaw! So cute. Looks like it’s smiling. And one of us is going to appear mad at some point; sitting there trying to get a plant to eat a packet of chocolate hobnobs. Probably you as yours is already in the lead.
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I thought it looked a little like one of those hungry hippos! As for the hobnobs, I would possibly just pretend. x
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Oh, wow! You’ll be able to make your own vegetable oil!
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I always wondered where that oil came from. Bottle of it lurking in the back of the cupboard and has been for months. With you two in full production mode I won’t need to buy another bottle of it, well… ever!
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You won’t! The twin is fully up this morning, we are on a roll! 🙂
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Sorry. Though I can’t speak for Gill, my outfit needs a new dash of orange for this year’s chanting season.
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Congratulations!
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Thank you, do you think you could make a little quilt for them? 😉
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Congratulations from me, too. I have done nothing about trying this since your 2014 blog, shame on me. I shall await the pictures of the sunny orange flowers in due course.
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We must must must must must meet soon and I will bring you a seedling of your own.
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Both would be wonderful but I have the most awful sticky clay and might have to grow it in a pot – I would hate to see it suffer!!
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So we will just do the former!
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Congratulations ! I am sure that the whole of the uk will have perfect weather for the whole year! We certainly deserve it. Enjoy your little one, because , as they say, they don’t stay like that for long!
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Yes, and it will only rain at night. And yes I will, I am sure it has grown already. Before you know it, it will be ready to prick out!
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Just finally got back to your blog after moving my own – always vaguely puzzled how that works out! What a great post to land on though, and inspiring as I can most assuredly supply ‘arid, poor soil’! You may have just inspired a trip through the seed catalog…
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I am so pleased you found me! Sorry to be such a bad influence (not really)!
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