In our house, there are many things that elicit rolling of eyes and tut-tutting. High on the list of irritants are quiz show contestants who say, after getting a question wrong, “oh, I was going to say that!”. Well this is the blog posting equivalent.
Last weekend I noticed that the Pseudowintera colorata ‘Moulin Rouge’ was flowering prolifically. I had never seen one so full of bloom, tiny margarine yellow flowers, lining the branches in splendour. Subtle but effective. I even sent OH out to have a look. Admittedly his reaction was muted, but to be honest I’m not sure he actually knows what a pseudowintera looks like and therefore randomly gazed about the garden for what he considered an appropriate amount of time. This didn’t dampen my enthusiasm. “I’ll share that wonderous sight next week and everyone will be so impressed. I will be the talk of the blogosphere and riches will be mine”, I thought.
Surprisingly, this morning I remembered the joyful spectacle and went out to take my, bound to be, impressive photograph. Horror! All the flowers had gone over, just stalks remaining, all except this one pathetic example.
Honestly, I knew I should have posted it earlier!
Off The Edge Gardening 
Well, at least, the photo kept me occupied for 15 minutes whilst I tried to discern the flower (singular). I’ll content myself with the pseudo-knowledge that I *think* I found it. 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
Not sure about pseudo-knowledge, but at least I kept you out of mischief for a while 😁
LikeLiked by 1 person
🤣🤣
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s why I blog – the knowledge that not all family and friends, however beloved, are really not interested in the joys that I see the in the garden. Well done on saving the one flower. Did the others fall off? or did something eat them?
LikeLiked by 1 person
It is lovely to be in company of like minded folk. I think they just fell off, perhaps the dry spell has shortened their life. Maybe someone pollinated them and I am going to have lots of fruit. We will see!
LikeLike
OH!
LikeLiked by 2 people
The leaves were once used to create a treatment for malaria. It is worth chewing a leaf for the interesting peppery taste.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Now you aren’t spinning me one of your Irish yarns are you? I’ll give it a go …..
LikeLiked by 1 person
It was used to treat toothache but fits into that category of treatment known as a counter-irritant. In other words, the taste/sensation of the leaf in the mouth was so unpleasant that one would forget about/be distracted from the toothache. Pseudowintera colorata is native to New Zealand, known as Pepperwood, The Pepper Tree, used as a tea and as a painkiller – the Bushman’s painkiller, especially stomach pain. Poultice used to treat ringworm, cuts, grazes bruises etc. A French nun, Mother Aubert, developed it commercially end 19th Century. She described it as “superior to Quinquina [quinine] in the treatment of chronic stomach sickness. It has been very useful to me in cases of anaemia of debility, of continuous diarrhoea etc and in recovery from temperatures”
LikeLike
oh noooooooo…like me when I chose to wait till the following morning to harvest my sweetcorn last year☹️☹️☹️…overnight squirrel attack, all my sweetcorn gone!!!!! I sympathise.❤️
LikeLiked by 1 person