Tag: Kew Royal Botanic Gardens

GB Foliage Follow Up: tree peonies

Cindy at enclos*ure1 Comment

Peony's leaf buds in snow, March 2016, Stuttgart, enclos*ure

The garden beside the 18th century Spielhaus of Hohenheim University’s Exotic Garden has a number of mature tree peonies. Like red corals, their new leaves are emerging now.

I took these pictures yesterday while it was snowing.

Peony leaf buds in snow, March 2016, Stuttgart, enclos*ure

Peony label in snow, March 2016, Stuttgart, enclos*ure

Because I really haven’t been gardening here in Stuttgart, for this year’s Bloom Days and Foliage Follow Ups I will record the flowers and leaves of this nearby, very pretty perennials and woody plants garden.

Thanks to Pam at Digging for hosting Garden Bloggers’ Foliage Follow Up the 16th of every month.

If you were with me
We should need no light
But peonies.

— Grace Hazard Conkling, from “Diary Written on Peony Petals“

In Rwanda

Cindy at enclos*ure3 Comments
Female gorilla by Helaina.

If you would like to see and read more about living in Rwanda, check out the charming blog A Year+ in Kigali, Rwanda by Helaina.  I particularly liked her posts here (about the language) and here (culture) and here (food).

Her photo of this female mountain gorilla is one of the best that I have seen. (And, living here, I’ve seen quite a few.)

Also, here’s something I just found out: the smallest waterlily in the world, Nymphaea thermarum, was native to the hot springs of Mushyuza in southwest Rwanda. Unfortunately, it has not existed in the wild since 2008, when its habitat was disrupted by farming.  However, in 2010, a scientist at Kew Royal Botanic Gardens was finally able to germinate its seeds (there were only 20 left).  Its flowers, which are only about 1/4″ (less than 1 cm.) in diameter, are white/lavender with yellow stamens.