Thursday, July 31, 2008

Hollyhocks!

Because of the wet spring this year there have been lots of flowers. My clematises (clementi?)seemed to flower and flower for ages. The roses have been abundant, despite my laziness in pruning. This year is a bumper year for hollyhocks in Charente Maritime, the department where I live. We’re famous for our postcards of little houses on Ré island with green or blue shutters and tall hollyhocks decorating the walls – this year the hollyhocks are as high as the roof in some cases, the local paper devoted a colour double-page spread to them.

I’ll leave you to browse the pictures I found on Google. It seems we have ‘hollyhock’ cookies too! ( They contain hollyhock petals and the cook also makes honeysuckle cookies.)

5 comments:

Doris said...

How beautiful and poetic (the vision of seeing all those hollyhocks). I love hollyhocks and think of them as being magical and fairy works of art. I don't think any human could ever design anything as beautiful as a tall proud hollyhock with its solid stems of flowers burgeouning (sp!) upwards and outwards.

Unknown said...

Can't beat your own pics Anji! But nice all the same! xx

Doris said...

Dear Anji, thank you for those incredibly fascinating links. I read it all spell bound, partly from my own studies and partly because I have known people who have been through the psychiatric system and I had another friend who should have been given help but wasn't because she could talk herself out of a paper bag. Thank godness some modern psychiatric units are improved compared to those in the study but I am sure that some of those experiences still exist.

zoe said...

Because of all that rain we've hardly had any roses this year (well, the neighbours haven't) and my vine isn't doing very well at all. All the grapes are turning brown - a bad year for wine, perhaps?

Anji said...

Doris: I think of hollyhocks as friendly flowers and there is nothing lovlier than watching a bee snuggle inside getting itself all covered in pollen.

I was glad to be of help. I think it is important to know. I used to have so much faith in "the system" before we needed it.

John: me with a camera, Never!

Zoz: I haven't heard the French wine producers moaning - yet. Just think of the fun your newts are having