The man who multiplied stipas…
I’ve never been a lucky sower. Anything never pops up from the surface of carefully prepared soil. I’m usually better with cuttings.
Anyway things are different with stipa tenuissima. Last year I bought 5 very small plants and planted them on the stolen-to-the-yard hyper well drained soil. They grew and grew and then they flourished and then they multiplied. That seemed such a miracle to me! This year I decided to help them germinate in specific spots where I need more stipas.
As the plants have bloomed and they become a nice straw color they bear billions of small seeds that look like ripped hairs. I just brush them with the fingers and quickly you have this small nest of seeds in hand.
I laid these ‘nests’ on the ground and set a little rock to avoid the wind to blow them away. I hope they will grow quickly, I’ll let you know…
Meanwhile by the pool the lotus (nelumbo nucifera) has gifted me with the fourth lagger bloom. It normally flourish by about mid july, it’s strange to see flowers in august…
I just love loosing my eyes in the middle of this almost alien-like flower.
Apparently it likes watching me back too… fresh seedheads are kind of creepy…
AltroVerde 
Oh the lotus! How do you get anything done but looking at it? It is glorious. –Although you are totally right about the scary seedhead, a many-eyed creature. Be careful.
Eventually that was the first time I could see it open too. They’re such a show but very short lasting, thanks God leaves are very interesting too. Seed heads are innocuous by the way: they don’t bite, they don’t mess and they don’t poo around. They just watch you…
Be very careful, the stipa will take over you life (not that that’s a terrible problem) I too have stipa tenuissima and it seeds itself everywhere but it is very easy to move from places you don’t want it to the positions you do. The whole of the sloping bank that I’ve been describing in my end of month reviews is based on stipa tenuissima and I’m very satisfied with how it looks. Christina
I love stipa but she loves you back only if put in weeeeell drained soil, otherwise you’ll see it rotting under winter rain or snow. Probably you don’t have heavy clay. The only spot I can plant stipa is where it used to be the gravel yard and now there’s a piece of garden, the soil there is 80% gravel… I love your slope though, stipa has a hairy cloudy pattern that makes me feel like diving on it…
That Lotus is beautiful. Seed head is weird from that angle, so many eyes gazing back at you.
Well, you know, at least it keeps me company while I’m weeding… 🙂
Sounds like it’s pretty dang hot at your house. You need a fern tent instead of a glass orangery. Wait, I hear your dogs talking about ferns right now…
My dear. After your blog today I found a place to try with ferns. It’s under the small fig tree, where I’ll put a bench and some native ferns. Rudy is very happy about that. Mina took another bath in the lime pool to celebrate…
What?! Oh that Mina! But I’m so excited about your fernery– it sounds so pleasing, with even a bench. Please keep us posted. Does the fig tree grow figs? I have a new one growing so I have fig hopefulness for someday. But you must teach me what you do with the fruit.
I have to thank you because yesterday I went home and I realize that we have a brand new piece of garden at the bottom of the gravel garden. Ale is on holiday and is working on the main path and digging for a new pond. The main path outlined a very nice spot under the fig tree so i scribbled a new project which includes ferns, other hydrangeas and a ligularia, which I wanted for a long time. The fig tree is full of second bloom figs, the first bloom has been aborted though. Indeed I have nothing to teach about fruits and vegetables, I’m a real newbie. Except for one thing: figs are delicious wrapped in Parma ham.
This is exciting. I will be looking forward to hearing more and seeing images of the new garden! The ferns, ligularia and hydrangeas should be lovely together. I have a couple of ligularia plants, such pretty giant red leaves and exotic looking. And under a fig tree, so it should be serious shade…
Figs in ham has great potential!
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