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We have measured our larkspur and found it to be 4′10″. For those in the euro-metric zone, that’s loads and loads and loads of fiddly millimetres. Click on the pic below to see it (almost) life size.

The answer to our mystery flower puzzle was, of course, a poppy. When I say ‘of course’, what I really mean is ‘oh, of course!’ (note pertinent use of italics and exclamation mark), the subtext being (what else?) something along the lines of We should have known all along that it was a poppy and How could we have been so thick? (Camellia indeed!). The latter questions are, however, of a rhetorical nature and do not constitute part of another mystery puzzle competition. In any case, no prizes are — or ever were — on offer, except the freely given observation that there is, in fact, no such thing as a stupid question and that even the simplest queries will result in an increase in knowledge and an improvement in one’s general education and enlightenment.

Didn’t look anything like a camellia anyway…

Our experiment in growing wild flowers has been nothing if not educational. The more we learn, the more we realise we have still to learn; this giant fooled us (not always a difficult task, that) into thinking, for a while at least, that it was some kind of fir tree. Who slipped that particular horticultural mickey finn into the seed mix, we demanded to know.

Maybe if we’d been born country folks instead of townies we’d have known all along that this year’s garden superstar was in fact a larkspur (Delphinium consolida, FYI) and, believe it or not, it’s a member of the buttercup family. That’s one mighty darn big buttercup, that’s for sure.

In gardening, however, size isn’t everything. This little wild mustard flower is a recent and rather pretty arrival.

Meanwhile, our cornflowers are proving more and more popular. A day or two ago, I managed to catch this bee foraging for nectar for his breakfast. Today, I spotted two goldfinches busy nibbling at the seed heads. Hey guys, remember to save some for next year’s crop, won’t you?

Today was my umpteenth birthday and I received a surprise prezzie from our garden: a mystery flower hath bloomed. We thought earlier that it might be a camellia, but I’m not convinced that the leaves would agree.

Click the pic to see its leafy qualities up close and botanical. Any identification suggestions welcome. Meanwhile, all join in a rousing chorus of Happy birthday to me.