Kornblumenblau in Florida--now I'm in trouble for sure. Wild child that I am, I decided to add some wildflower seed to one of my front flower beds. The seed mix produced mostly these bachelor's buttons or cornflowers, also known as Centaurea cyanus. Seedlings were easy to identify as they came up, set apart from the rest of my plants by their gray-blue cast and slender leaves. As you can see, Kornblumen come in a variety of colors these days. So I guess the famous German song Kornblumenblau won't carry the same weight in beer hall parlance anymore. What a shame that lines like "Cornflower blue/the sky is beautiful at Rheine/Cornflower blue/are the eyes of the women in the wine" will not apply at all if the Kornblumen are pink. In case you're wondering, the trouble I'm in stems from the fact that some experts consider Kornblumen to be a menace to society--plant society, that is. Apparently, it's an exotic imported from Europe or the Near East. I've heard it said time and again that ignorance is no excuse. "I didn't know!" should no longer be a part of the Internet generation's lexicon. We now have a wealth of information at our fingertips available around-the-clock. Propaganda propagators should not be a problem anymore, right? So, now I'm in trouble. For not considering what these lovely flowers can do once they get loose in a place like Florida. What can they do exactly? Spread like that wildfire plant Phlox divaricata? (I hope so, naughty gardener that I am.)
Kornblumen can find themselves in a vase on my table along with some hydrangea blooms, Knockout roses, and Gaura. I am dangerous in a garden; I know it now. Give me a piece of ground, and I'm likely to spread a menace like Kornblumenblau. I must be seeing things through a scrim.
"We don't yet see things clearly. We're squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won't be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We'll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us!"
--from The Message--
They are lovely- my Mom used to have bachelor buttons and I still adore them! Love those hydrangeas too!
ReplyDeletePersonally, I like cornflowers. Some municipalities here in Texas plant them by the roadways... Of course, I don't know what they'll do in Florida, but with all the invasive species already there, I can't see it mattering that much...
ReplyDeleteRelax! I'm not a purist either. We got some bad aliens out there but many are just fine. My woodland wildflowers gardens have more than a few nice visitors from foreign lands.
ReplyDeleteI'm as ignorant as you, had no idea it was invasive. It's a lovely plant and I would do more research before deciding whether it was a serious threat.
ReplyDeleteMarnie
I adore them too, Dee. My mom, who emigrated from Germany after WWII, recently visited here and recognized the Kornblumen right away. She fondly remembers them blooming in the midst of farm crops back home. And she never mentioned them being a problem plant at all.
ReplyDeleteClaude, I don't see that they matter either. They don't seem to crowd out any of my other plants, and their root systems are not the spreading type. The butterflies and bees seem to enjoy them. I'm going to give them a chance here. That is, unless someone reports me to the local plant police. ;>}
Hooray for the nonpurists, Troutbirder! It's time we embraced some diversity.
Marnie, I seriously doubt it's a threat, but it is important to learn as much as possible about the plants we introduce into our environments. I used to think honeysuckle would be an admirable addition to the garden and even planted some along a fence when we lived in KY. It smells wonderful! But then I read how destructive it can be to forests and ripped it right out of the ground.
Ah, my 6 years of attending German Festivals and I dont recall seeing that act of women! They were great! The fest seem to like John Denver and that depressed me as I was after Traditional Music lol...
ReplyDeleteWeed or not, beautiful flower and I will not tell you have any. It will be our little secret. :-)
Oh my, I never knew these pretty blooms could be invasive too! Haven't grown them for a long time. They sure look lovely next to the hydrangeas in your vase.
ReplyDeleteSkeeter, what's a German fest without oompah-pah music? How can you link arms and sway to the beat of the band playing John Denver? I hope the traditional music has returned to Deutschland for good.
ReplyDeleteKanak, all of the flowers featured in the vase are carefree growers and bloomers in my garden. I'm glad because I don't lavish a lot of time or care on the flowers lately. The vegetable garden requires most of my attention outdoors these days. I'm glad you're a fan of the Kornblumen too.
I was just reading about an invasive type of buttercup that is taking the place of many native wildflowers in here NY...invasive buttercups?..wow
ReplyDeleteMichelle From Rambling Woods
If they're invasive, I'm in trouble, too, because I just planted some last week in a back garden. I'm no plant expert, but it seems there are those plants that are invasive in your own garden, and then there are those invasive everywhere else, like kudzu. If you like cornflowers or bachelor's buttons--and I do, too--I say plant them!
ReplyDeleteI've never heard this song before--I'm picturing it being song by a crowd raising their steins in the air:)
Michelle, I just can't imagine buttercups being invasive. I've often wondered just how long something has to be around to be considered a native. At least 100 years? More than 200 years? Do the people in charge of deciding these things consult the native people to be sure? Maybe I think too much. ;>}
ReplyDeleteRose, I'm glad you feel the same way about the Kornblumen. Native or not, I just don't see how they can be a problem, and they're such a pretty bloomer. If you want to know what the song sounds like, click on the link about beer hall parlance. It's an audiovisual hoot!
Dear Walk to write and SAM...
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for your words while I was in Germany! It is good to be back and reading blogs again! My modem was hit by lightning while I was gone, and finally I am up and running again!
I have never heard of Kornblumenblau! Your posts are always thought provoking and make me think, which I appreciate so much!
I happen to agree with you...some of these invasive plants are really great to spread around...although it is taking some work to eliminate spreading Porterweeds here in my yard!!! YIKES! My Mexican Sunflowers pop up all over the place as well...but so far I am digging them up and placing them where I want them.
Good luck!
Take care...Julie
Julie, I'm so glad you're back and doing well. We had a little trouble too today with Internet service. It was intermittent which is kind of frustrating when I was trying to comment on other sites and respond to comments here. The tech person said it was an area-wide problem. I'll be stopping by your site tomorrow. It's getting late here...
ReplyDeleteOh, my heart aches at the mention of cornflowers! I so expectantly was waiting for them but all I got was gaillardias which I sowed months ago and those were washed away by the heavy rains! I somehow love these blue buttons! One reason being, the seeds were give to me by my sister! I hope they make a riot in your garden! I'm as wicked as you're, so don't feel you're in a solitary island. :D
ReplyDeleteChandramouli, I'm so sorry your seeds didn't grow as expected. Sometimes gardening shakes us up a bit with disappointment. I managed to kill some seedlings I sprouted from seeds that Tina (In the Garden) had given me last year. I'm still not sure what went wrong. Glad I'm not alone in loving these Kornblumen. They bloom their little buttons off in silent protest to the purists.
ReplyDelete