Dan pointed to the south and told us they owned the next two hills, the one we saw had a trail running through it, as did the hill behind it. He reiterated that the farmers who owned the land before them had kept the vegetation under control, growing as much grass as possible. But they relaxed the land and let the wildness return.
“They’re going to cut the grass soon. They’re talking about doing that today, so you’re lucky you’re seeing it that way,” Dan told us. He went on to explain that once the grass starts to grow they will bring the sheep in again and then they work on eating the grass so that the rattle box he showed us earlier can germinate and control the grass the following spring.
While Karen and I stood there soaking this part of the garden, he excused himself to move the hose. Dan came back and said, “Let’s go back down the path.” We passed the blues, pinks and purples we had seen earlier. The path forked and suddenly we saw an incredible patch of yellow and white plants.
“I was so focused on the blues that I completely missed this bright plant,” I said. Dan smiled, and I could tell he was enjoying the surprise, as we had seen earlier in the Pictorial Meadows remix. “Let’s take the quiet road first,” Dan commented. It’s astounding to go from such cold colours to the rich brilliance presented to us.
In this space, digitalis (rusty mullein), xanthopanax (high xanthopanax), xanthopanax (long yellow xanthopanax) and swordflower (red fire poker) erupt from a layer of dahlias (Sicilian dahlias). Dan commented that both of these yellow cauliflowers are nocturnal, moth-pollinated plants and are starting to open.
This is really beautiful!
