Friday, November 15, 2013

Mutant "Freaks" in the Garden


Here is an interesting look at coneflowers from this past summer.  They are a very hardy group of plants needing no care what-so-ever.  There are hundreds here in the Gardens at Waters East.  The colors, the forms, the vitality of these plants adds much to any garden space.  As a contrast to these “regular” coneflower plants which are posted here, take notice as you scroll down the photos.  You will find “mutations”.  There were three different “mutant” plants this year.  Something happened to make these blooms turn out the way they did.  Any ideas?
Check out these coneflowers.



 Field of Coneflowers

 Mutant

 Mutant



 Mutant



 White & Purple Coneflowers
Lake Michigan in Background

NOTE:   Since this Blog is meant to be an accurate journal of the gardens;
no photos are “staged”, “arranged”, or ”photo-shopped” in anyway.
What is posted – is what it here.  It is what it is.


Coneflower Seed Heads
photo taken tonight
11.15.13

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Reference Note:  For a complete list of the ten (10) Principles of Design plus the special “Golden Principle of Design” used throughout Gardens at Waters East, check out the archive postings for November 14 – 24, 2010 and May 2, 2011.

13 comments:

  1. First of all, I love your photos! The garden is gorgeous, even this late in the year. I'm just in from working tonight, we had such nice weather today, didn't we?

    The mutant coneflowers are unfortunately, very common in my garden, too. I think it's called 'aster yellows' and is spread by leafhoppers. The only cure for it is to destroy the affected plants. I have had to cull a great many of my coneflowers which is sad. There's always something to make gardening more of a challenge, isn't there?

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  2. Such a shame. I agree it's aster yellows.

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  3. The coneflowers look pretty with the Echinops. Too bad about the diseased ones. I'm tryng to grow more from seed for next year, but they probably won't bloom until the following year.

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  4. I agree beautiful photos. It does look like aster yellows to me to. What are the blue flowers? are they sea holly?

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  5. Wow, some of them don't even look like Coneflowers--they look more like Asters or something else. Oh, and now I see Karen's comment. That has never happened to mine--although there are always a few slightly wonky blooms on each plant. Gorgeous, gorgeous views of the lake in the background!

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  6. Well, I was thinking you could make lots of money with a different type of coneflower, but then I read Karen's comment. So sorry! Your coneflowers are beautiful in the field.

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  7. Wow those are really beautiful! And I love the mutants. It's interesting how nature just decides to make a change. That is how we get some of the coolest plants!

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  8. They are so beautiful ! My favorits are the white coneflowers. So sorry for the disease, Jack ...

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  9. Ah, comments show wiser commenters know it's leaf hopper damage. I was going to suggest fasciation - about which I know nothing just that I saw a picture of it in my pests and diseases book a while back and thought it might be it. I'll put a link cos I found one - and, you never know, it might be useful one day!
    http://apps.rhs.org.uk/advicesearch/profile.aspx?pid=525

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  10. Ditto and ditto.....Love the seed head photo.

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  11. I think the white flowers are echinacea and red ones are rudbeckia. But may be I'm wrong...

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  12. So gorgeous pictures!
    I would love to be there...

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