Wednesday 31 May 2017





 Sicilian Honey Garlic (Nectaroscordum siculum) is an unusual looking plant that is always remarked upon by visitors to the garden during its season of growth (late spring-early summer).
 It's one of the Allium family of bulbs. The stems rise about a metre from the ground topped by what can best be described as a pod. The flowers push out of the pod to form an umbel. The Oxford English Dictionary describes an umbel as "a flower cluster like an umbrella" which pretty much sums it up.
 The bigger bumblebees home in on it and hang off the flowers having a good nosh. Then a final twist: once the flowers are pollinated they morph into seed heads that point straight up.