Sunday, September 6, 2009

Today's flowers #56 - Kiss me over the garden gate

Kiss-me-over-the-garden-gate! WOW, have you heard of such a name? ... that must be one of the longest names given to a plant! Also, I have these images of young couples sneaking kisses over the garden gate, don't you? A couple of years ago, a friend gave me KMOTGG seeds. She told me that they are heirloom seeds and described to me what the stems would look like so that I would not mistake it with a weed. Unfortunately no plants came up. Since then I learned that the seeds need a cold period before they will germinate. It was suggested that storing them in the refrigerator should do the trick, or store them in a cool garage or basement before planting them in the early spring.
I saw her again in the early spring of this year and told her that I didn't have any luck sowing those seeds. The following day she gave me eight plants that are already about 6-8 inches tall. I shared four to a few friends.
It's hard for me to describe the stems, so I took a picture. It almost looks like bamboo; with rings and that thingy covering it. :)


And here they are now, standing tall!


I just love these tiny bell-shaped, slightly fragrant, delicate pink flowers, elegantly draping the large heart-shaped leaves. It's too bad Japanese beetles devoured some of the leaves. I go around almost every afternoon with a soapy water container picking and drowning those pesky beetles!


Here's a close-up of these rare and colorful plants of yesteryear. I'm hoping that I will have more next year because although kmotgg is an annual the flowers produce seeds for new plants in the spring.


For more of Today's Flowers please visit the TF team.

19 comments:

Chubskulit Rose said...

I've never seen that kind of flower yet.. It's gorgeous!

Ebie said...

The name of the flower is long and the first time I have heard of it. They look so pretty and gorgeous!

Rosamaria said...

It's very nice. I also didn't know.

Good week for you.

Carletta said...

I'd heard of these but didn't know what they looked like. They certainly are tall enough to reach over the garden gate.
Those beetles are my most hated pest. :)
Nice shots!

VALKYRIEN said...

Lol! What a fun name! And the flowers are indeed pretty! Thank you for sharing on Today's Flowers!

Unknown said...

I would love to try this plant . I love the waving quality sandy

Tammie Lee said...

That last shot shows the close up beauty. Lovely.
Spirithelpers

Mari said...

wow, nance! i love this flower. the shape is so unique and the color is lovely. you really make magic with your plants.

Arija said...

I do love the old fashioned name and flower. I have one in my garden called kiss-me-quick.

Betsy Banks Adams said...

What a cute flower, Nance. I've never heard of "Kiss Me over the Garden Gate" before. Neat name!!!!!

Thanks for sharing.
Hugs,
Betsy

dodong flores 도동 플로오리스 said...

Hi, Ate Nance!
It surely looks like a very beautiful plant...

This Is My Blog - fishing guy said...

Nance: What a neat flower with the pretty blooms.

DeniseinVA said...

A wonderful name for a plant and your photos were great. Thank you for sharing the interesting information about them also, a wonderful post. Thank you also for visiting my blog and leaving such a nice comment. I'm a little late catching up with people who have been kind enough to do that but I'll get here eventually :) Have a great week.

PinayWAHM said...

Very nice....at ang haba nga ng pangalan ah...LOL. Tuloy acronym na lang natandaan ko...hehe...

How was your long weekend, Nance?

J

Meryl (proud pinay) said...

nice plant....ang ganda din ng name nya ^_^ nice photos ^_^

Tracy said...

LOVE the name of that plant/flower...and love that bright pink-purple color...GORGEOUS! Happy weekend, Nance :o) ((HUGS))

Bargain Decorating with Laurie said...

What a pretty, pretty flower. laurie

International Flower Delivery said...

it's so cute flower.

thegardencottagebnb said...

I had a guest give me some seeds... i am going to plant them this spring and see what happens...Love the name and your pictures!!!! Thanks for sharing!!
Diana
http://www.thegardencottagebnb.com