Physostegia virginiana: flowers

Physostegia virginiana, known in English as obedient plant and in French as physostegia or physostégie, is a perennial native to much of eastern and central North America. It has spires of pink blossoms with a unique property: each flower is attached by a kind of hinge, and if you push it into a new position it will stay there (hence the English common name).

I photographed this lovely clump at Earl Beatty Public School.

Oxalis stricta: flowers

Oxalis species, known as wood sorrel in English or oxalide in French, are a group of small flowering plants with three-part leaves that may be confused with clover; however the flowers are quite different than clover, being single with five petals. There are a number of species of Oxalis with yellow flowers, and I'm not sure which one this is, but it volunteered all over the garden so I'm giving it the benefit of the doubt and assuming it's the native Oxalis stricta species.

Papaver rhoeas 'Double Shirley Mix': flowers

Papaver rhoeas, known in English as field poppy and in French as coquelicot is an annual native to south-eastern Europe and Asia Minor. It bears large showy red flowers with papery petals, each flower lasting only one day. 'Double Shirley Mix' has flowers with red, light red, white, and bicolour flowers. Deadheading is important to ensure prolonged blooming; the poppies in our garden set seed and died when I went away for a week. Field poppies are easy to grow; direct-sow their seeds in a sunny spot in early spring, or even the autumn before. They will self-sow.

Geranium robertianum: flowers

Geranium robertianum, known in English as herb Robert, redshank, bloodwort, fox geranium, or red robin, and in French as herbe à Robert, is an annual or biennial native to North America. Unlike the plants commonly known as "geraniums" (which are really Pelargoniums), this wild geranium has finely divided somewhat fern-like leaves and single dainty five-petaled pink flowers.

I suppose it's cheating to include this photo in this blog as it was taken in Almonte, in eastern Ontario, rather than Toronto, and growing wild rather than in a garden. But it certainly could be grown in Toronto gardens...

Coriandrum sativum: flowers

Coriandrum sativum, known in English as "cilantro", "Chinese parsley", or "coriander", and in French as coriandre, is an annual herb native to southwest Asia and north Africa. Its leaves are deliciously (or revoltingly, to some people) fragrant, and its seeds are an important ingredient in Indian cooking. By the time it bolts, like in this photo, the leaves are no longer good for eating, but the delicate flowers are pretty and there are the seeds to look forward to. I find that cilantro self-seeds to some extent.

Arctotis stoechadifolia: flower

Arctotis stoechadifolia, known in English as "blue-eyed African daisy" and in French as oreille d'ours, is tender perennial (grown as an annual in Toronto) native to South Africa.

I got the seeds for my African daisies from Florabunda Seeds, an Ontario nursery specializing in heirloom plants (they sell it under the old name, Arctotis grandis).

Ipomoea tricolor 'Heavenly Blue': flower

Ipomoea tricolor, known in English as morning glory or grannyvine and in French as ipomée tricolor is a tender perennial* climbing vine native to the tropics of the Americas. The large trumpet shaped blossoms, which may be blue, purple, white, or pink, open early in the morning and close as the temperature rises. The cultivar shown, 'Heavenly Blue', has especially large blossoms in an exquisite true blue. Seeds are best directly sown in the garden after the last frost; soak them 24 hours before planting.

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* grown as an annual in Toronto.