mystery flowers
I’m on a mission! My friend Jessie Gladin-Kramer brought me these beautiful flowers for my birthday. They’re growing in her wild backyard, and the more pruning she does, the more she has in the spring. They have multiple blooms on each stem… and no one knows what they are! Maybe you do? I’d love to plant some!
photos by jessie
Categories: plants & gardening
Responses to “mystery flowers”
Cindy Agoncillo
April 11, 2011 at 9:47 amDo they have any fragrance? They look like it might be related to jasmine, but I’m not sure. They ARE beautiful and look great! Happy Birthday :)
melissa
April 11, 2011 at 10:22 amIt may be Abeliophyllum distichum, also known as White forsythia. http://www.arhomeandgarden.org/plantoftheweek/articles/White_Forsythia.htm
Beautiful!
alyson
April 11, 2011 at 11:55 amI was going to say they looked like Jasmine too!
Heather
April 11, 2011 at 1:02 pmIt would be easier to identify them if we saw the growing habit. The stems are green, which looks like a bulb of some sort but if it gets more plentiful as she “prunes” then it sounds more like a shrub or perennial. Do you know how big the plant is? I’m pretty certain It is not a white forsythia or a jasmine. They are beautiful and I hate an unsolved mystery!
Carrie
April 11, 2011 at 1:08 pmDo they have a smell? They look like hyacinths, which have a really distinctive floral smell.
Maybe you can dig up one of the mystery plants to transplant into your yard?
erin
April 11, 2011 at 1:37 pmmaybe: http://www.prod.bulbsonline.org/ibc/us_en/publiek/flowerbulb.jsf/bulbs_gardening/spring-blooming-bulbs/scilla/Scilla-mischtschenkoana.html
or:
http://www.brentandbeckysbulbs.com/spring/productview/?sku=39-0102
???
Natalie
April 11, 2011 at 1:49 pmLooks like a variety of hyacinth, perhaps scilla?
http://www.johnscheepers.com/catview.cgi?_fn=Item&_recordnum=3985&_category=Scilla
Jessie
April 11, 2011 at 2:12 pmEllie, I’m sure your readers won’t disappoint! I don’t think they’re white forsythia, definitely leaning toward some kind of bulb. Sadly I didn’t get a photo of what they look like before cut and now they’re gone. No smell… They grow in small clusters straight up from the ground on a long straight stem, with several blossoms on the top part. Next year we’ll start transplanting!
Eli Van Zoeren
April 11, 2011 at 2:18 pmMy mom (who I’m visiting now, and who is a naturalist) suggests maybe some kind of narcissus? The ones I’m used to have a strong smell, but maybe this variety doesn’t…
Allison
April 11, 2011 at 3:28 pmThis was my guess:
http://www.kilianhardware.com/papflowbul.html
But I can’t tell for sure.
Heather
April 11, 2011 at 4:33 pmMy initial guess was also Scilla so with several others guessing that and knowing that they are more than likely a bulb and already done blooming I think you can pretty safely assume the mystery is solved. They also come in a lovely blue variety!
Meighan
April 11, 2011 at 4:58 pmIt looks to me like Ornithogalum nutans
Renee
April 11, 2011 at 6:07 pmMeighan, my first guess was rain lilies or Star of Bethlehem, but the drooping was what threw me off. I think you nailed it. They’re both all over the place right now.
Heather
April 11, 2011 at 6:17 pmI change my vote to rain lilies or star of bethlehem too now! The green on the backsides of the petals and the way they are clustered and droop on the stem do make them slightly different than scilla (plus the white scilla has a hint of blue).
ellie
April 11, 2011 at 6:30 pmThanks Meighan, that’s definitely it!! Phew! Can’t wait to plant a heap of these.
kelsey
April 15, 2011 at 3:33 amsome sort of wild phlox, maybe?