The leaves appeared a while ago: delicate shiny green leaves growing on the forest floor. But now we have flowers, too! These flowers are small, pink and white, bell-shaped, and fragrant. The blossom part of each flower is about 1 cm long. Any idea what this is? I'm going to transplant a bit of it to my garden-to-be, and hope it'll thrive.
Looks like Linnea borealis. Common name twin flower. http://images.google.com/images?q=l...1I7SUNA_en-GB&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wi
I just love these wee flowers. We bought some to grow in our garden, but sadly conditions weren't right for it, and it died. We have seen it growing well in a garden near here, thriving in a shady mossy area. We will have to have another go! It grows wild in Scotland and the North of England. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linnaea
Hi Silver - if you want to try it again, look out for the N American subspecies Linnaea borealis subsp. americana, that is better adapted to the climate here than N European subsp. borealis. The N European subspecies needs a more cool continental climate (that's why in Britain it is only successful in the uplands of Scotland and the far north of England). As an aside, the English populations may not be wild, but introduced accidentally with Scots Pine planting stock brought down from Scotland in the 18th-19th centuries.
Hi Michael. Many thanks, I'll try that. I have found that only one nursery in the U.K. is list as selling L. borealis sub americana. White Cottage Alpines at Sigglesthorpe East Yorkshire. I'll get in touch with them right away!
Good luck! "Linnaea was named by the celebrated Gronovius and is a plant of Lapland, lowly, insignificant, disregarded, flowering but for a brief time—from Linnaeus, who resembles it" – Carolus Linnaeus, Critica Botanica: 80-81, 1737.
3 small plants received by return, and have now been in for about 3 weeks.They are looking strong and growing well. Hope they flower next year. I LOVE this wee plant!
Good luck! Since my above post (#6) I read that one of the Northumbs colonies is in a Scots Pine plantation that was established with trees imported from Norway.
