Unstoppable Convolvulus althaeoides

I have been waiting patiently for them to finally open. I knew they grow near a path I take a few times a week, and I could see the leaves and buds showing up. But I wanted the flowers. The large, intense, round flowers.
Finally the day has come, and as every previous year, they did not disappoint.

Convolvulus althaeoides

It is a weed, what else. But it doesn't mean it is not pretty and I remember some years ago I tried to get some to grow in my pot. I wanted it to climb around the balcony fence, but that didn't really work out, and I had more cleaning than I wanted to :p
Now I admire them only in the wild.

It is a perennial plant native to the Mediterranean region. It will crawl along the ground and climb on anything they find on their way. Which has its charm if it's a wild area. I can imagine it can be a bit problematic if they try to take over the garden and all the fancy bushes planted then :D





Flowers are about 4 cm across with a darker center, and they are as delicate as poppies. If you ever touch poppy petals, than you will know how lovely, and fragile they are. They will slowly show up along the stem as the older ones face and produce seeds.

Blooming time starts around March and lasts until the end of June. The hot and dry summer dries the flowers, leaves and stems. The plant goes dormant, and in late winter it starts growing again.

You can see that the flower stems are not very long, but since they can climb up, they do seem to grow quite high. Some of the ones here were trying to reach the top of the grasses.

And now a bit of a photo spam, because I could not stop shooting. They all looked so nice. And I knew soon they would be all gone.

Traditionally a lovely, old graphic from 1806:



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