I am trying to identify a couple of plants growing on my rockery before I dig the whole lot up and replant it with tortoise friendly plants - he loves basking on the rockery and it would be great to turn it into a torti buffet where he can browse safely without having to be watched all the time.
In the photo there are two very pretty plants, they both both spread like wildfire, the blue one has just started flowering (it is actually a little more mauve than in the picture) and the pink one is in bud but not flowering yet (and is a brighter pink than the picture shows) Both plants are both quite low to the ground - maybe 6".
(http://img443.imageshack.us/img443/8206/pict0229vx6.jpg) (http://imageshack.us)
Any idea's would be fantastic.
Thanks
Helen (& George Torti)
The plant on the left of the picture looks like a member of the phlox family
?subulata (looked it up in one of my books).
The blue plant on the right, could also be another member of the phlox family.
If you do decide to dig them out and chuck them away, I wouldn't mind scrounging a bit of the blue (right hand of picture) plant.
I have one or two alpine plants I could swap.
valmarg
Agree, both of them are Phlox subulata-douglassii hybrids. There are a lot of them and it is hard to decide btween them. They are very easy from cuttings and respond well to cutting back after flowering.
Thank you Valmarg & Palustris, I didn't have a clue what they were and having googled phlox I agree totally. As they are not on my torti dinner menu I will be moving them but there will be plenty left over, Valmarg PM me your address and when I get round to ripping it out I will stick some in the post for you.
I thought you'd like to see George on the rockery :-)
(http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/6639/pict0939tu3.jpg) (http://imageshack.us)
Thanks again
Helen
Awww isn't George lovely? Do tell us more about him, perhaps in Pets Corner?
G x
You could try and retrain George to like Phlox for dinner?
Just a thought!
Hi am new to this site, am from the wirral. George is sooooooooooo cute. I was thinking of getting one for my son for his 18th birthday he loves animals, have been looking at websites re care ect wondering if a juvenille or adult would be best. Have you had geoge since he was a baby does he hibernate or have you got indoor quarters?
I have sent you a PM Laura.
Hi Kev, thanks for the idea, I think George would try and eat it but it might not do him any good, better safe than sorry!
Helen