Thistles

OK, maybe we are are biased up here but what better excuse for having a patch of jaggy thistles in the garden?







Taken end of August last year, there were loads of them! I've also seen a pair of goldfinches feeding on the seedheads

 

WOW!!!!!!! Beautiful so lifelike

 

Superb pics F.
What camera/lens and did you use a tripod?

 

Great picture, but I would sooner have them on a Budlea - the field next door to me is full of thistles in the summer and all the seed blows onto my patch

 

Do any of you grow milk thistles ? as they make lovely plants in the garden and the flower heads are nice dried and can be used for flower arrangements in the winter..I grow milk thistle and i will take a photo of some when they are in flower..Hope nothing feeds on my thistle seeds as i want them to make tea with!!

 

I grow a thistle that I got from the car boot sale and it is fantastic - called sillybum 0 HONESTLY!

It grows to about f foot high has fantastic silver and gree leaves and absolutely masses of vivid purple flowers. Then it dies and seeds all over the garden.

 

waco that sounds like milk thistle ..you can grind the seeds and make tea with them its an excellent plant to keep your liver healthy...some people also stew the leaves but i personally dont fancy that..allthough thety say it tastes like spinach..you can also eat the flower buds like artichoke....and the roots can also be eaten..the milk thistle got its name as they say the virgin marys milk ran down the leaves hence its name marianum ..and the silymarin part came from its unique flavolignans which protect the liver from toxins..i prefer to dry mine to put in a vase for the winter as they really are attractive..

 

The slugs seem to love milk thistle and i have to keep mine with a circle of blue pellets round it or else i will get up and all thats left is a stalk..as that has happend before..well they must be healthy slugs!!

 

Thats a lovely story wildflower, thanks I will see them in a different light now. as to my liver.......um well I am mindfull that it is getting up to G & T time!

I am lucky, don't get any slugs - I have even seen them beginning to grow in the farmers field next to me, what fun to see a field full of them!

 

I hope you mean the thistles and not the slugs, Waco!! :eek:

BTW - what incredible photos, Froggy!! Can't be this year, tho???

 

Oh what lovely pictures.

 

Well dendrobium, mine is not an incredible photo but is this year (Sunday) peakock butterfly that is. (Primrose thread)

AND yes I mean thistles not slugs - YUCK - bet the little ***** get my Solomons seal though!

 

love the avatar, Wildflower! Your garden?

 

Yes, great avatar wildflower!

 

I had to get the web master to put it on for me as i just couldnt get my head round it..yes it is my garden..if he hadnt done it i would have remained blank forever...as it was confusing...going back to the milk thistle well i planted some once and got up the next day and their was nothing their at all..i seem to have loads of slugs and i have loads of frogs so i dont know what is going on..and as for the milk thistle they adore it...i have had to plant mine right in the middle of my new wild flower plot as i have small grand children and they might start handling them and they come a bit sharp..so they are out of reach...