I believe every garden needs a touch of blue. But blue is also the hardest flower color to find. For several years I have relied on a lesser-known flower, scaevola, to add a splash of color to my gardens. It is commonly called “fan flower” for its left-handed, one-side blooms that resemble a fan. Native to Australia, fan flower is a prolific bloomer, loves the heat, requires no dead-heading, and little or no fertilizer. These features make it an almost perfect flower. It is equally lovely as a well-behaved ground cover in front of plants or in pots trailing down the side of other plants. It can be found in many colors - light blue, brilliant bluish/purple, pink and white.
My quilt is a representation of the very top of a blue scaevola plant using varying colors of solid 100% cotton fabric. I first made a photo of my daughter’s fan flowers. Then I cut out each piece of the flower, using copies of the photo as my patterns. The pieces were raw-edge fused onto the green background. The quilting was done using multiple colors of Ricky Tims Art Studio threads.
I hope you will begin adding this little-known flower to your garden. I promise it will bring you much joy.
Below are photos of this little-known flower!
[Alice posted for Carolyn who was having computer problems!]
[Alice posted for Carolyn who was having computer problems!]
Carolyn, your quilt is exquisite! You did an amazing job of capturing this beautiful flower in fabric. I love the varying shades of blue for the flower in your quilt, and the quilting enhances beautifully.
ReplyDeleteStunning and so serene. I love all your varied blues and purples. I've never heard of this flower but will now see if it is something that will grow in the Northeast as it does sound perfect! Thank you for the introduction.
ReplyDeleteCarolyn, I LOVE your quilt, and the introduction to a new (for me !) flower ! As a "State of Texas Certified Master Gardener" I'll definitely be on the lookout for this gorgeous flower :-D
ReplyDeleteYou did an outstanding job on recreating your flower - your color choices are perfect !
Thanks for sharing your quilt with us, and for informing us about this beautiful Native Species ! ! !
Carolyn, I LOVE your quilt, and the introduction to a new (for me !) flower ! As a "State of Texas Certified Master Gardener" I'll definitely be on the lookout for this gorgeous flower :-D
ReplyDeleteYou did an outstanding job on recreating your flower - your color choices are perfect !
Thanks for sharing your quilt with us, and for informing us about this beautiful Native Species ! ! !
Lovely little rosetteos flowers you portrayed beautifully!! This is my favorite color combination!! A favorite of yours!!
ReplyDeleteOh what a sweet quilt! The way you used the different blue fabrics to give depth is perfect. Thank you for sharing this unique flower with us. I have never heard of it nor seen (noticed) it in any gardens.
ReplyDelete