Walking around yesterday, I encountered this flowering plant on the corner of 17th and Q streets. It seems to inconsistently turn red on the outsides of some of its older leaves, which looks nice, but is kind of jarring when only a few are doing it.
It adds a very nice splash of colour to the otherwise predominantly green background. The plant is in a well-tended, lush front yard that is absolutely crammed full and in a very high-traffic area. I have much respect for the person/people who maintain these plants, as they all seem generally healthy and happy to be exactly where they are.
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It would not surprise me at all if the people who own the place would rather this plant not grow there: unless I miss my guess, this is a Houttuynia 'Chamaeleon,' which is a hard-core invasive, hated by many. Pretty, I'll grant you. But impossible to eradicate once established, I hear. Also a lot of people object to the smell, though it doesn't smell that bad to me. Sorta fishy, but in a good way. Other people say citrusy. Be interested to hear what it smells like to you.
ReplyDeleteI detected zero smell. Maybe it only smells en mass, or during the day--I just walked by it again less than an hour ago (around 10 PM), sniffed the flowers, rubbed some leaves: nothing.
ReplyDeleteBut then, my nose is pretty mercurial. Sometimes I'll smell something from miles away that no one else notices, other times I can walk through shit without even a hint of a whiff of ick.
I blame it on the ammonia.