Red Butte Gardens

Mom & I went to Red Butte Gardens today after her doctors appointment. We walked all around the garen and it was absolutly beautiful. Everything that could be in bloom this time of year was in bloom! When we passed a hibiscus flower I noticed that it came from the mallow family and I wondered if it was related to globe mallow, a delightful organge wild flower that Mom & I both love to spot in the Sonoran desert (it also grows in the Utah desert). We passed a globe mallow plant on the path on our way out and I picked one of the tiny booms and showed it to Mom. It was amazing to look at it closely because it was a hibiscus in miniature. What was really cool about the whole discovery was that not only did we get to see a "hibiscus" the size of a thumb, there was also an amazing hibiscus plant with bright red blooms about the size of a face. It was amazing to see the same structure in both blooms despite the significant size difference. We also saw a plant with a purple stem which Mom & I both found to be very unique and interesting. We saw a red bloom that appeared to be related to the clover.

One of the truly wonderful things about Red Butte is the herb garden that they have. I always get a taste or smell of something while I am in there. This time the bloom of one of the herbs was unmissable. It seems like the plant is 99% bloom and about 1% herb leaf. It is called Hardy Dittany "Origanum rotundifolium" (The pic of the purplish/pinkish and white bloom). In addition to enjoying the wonderful smell of this Hardy Dittany we also tasted some edible flowers that they had in the herb garden!