Floral Starry Night....

Night Sky Petunia

True wilderness is short on the ground in a city, even more so when you live on the fifth floor of a block of flats. Nevertheless, glimpses of the weird and wonderful of Nature are still to be found, even if not strictly speaking very 'natural'.

Cue in the many cultivars that I love to gaze at in the local garden centre and the latest find that really took my breath away.... The Night Sky Petunia. The paint-splash petals truly resemble the stars up in the firmament above and underline how nature is able to replicate itself, albeit with a little help in this case.

I was not the only one to be amazed by the Night Sky; when I returned, they had all gone!

However, the other flowering plants were still there to be admired, revealing their often subtle magic.

All those veined petals, feathery leaves, tiny hairs and downy layers - often barely visisble at a distance.

Some the beauty is pure, obvious elegance....

Some is just plain simplicity...

Or just bright and jaunty...

Well, as a tenuous (and rather depressing) link to starry skies, here's Don McLean's Vincent.

But then, back to these beauties...

I just can't take my eyes off these! I might well have to go back to the garden centre and actually buy a pot this time...