Flower Friday ~ Mysterious shrub

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Friday 07 August, 2015 by Uncle Spike

This small shrub is an interesting one. In winter it literally looks like a dead twig; in fact, next to the woodpile it looks so bad I’d probably put it in with the firewood, if I didn’t know different. But come summer… 

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In June-July each summer, it has these exquisite little deep maroon coloured flower buds, and then they burst open to reveal these pink flowers.

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It’s a tough shrub too. Freezing down to -5C (23F) last winter didn’t seem to bother it, not does our 45C (113F) summers. I water it perhaps weekly, but it never seems to show any signs of distress.

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So who can identify this mysterious one then?

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