Heather with multiple personalities!

I've mentioned before that I have a lot of heather (Calluna vulgaris) that arose as either seedlings or trimmings from the annual shearing that rooted and mutated and that I've selected certain forms of these spontaneous propatations. On Sunday I was taking pictures for this week and noticed that the plant from which most of those random mutations arose is at it again. This time, the entire plant seems to have developed multiple personalities, with flowers ranging from dark pink, almost red, to light lilac pink. There are even a couple grey and orange shoots coming up out of the main plant. These two shoots are likely mutations that have grown up from within the plant, or even growing all the way through the plant from the ground, but I have no idea how the different flower colors have become so widely and evenly distributed throughout the plant. It makes an interesting effect, though. There seems to be two colors mixed evenly through the entire 3+ foot-wide plant, a darker pink and a light lavender pink, even some darker lavender in the interior. Both change colors as they age from buds to fully open flowers, making for a subtle rainbow of color. At the bottom in the forefront, you can also see the white buds of the grey shoot and just above that, a single orange shoot.


Plants, they never cease to amaze or surprise.

Comments

  1. Whatever caused it, the result is beautiful!

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  2. Is it time to name a new variety Mr. Bean?

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    Replies
    1. I doubt this is one plant anymore, or if it is I doubt it could be reliably reproduced. Maybe one of the offspring that I've selected, though...

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