When the Brighton millpond path was created, a portion of it cut through the Old Village Cemetery. The shoreline in this section is separated from the cemetery by a high fence and the cement walkway.
Tiny white stars (Ipheion uniforum, “Alberto Castillo,” a South American bulb brought to Great Britain in 1820 from Argentina) blooms in this area. I doubt most walkers notice them. They are only 8″ tall and grow under Virginia Creeper (left), tall clumps of daylilies, and a tangle of shrubs. My explanation for their presence is that, many years ago, someone brought a pot of these flowers to a loved one’s grave. When they finished blooming, the contents of the pot were thrown into the hedgerow at the pond’s edge and the bulbs survived to bloom spring after spring. It might be a fantasy, but I like thinking it’s why they thrive in this unlikely, untended location.
