WHAT'S IN A NAME

I just read an article about plant names. It wasn't about the fancy smansy or cutesy names hybridizers use to identify their new crosses. It was about the old fashioned names "just plain old folks " called their common, everyday plants.

"Kiss me over the garden gate"...how do you think Polygonum orientale earned that moniker! My research shows this plant is from China and was first grown by Thomas Jefferson in this country. Hmmm, is that a clue? Was Thomas Jefferson responsible for the name? The plant is described as having large, heart-shaped leaves and long, drooping spikes of rosy blooms that arch gracefully on stately, tall plants. Can you picture it draping itself over a peeling picket fence?


"Lady's Mantle", Alchemilla molis, was originally called "Our Lady's Mantle" because the scalloped shape of the leaves, were thought to resemble the mantle (cloak) of the Virgin Mary.


"Queen Anne's Lace", Daucus carota, is so called because the flower resembles lace; the red flower in the center represents a blood droplet where Queen Anne pricked herself with a needle when she was making the lace.


"Moon Flower", Ipomoea alba is so called because it blooms in the evening; the flowers open quickly at dusk and remain open til morning sun. The white moon flowers are pollinated by night-flying moths. A close relative of moon flowers are "Morning Glories" which open in the morning so they can be pollinated by bees and other day-active insects.


Then there are all the "wort" plants, such as spiderwort, lungwort, leadwort, St John's wort. The "wort" indicates the plant has medicinal/healing purposes for the condition or complaint mentioned in the first part of the name. If you're wondering about St John's wort, here is the explanation, it was used to ward off evil by hanging the plant over a picture in the house during St John's day.

GOOD DEEDS

“No good deed goes unpunished”. Who came up with that saying? If we all accepted that quote as the absolute truth, I doubt we’d ever perform any charitable deeds or contribute to any charitable cause. But we do raise our hands and volunteer to join this committee or that board. We do reach into our pockets to contribute to this school activity or that scout fundraiser. Perhaps those are not the types of good deeds for which we are punished. The good deeds that come back to bite us are the silent, less obvious to the recipient deeds. You volunteer to work Christmas Eve so your co-worker can spend the evening with her small children. You mow your neighbor’s lawn when you learn he’s been hospitalized. You invite a friend to dinner because she sounded a little depressed when she called. Lo and behold! Your co-worker accuses you of depriving her of overtime hours. When your neighbor returns home, he comments about the hack job someone did on his lawn. Your depressed friend calls the next day to tell you she thinks she has food poisoning. But you were only trying to help!

ANGELICA

Angelica! Have you heard of Angelica? When I googled I found Angelica, NY; Angelica Glass; Angelica Corporation, etc. This post is about Angelica, the herb. According to legend, Angelica was revealed in a dream about an angel as a cure for the plague. As an herbal medicine, it has been used for fevers; infections; blood purification; protection from contagions; perhaps as a cure for every conceivable malady. Today, it's main use is as a flavoring for confectionery and liqueurs and as an attractive addition to the garden.

Actually, if you want a conversation starter for your garden, Angelica would be it. Angelica can grow to a height of 6 to 8 feet. It's eye-catching and hardly anyone recognizes it.

I have grown Angelica for about 5 or 6 years. At first I thought it was a perennial. When it didn't return the following year, I concluded it was an annual or a perennial not hardy for my zone. When I did some research, I found that it is a biennial. I was excited to think all the little seedlings near the site of the original plant would be towering giants the following year. Alas, that didn't happen. The following year, I had horizontally larger leafy plants but no signs of a flowering stalk. More research. "Angelica usually only blooms every two, three, or even four years". Thank goodness I'm a patient person. This year I'm being rewarded with a blooming Angelica.

DAME'S ROCKET

This is the ideal time of the year to walk through the city parks. Masses of Dame's Rockets are blooming throughout the woods. It rained this morning so I grabbed my camera and headed to the park to photograph those lovely flowers before the clouds dissipated. Too bad I couldn't record their slightly spicy, slightly sweet fragrance also. It was so lovely walking along the park's paths. Singing birds, beautiful, fragrant flowers, the distant roar of the dams, all contributed to a totally sensory experience.

Most people are confused about Dame's Rockets. Most think they are an early form of garden phlox. Dame's Rocket is Hesperis matronalis, a member of the mustard family. Phlox is Phlox paniculata. Dame's Rocket has four petals as opposed to phlox's five petals. The leaves are much different also. Dame's Rocket was introduced to North America from Europe during colonial times. It was grown for the "beauty of it's floures" and also for it's herbal value as a fever breaker. Dame's Rocket is invasive and is listed as a noxious weed by the USDA.