Pictures vs. words equals story
One adage indicates a word is worth one-thousandth of a picture, but I’ve seen photos that were a waste of words. It’s a mixed bag. Therefore, here are observations offering the backstories of photos recently taken.
A patch of oakleaf fleabane guards the gate behind which is my mower. No wonder I haven’t mowed this year. Fleabane is famous for being a short-lived perennial that frequents waste areas and roadsides, and it spreads its seeds by winds and traveling pollinators. A reasonable question I asked myself was how did a short-lived perennial establish itself in front of a useful gate? My fleabane lesson is don’t go away for half the month just as spring weather launches. Fleabane makes cool flowers, though.
The flowers might continue into summer unless I open the gate to get the mower. That would mean a gate drag at ground level leaving no prisoners. But I’m a gardener, so I’ll transplant them.
And another obstruction: Taking over the end of a pathway in the garden is a mighty stand of short wild roses which might be Rosa canina, or dog roses. Pink flowers bloom this time of year. They are followed by red hips which are packed with vitamin C and are used by crafty folks in making jelly, teas and sauces.
Cheerful flowers and happy jelly are fine by me, but the plants – just so you know – are relentless invaders. The contingent behind the Chickasaw Plum spread downhill, turned left at the pathway and one hundred percent possessed the first nine feet. It is now trying to annex the north end of the asparagus bed. A reasonable question I asked myself is how many pounds of rose hips do I need? Can I get by with fewer plants? The crew and I should evaluate.
During winter, I protected a few kale, lettuce and chard plants from the worst of winter, and they continued to produce in their mini greenhouse. That being over, their natural process in spring is to send up a stalk and make flowers. Kale flowerets are edible and tasty if you like kale. The lettuce plant has deep red stems and just began sprouting yellow flowers. One chard plant is as tall as a meter. That’s what they do – get tall and lanky and they’ll likely need staking. By autumn, a gardener who allows the full process should have plenty seeds and volunteers sprouting all over.
Also getting taller is the stalk from a valerian root, and the flowering has begun. At least my phone told me it was a valerian plant. I didn’t put it there. A friend watching the garden sneaked it in a few years ago. It will grow five feet tall or more, get gangly and need staking. There has been much conclusive research on the use valerian roots as a sedative. The leaves are bitter but edible. In 16th century England, the leaves were a popular flavoring agent for soups and stews. Even the flowers are edible. although I have not tried any.
Valerian roots are ready for harvest in autumn or early spring. They are famous for being stinky while they dry. Eventually, store them in a jar and use to prepare a calming tea. Use in moderation.
This is also the time for Siberian irises to bloom. The flowers are a transplendent purple, and those words don’t paint the picture. The rhizomes of different iris plants will spread underground and interweave forming a chaos of root matter over time, but they still produce wonderful flowers with little attention from the gardener. The plants would benefit from occasional separating which might extend the flowering time. Plants benefit from a period of cold, so planting new rhizomes in autumn might produce flowers the next spring.
So, more than 600 words for a few photos. Would the photos alone tell the story?