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Winter Aconite  or (better)  Eranthis

2/25/2014

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The Latin name  of Eranthis has its roots in Greek and combines spring and flower, a very nice  and welcome combination.  The common name: winter aconite,  is slightly malicious as it refers to the poisonous sap of a  summer blooming  plant called Aconitum napellus,  whose  usually blue flowers resemble majestic  inflorescences of larkspur.  But in no way do they  have the look of  bright yellow Eranthis, whose buds  appear unimaginably early  like... February. Yes, they are poisonous, but nobody wants to eat them. Flying insects are probably of  a different opinion for the flowers secrete sweet nectar and offer some tasty pollen, so the winged creatures must be  very happy to find a place to eat after long winter months of starvation. As we enjoy observing  their busy lunchtime  we can also satisfy our eyes with golden yellow flowers, the forerunners of far more busy moments to come. 

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Mary's Milk Drops

2/13/2014

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"Once upon a time the Virgin was slowly waking to Jerusalem carrying her  little baby in her arms. She wanted to present her beloved son to the Temple. The weather was hot and she knew that soon she would have to feed the infant. She sat quietly in a nearby garden and begun to nurse  the baby when suddenly... she had a horrible  vision which made her weep without consolation. She saw the future fate of her son and started trembling with horror.  As she shook, the mouth of the baby pulled loose from her teat and several milk drops fell onto the leaves of a plant growing next to her feet. At the same time her tears dropped on the little buds changing them pink red,  the colour of her weeping eyes. When the buds opened into flowers, they were as blue as Mary's veil."  That was the way how Jerusalem cowslip or Mary's milk drops, or Adam and Eve, or soldiers and sailors, or spotted dog, or lungwort, or Pulmonaria officinalis appeared in the world. 

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Lucky Leaf

2/7/2014

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And extremely easy to find because it  can be grown on... a window sill.  Unlike the four-leaf clover whose dubious or at least mutable existence makes all of us spend hours in the meadow, busily scanning  all growing shamrock to find a reward: a four-leaf  trefoil. You really are lucky if you find one.  However, if you do not feel like  hunting for luck in the field and  would like to have  at home a potful of lucky leaves - without any substantial effort - all you need to do is buy a bag of small bulbs labelled: Oxalis deppei or Iron Cross (its  common name) and simply plant them in a pot. Within two or three weeks the first lucky leaves will appear and start  working wonders. Some of them are even observable as the leaves move. Botanists have coined a somewhat little flattering term for that activity and call it nasty. Well, it is the photonasty.

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    I was destined to be born gardener. In order to become a professional  one I had to enjoy years of studying at various  schools and  universities...  read more

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