St. Augustine believed that "He that is not jealous is not in love". In my opinion this brave observation justifies a lot of situations whose justification seems to be -at the minimum- problematic. That was the famous case of Othello, who probably spent too much time reading St. Augustine's Confessions without due reflection and later did what he did to poor Desdemona, taking her life away out of love, of course!
The names of both tragic heroes have been given to a pair of beautiful flowering perennials whose yellow and orange flowers might stir jealous -like emotions in everyone who happens to see the cultivars in full bloom. It is one of that rare cases when jealousy is thoroughly accounted for unless it leads to strangulation of anyone. Now, having been warned, you can rush to a garden center and look for the most trustful Othello despite the obvious oxymoron heard in this description.
The names of both tragic heroes have been given to a pair of beautiful flowering perennials whose yellow and orange flowers might stir jealous -like emotions in everyone who happens to see the cultivars in full bloom. It is one of that rare cases when jealousy is thoroughly accounted for unless it leads to strangulation of anyone. Now, having been warned, you can rush to a garden center and look for the most trustful Othello despite the obvious oxymoron heard in this description.
Ligularia dentata is a stately perennial with big, round purple leaves and yellow-orange daisy like flowers which attract butterflies of all sorts. The plant comes from China and Japan and presents that wonderful Asian daintiness so appreciated by painters. Not only its flowers are an artistic theme for great water-colours but also the ornamental leaves which are deep shining purple when very young and later show prominent burgundy veins and undersurfaces. In mid-summer the leafy clumps start to change their appearance and flower stalks shoot from within. They are 1-1.5 m (3-5 ft.) tall and bear a lot of buds wrapped in a specially developed ornamental bract. When the buds are ready the bract slowly reveals the contents and the festival begins. It lasts until late September and early October when the bright yellow and orange flowers are replaced with fluffy fruit heads. They are exceptionally durable and withstand winter harsh conditions with dignity and intact charm, looking remarkably appealing when covered with frost.
Ligularia is a precious shade garden plant but it also thrives in full sun providing the soil is rich and the roots have ample water. On very hot days the leaves tend to lose turgor but regain their composure in the afternoon. We must never forget about watering the plants in summer if we plan to make other people feel jealous of our Othello and Desdemona. I also suggest that you control snails and slugs. Their unwelcome visits can be seen from a distance as big unsightly holes in the leaves. Both leaves (without holes) and flowers are perfect for cutting. Ligularia also grows well in big pots and other containers.
While reading about Desdemona and Othello why not listen to their tender loving conversation from Verdi's "Otello"sung by two great opera singers: Teresa Żylis- Gara and Franco Corelli. Caution: the duet can make you forget about Ligularia, which would be a shame, but I am not going to be jealous!
Ligularia is a precious shade garden plant but it also thrives in full sun providing the soil is rich and the roots have ample water. On very hot days the leaves tend to lose turgor but regain their composure in the afternoon. We must never forget about watering the plants in summer if we plan to make other people feel jealous of our Othello and Desdemona. I also suggest that you control snails and slugs. Their unwelcome visits can be seen from a distance as big unsightly holes in the leaves. Both leaves (without holes) and flowers are perfect for cutting. Ligularia also grows well in big pots and other containers.
While reading about Desdemona and Othello why not listen to their tender loving conversation from Verdi's "Otello"sung by two great opera singers: Teresa Żylis- Gara and Franco Corelli. Caution: the duet can make you forget about Ligularia, which would be a shame, but I am not going to be jealous!
Jarek
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