Not so spooky: Stories from the garden
During the beauty of the fall harvest we celebrate Halloween. The combination of enjoying the bounty and contemplating more ethereal issues makes this the perfect time to talk about myths, fables and folklore surrounding some of our favorite plants and gardening tactics.
Columbine. Here's great news from the Pottawatamie and other tribes - a love potion. A man would dry the seeds and rub the fragrance on the palm of his hand. Then he touched the hand of the lady of his dreams. Amazing how often this worked.
Purple Coneflower. Most cultures, including our own, have attributed healing properties to this easy-to-grow plant. From reducing fever to curing a variety of skin disorders or boosting the immune system, echinacea purpurea is the plant of choice.
Pasque flower. This is the earliest spring flower to bloom in South Dakota and is the state flower. The Lakota attributed to it the power to bring other plants back to life, and different cultures thought it worked with various issues connected with childbirth. However, it is toxic.
Bloodroot or sanguinaria. This sounds scary enough and is indeed toxic and caustic. Named after the reddish sap in the roots, it was used commercially in toothpaste and mouthwash.
Meadow rue or thalictrum occidentale. The most exotic use the Lakota found was to burn the plant, then run their hands through the smoke to give them luck with gambling.
Look-alikes. Many cultures thought plants aided the body part that they resemble. These include hepaticas or liverwort and toothwort from the mustard family. "Wort" is an old word for plant.
Pumpkins. Like all fables, this one might not really be the inspiration for the origin of the term jack-o'-lantern. The story is an Irishman played a trick and made the devil promise not to take his soul when he died. Since God would not let Jack into heaven either, he ended up wandering the world. At least he had a carved turnip with a candle in it to show the way. And when the Irish came to America, they learned pumpkins were easier to carve than turnips and other root vegetables.
Squirrels. It's no myth that these critters love to chomp on your pumpkins. Spray your prized squash with clear matte acrylic sealant. If the squirrels can't smell it, they might not eat it.
Mums. Myth: Buy a blooming mum this fall, and it will grow back next year. The reality: Most will not. But if you put yellow, white and purple ones - not copper or gold - in well-drained soil, they might bloom again.
Wounds. Myth: When you prune a tree or it is otherwise wounded, it will heal faster if you coat it with tar or pruning paint. Reality: Painting could trap more bacteria or fungus, and fresh air is the best healer.
Peat moss. Myth: This easy-to-find organic material works well to amend your soil. Reality: If you work this into clay soil, you are making a big mistake, similar to adding a sponge to already-soggy soil.
Pruning. Myth: Prune leaves to compensate for reduced roots on a transplanted plant. Reality: Don't touch the leaves. They are the engine that will help the plant produce new roots.
Roots. Myth: Tree roots end at the drip line. Reality: If you enjoy the clay soil typical to our region, the roots are forced to stay close to the surface and go much, much wider than the drip line.
Water. Myth: You can stop watering when the temperature drops to 40 degrees. Reality: Unless it rains, you need to water trees and shrubs and any plants you were watering in warmer weather - especially new plantings - until the ground freezes. Wilting is not a good indicator of water requirements. It means roots are dying, and repeated wilting can lead to death of the plant.
• Folklore was collected from Jan Little, assistant director of education at the Morton Arboretum; myths about planting tactics and jack-o'-lanterns came from Jennifer Brennan, horticulture information specialist at the Chalet in Wilmette; and Julia Lamken, garden coach at The Growing Place in Naperville filled us in about mums and how to protect pumpkins.
•"Myths and Fables of Horticulture," free, 10 a.m. Friday, Nov. 7, and Saturday, Nov. 8, at Chalet, 3132 Lake Ave., Wilmette, (847) 256-0561, ext. 225 or chaletnursery.com.
•The Growing Place is at 25W471 Plank Road, Naperville, (630) 355-4000, and 2000 Montgomery Road, Aurora, (630) 820-8088. Visit Thegrowingplace.com.
•The Morton Arboretum is on Route 53 north of The Reagan Tollway (I-88), (630) 968-0074. Visit Mortonarb.org. Admission is $9 for adults; $6 on Wednesdays, with discounts for seniors and youth.