One of the more interesting and unexpected Christmas presents I received last year was a little silver pot with a leafy sprig of what my neighbor told me was Zulu Wonder. Intriguing! She said it would have flowers later. So I watched over it throughout the winter, leaving it on the porch thinking that would suffice, and it did. And then surprisingly it started getting quite leafy and broad in spring and it was obvious I needed to transplant. By then I’d googled and learned its proper name was Plectranthus ciliatus, part of the extended mint family. It’s also known as blue spur flower and Swedish ivy. I was promised a plant that would expand to 2′-3′ wide and 12″-18″ high. I also learned the Plectranthus has needs that are similar to clematis–shady, some sun, not too hot. So I opted to place it in a tall burgundy pot that was needing something new, next to my two clematis plants in pots, that get morning sun and shade the balance of the day. I’m very glad I did, as it kept growing and growing way beyond my expectations. I must forewarn, however, that on the hottest mornings I would go out and the poor Plectranthus would essentially be saying, ow, ow, ow, with its leaves contracted, not unlike an unhappy hydrangea which missed its daily watering. You know, right? Yeah, that. But it bounced back quickly with water and shade, so I left it where I’d planned.

I kept watching for the promised blooms and at last near summer’s end I saw what would undoubtedly be some kind of blossom. Here’s what unfolded!

And don’t you love it when a plant you put in makes friends with an adjacent already placed plant or statuary? I find my Zulu Wonder so pretty!

Now, a word on reproduction. My neighbor said, “Oh, you just do a leaf cutting! Put it in water. That’s what I did!” And I’ve just begun to try that. However, and this remains a mystery to me, which I love, but if someone more savvy might venture a guess, please explain to me how this happened. For a sprig of Plectranthus is now growing in my strawberry pot. Granted, when it was still in the silver pot, they might have been cavorting, but, still…

Love and fall blessings,
Kathryn xoxo

Book News: Latest great things are that a story from Plant Whatever Brings You Joy was excerpted in Western North Carolina Woman in their fall issue!

Also I’m delighted that Barnes and Noble has restocked copies in stores around the country! Yay! Thank you for purchasing copies. It means so much to know my stories and lessons are being well received and shared with new readers! xoxo

Posted on October 11th, 2015 by Kathryn
Filed under: Plants | 18 Comments »

Haha! The garden continues to teach me, this time about my powers of observation, and how not all is at it might first appear! Bet you’ve had that experience, too, right? In my last post I wrote about the concept of the seed bank, and, particularly, about the “discovery” that I unexpectedly had lambs ear growing in my garden! Well, guess what? It’s Giant Mullein (Verbascum thapsus). It’s quite a joke on me, as I’d written–extensively–about mullein three years ago. Yet, there were enough differences this time that I convinced myself I was looking at a different plant entirely. I’m letting this soak in as I need to remember that it’s not uncommon to mistake one plant for another and that it’s actually critical to be fully aware of that fact. This is especially true for herbalists gathering plants in the wild. Or mushroom hunters! How did I get misled? In reflecting, I see there are several reasons, all worth noting for future.

“Mistake not one plant for another.” ~ Kathryn Hall, Plant Whatever Brings You Joy: Blessed Wisdom from the Garden

For starters, it was a different color. It was soft grey, not green. Note the difference. Here was the mullein I’d originally written about:

And here is the leaf of the new ones:

Totally different. Even softer!

Secondly, this year’s mullein stayed close to the ground in flowerettes for a long time before any spike emerged. That was the point at which I’d concluded it was lambs ear.

Once I’d convinced myself it was lambs ear, there was no going back. Even the eventual emergence of the flowers did not trigger my old memory of the mullein that had originally visited me! I’m guessing because it was the only time I’d ever seen it anywhere. Once was not enough! It had been three years since I’d seen any growing here. I’d assumed it no longer was on this property, concluding the two or three I had in 2012 were a one-off.

Also, my perception was that this plant grew as a family, which charmed me no end. They have stood like sentinels this summer, just in front of the butterfly bush. As I compare this stand with the single one above it seems that the one above has leaves that grow more separately and more sparsely. Can the weather make a difference? Or the soil?

Imagine my delight when I read the original post today and found I’d written of a “smallish mullein” obscurely hiding under the butterfly bush! Apparently it was doing more than that! It was leaving its seeds behind to emerge as a virtual Giant Mullein forest three years later! Surprise!

So now I’m referring you to the original post, if you are interested in reading more, which was quite thorough in its practical coverage. And I offer thanks to Mary Ann Newcomer, Nancy McDonald Wallace and my cousin, Julie Rice, who all helped guide me in the right direction. I don’t think I will forget this lovely plant again! And I certainly hope it has established itself and makes an annual appearance! I have enjoyed it immensely, and so have the bees!

Love and summer gardening blessings!
Kathryn xoxo

Footnote: I’ve just looked up Giant Mullein one last time and discovered there are some who call it lambs’ tongues! So, tongues, not ears, then! I find this very funny. 😉

Book Notes: I thoroughly enjoyed running the Goodreads Book Giveaway for ten copies of Plant Whatever Brings You Joy, and that resulted in this lovely review being posted by one of the winners, which cheered my author heart no end.

“Not knowing what to expect from this book and then reading it was a truly wonderful surprise. Plant Whatever Brings You Joy made me take deep breaths and relax as I read each page. Each of the chapters is a surprise from Kathryn Hall’s life. After I read a chapter, I reviewed the title of it and thought how it translated to my life. What a great experience. Thanks to Goodreads First Reads for a copy of this great read, and for Kathryn Hall in having the wisdom to share it with us.” ~B.W.

And, btw, if you are on Goodreads, please friend me there, and if you’ve read my book I would be most grateful if you rated it on Goodreads–or Amazon! Thank you so much! It makes such a difference to authors when you do this.

Posted on July 23rd, 2015 by Kathryn
Filed under: Plants | 6 Comments »