Plant Profiles

Heirloom plants almost always have stories to tell. Here's a chance to get "up close and personal" with some of my favourites:

Rose Plantain (Plantago major rosularis)

A Rose is a Rose is a ??

I never thought I would deliberately invite plantain into my garden. That was before I was introduced to the Rose Plantain, a plant of almost legendary proportions. This is due more to its absence from gardens than its presence, however. I first read about the Rose Plantain in Gerard’s Herbal (or a Historie of Plants, published in 1597). Gerard thought it quite worth having, and included an illustration. This peaked my interest, for the Rose Plantain’s resemblance to the common weed so familiar to us ends with its name.

This is a plant for those who have moved beyond wanting only plants that provide bold splashes of colour in their gardens. The entire plant is green. In fact, it really doesn’t have a flower spike at all. Instead, what may have once been a flower spike has been replaced by a cluster of leaves that are inexplicably shaped like a rose. Each cluster can be up to 3" across, and the plant produces innumerable clusters all summer. There are often up to six "blooms" simultaneously on a plant.

Immensely popular in the Elizabethan era, it then virtually disappeared from gardens. I don’t know exactly how old it is, but it was grown in medieval times, and in the 16th century was described as having been in England for a long time.

After seeing Gerard’s illustration, I spent the next three years searching for seed for this mythic plant. Now that I have it in my garden, I can say that I admire the Elizabethans’ taste. Growing only to 14", and wanting a place in full sun, it merits a spot where it can be observed closely and marvelled at. I find the intricate "rose" clusters particularly fascinating, and the green a welcome respite from all the colours around it. In true plantain style, it does not need molly-coddling and can tough-out dry spells. It is hardy to at least Zone 5, and probably colder.

Lady's Smock (Cardamine pratensis)

Aka "Cuckoo Flower. An Elizabethan favourite, Lady’s Smock is one of Shakespeare’s flowers:

When daisies pied and violets blue
And lady-smock all silver white
And Cuckoo-buds of yellow hue
Do paint the meadows with delight.

William Shakespeare
Love’s Labour’s Lost, 1595

It acquired its common name because from a distance "the flowers resemble the smocks or chemises laid out by maidens of Elizabethan times, to dry and bleach in the sun." Its original name, however, was "Our Lady’s Smock", reflecting the penchant of Medieval to Elizabethan gardeners to give plants names with religious references.

A plant with a distinguished and ancient history, it had become a cottage-garden favourite by the mid-19th century. Now, however, it is very rare and hardly found in gardens. I find this rather puzzling, given its endearing traits. Extremely hardy, it is one of our first spring bloomers. Mounds of greenery in April are topped by masses of delicate white to lavender, open-faced blooms. What I find particularly wondrous about it is that the shading of the flowers will vary on the same plant - so that some blooms are white, some streaked with lavender, and some pale mauve/lavender. While self-seeding, it is very polite and never becomes invasive.

Lady’s Smock is native to Europe and across northern North America. Delicate in appearance, it is extremely hardy (to Zone 3), and grows to 2’. It prefers damp, shady spots but will do well in sun (which is where we have ours). However, it is not drought-tolerant, and will need extra water during dry spells if planted in full sun. Try combining it with hostas, daylilies and ferns; you’ll find it a most garden-worthy addition.