Monday, 2 November 2020

Days of honesty : why you should always grow honesty in your garden

One of the most valued plants in my garden is honesty.
The first plants arrived one spring when my children were small, a couple of years after we moved to this country cottage. They must have come on the wind,and I only really noticed them when their purple flowers appeared. At first there was a couple of plants under the now departed euclalyptus tree, before spreading into the borders,the vegetable patch,the ha ha - it has self seeded at will where it pleases, even in front of the piggery door this year.
I don't care because I enjoy seeing it flower in spring ,and in the summer when the seed pods first begin to appear. Then, I adore that time in the autumn when the seed pods,looking like silver pennies, reach what I call their show off stage, and I bring a few into to brighten up the house in small vases. This year though, one huge plant was blown over showing it roots after a summer storm. Even so, I had plans for this plant, deciding that yes, it would still get its moment of annual glory. I brought it inside,and shoved it in the biggest vase I have,to dry.
Slowly, slowly the papery seed pods turned a lighter colour, some seeds fell , I saved some for my Mum's garden and the scattered more outside in mine.
But what to do with the hundreds of translucent seed membranes and all the rest of the seeds? I decided to keep them with the rest of the plant in the vases - and I'm fascinated by them.
I also love the way that honesty transforms itself by the light. Golden, when the candles are lit as dusk falls and how ghostly it becomes by moonlight. No wonder its Latin name is lunaria. In the morning though,I'm entranced when the sunshine catches the honesty,throwing a sometimes white, sometimes silver luminessence around the room. It's not surprising then, why honesty is one of my favourite plants, and this year,here in the dining room, its moments of glory will last far longer than usual.
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