Peter and I have trouble cooking together in the same kitchen. We also have trouble working together in the garden at the same time. Did I mention we love each other dearly? When I told him I was having trouble pulling out all the thickly matted roots of the tall bluebells that invade the garden he asks why I would do that. Turns out he sprinkled the tiny seeds all around the garden in the autumn. We had the same discussion about the mallow. He loves invasive plants. I on the other hand want a diverse garden, so I am always pulling them up by the roots. We do agree on hemlock, though. We both pull it up and pull it up again. Also buttercup and bindweed.
So when Peter reamed me out for covering up all his plants in the shady end of the garden with the clay soil I dug out of the veggie bed, I decided to give him the shade garden. "It's all yours," I said. And for Father's Day I bought him a little succulent and a white Bleeding Heart from The Weekend Gardener down the road. So now he is trying to rescue the (invasive) Lady's Mantle, which I have just discovered is medicinal, and worth keeping. One of my favorite web sites--Tree Frog Farm outlines its essential and medicinal qualities:
"Lady's Mantle (Alchemilla vulgaris) - Like a cool refreshing ocean breeze, lady's mantle brings deep spiritual peace to your whole body and being. Balances the sympathetic nervous system and corresponding levels of the electrical system. [...] Lady's Mantle is a European medicinal herb. Its lobed leaves form cups that sparkle with morning drops of dew or rain in the center and around the edges. It's 1 foot tall stalks of tiny green flowers make beautiful long lasting cut flowers. As an herb lady's mantle is astringent and stops blood flow. It is used as a wound healer, to stop heavy menstrual bleeding and cramps, and to facilitate childbirth. During menopause it is also useful for hot flashes and headaches. Lady's Mantle is thought to be a liver decongestant."
Well, there you go. Turns out this is a shade plant worth saving!
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