August 22, 2019 My Mullein, the White Rose of Scotland, Edward Beard Budding, Jacob Weidenmann, National Eat a Peach Day, Cecil Day-Lewis, Herbal Healing for Women by Rosemary Gladstar, Sprucing Up Ironwork, and a Story about Elephant Ears

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Monologue

At the cabin, a Mullein has seeded itself in one of my beds, and I’m letting it grow.

(I was touring gardens in Washington, D.C., a few years ago, and the garden had a section for Mulleins. It was so pretty.)

On more than one occasion, I have had to rescue it - to make sure that no one in the family pulled it or weed-whacked it. Now, there it stands, 6 feet tall, with big leaves, soft as lamb's ears, and the yellow florets just starting to pop out from the flower spike.

If you look closely at Mulleins, they have these little fine hairs on the very soft leaves. The purpose of those little fine hairs is to trap moisture from the air; to help the plant survive - even when there’s no water around.

Inside the leaf and the flower of Mullein is a compound called mucilage. It’s a soothing slime that protects tissue when it comes into contact with it. Herbalists use that mucilage to treat dry coughs; the mucilage reduces the acidity level in the esophagus, which helps stop the cough reflex.

Whenever I look at Mullein, I always think of Whitman’s charming thoughts on it:

Whitman wrote:

"The farmers, I find, think the Mullein a mean unworthy weed. But, I have grown to a fondness for it. Every object has its lesson, enclosing the suggestion of everything else —and lately I sometimes think all is consecrated for me in these hardy, yellow flower'd weeds.

As I come down the lane early in the morning, I pause before their soft wool-like fleece and stem and broad leaves, glittering with countless diamonds.

Annually for three summers now, they and I have silently returned together; at such long intervals I stand or sit among them, musing [...] of my sane or sick spirit, here as near at peace as it can be."

Botanical History On This Day

1745 Bonnie Prince Charlie famously plucked a white rose and placed it in his hat, an act that helped cement the white Burnet rose as a poignant symbol of Scotland.

1830 Edward Beard Budding invented the first lawn mower, adapting a wool-shearing machine and testing it discreetly at night.

1829 Jacob Weidenmann was born, the Swiss-born landscape architect who shaped American parks and cemeteries and later collaborated with Frederick Law Olmsted.

Celebration National Eat a Peach Day honors the beloved fruit—native to China, cherished at Monticello, and harvested at its peak in August.

Unearthed Words

August’s hand can be swift and unforgiving—a haunting poem by Cecil Day-Lewis marks the month’s sudden turning.

Grow That Garden Library™

Read The Daily Gardener review of Herbal Healing for Women by Rosemary Gladstar

Buy the book on Amazon: Herbal Healing for Women by Rosemary Gladstar

Today's Botanic Spark

1903 A newspaper anecdote offered an unforgettable lesson on why elephant ear leaves should be admired, not tasted.

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And remember: For a happy, healthy life, garden every day.