Still Learning

Considering the time spent both reading about Cardinal Flower and working with it, my lack of understanding this plant seems limitless.  Just finding a name to describe its growth cycle is futile.  It may be perennial in effect but no part of the plant lives longer than a single year.  My suggested name is recurring annual.  We shall see if that term becomes used by anyone else.

This picture shows the usual totally dead remains of last year's flower stalk and the new daughter plants that grew around the long dead stem.  Never before have we seen uprooted plants.  It may be that this location near the driveway combined with last winter's heavy snowfall resulted in plowed snow pushing over the tall stem.  This year we will cut away the spent stem before snowfall becomes abundant.  For now the stem has been removed and the remains of the daughter plants have been pushed back into the soil.

Whether from seed or new growth, Cardinal Flower sends low rosettes of evergreen plants into winter snow.  Usually, bright light green stemless leaves are revealed when the snow disappears.  These tender plants did fine under the snow but ours are frequently destroyed when exposed to severe frosts.  My habit to avoid this outcome has me potting up the new plants just as soon as the ice has left the soil.  This year sixty plants were split between four carrying frames.  When a freeze is threatened, these plants are carried into the basement.  That system would be perfect were it not for the difficulty now experienced carrying the heavy load of fifteen plants per tray.

When we were clearing away Siberian Iris leaves, bright green Cardinal Flower rosettes were uncovered.  How these young plants maintained function when left totally in the dark surprised me.  Just recently one of the ladies given plants last year asked me what she should do next.  Carefully pulling away a thick covering of slimy wet fallen tree leaves, she found bright light green Cardinal Flower plants.  It appears that a solid covering of mulch saved these plants.

This photo shows six of my plants that were just set out releasing them from their pots.  These protected plants are sending up the stalk that will bear flowers well ahead of any of our plants that were left in the garden.  I still do not understand how some of these unprotected plants survived frost while others were ended.

This picture shows just how close these plants are to the driveway.  My habit is to plow snow toward the center of the lane then use the snowblower to send it clear of the plants.  This past winter the plow truck was called three times and that is when the pushed snow may have uprooted plants.  The brilliant red flowers look great at the edge of the new shade garden and survivors or potted plants will keep this display an annual event here.