Look what I found at a nursery this week!
A ginger. But not just any old ginger. No, no, no. This one made me gasp!
Of course it was mislabeled and read Asarum europeana. My friend Charlie who orders perennials at the nursery, and I just didn't think this could be right. A. europeana has yellow flowers as a rule and here was this plant with big black flowers with white center lobes.
This did not stop me from buying 6, putting them in a box and cooing at them. I mean just look at those cute faces. And yes, finally this would be the year, I really, really, really would start a woodland garden in the Wee Tiny Woods. These gingers would be the first things I'd plant.
You just know that I was going to get home and dive into a search for the proper names for my gingers. They are Asarum maximum 'Ling Ling", a Chinese variety called Panda Face Ginger. Awwww...Thing is, they are hardy only in zones 7-8. Here in SW Connecticut we are still wavering on an upper zone 6, but have you noticed the weather is crazy? So, I'll take my chances and cover them with piles of leaves and blow them kisses next winter. And did I mention that the flowers smell like mushrooms?
I had planned today to work with Lorna and the crew laying out pathways in the Wee Tiny Woods. But the crew has gone to another job and the wind is starting to put up a mild roar outside. Tonight a light snow is predicted.
I think I'll keep my little Ling Lings in my kitchen until the weather is a bit more settled. So, I guess I won't start the garden today. But honest, I'm going to do it one fine day this Spring. I'm not kidding.
