False Indigo

  So far, this has been a weird growing season for many plants around the Bayou.  Perhaps the unduly warm and wet winter (or lack of winter) had something to do with the confusion.  None of the fruit trees have bloomed at the "correct" time and the flowers have just gone amok.  I never know when I will find something crazy going on around the gardens!  Just today, I remarked to Son while he was up repairing the roof that the False Indigo was in full bloom and that it was not the right time.  Being his usual self, he never stopped work but replied "Well, at least it was truthful."  It took me a moment to catch onto his bit of witticism but I guess in a way, he was right.  The bush was living up to its name...maybe?  Normally, this bush blooms anywhere from late February to mid-March.  Not this year! Here it is late April and the thing is gorgeous!

  False Indigo is a neat little shrub that can be found growing wild down in the creeks around here.  Years and years ago, Uncle Alfred (God rest his soul) and I were strolling down near his creek when I spied the pretty bushes blooming.  I asked what it was and he replied with his usual "A Ditch Daisy!"  We had a good laugh and then he told me all about the bush.  He even helped me dig up a few of the smaller saplings to take home.  I now have a lovely bush growing next to the Frog Pond!  The only downside is that as the blooms fade, they shed tiny dots of dried up tubular petals or whatever they are.  The Frog Pond now wears a lovely coating of purple flowers. 

  The actual name of the bush is Amorpha Fruticosa.  To my way of thinking, its moniker of "False Indigo" is a lot easier on the tongue so I will stick with it.  I like the little bush merely because it reminds me of a happy time spent with Uncle Alfred.  Since his place is not longer as it used to be so many years ago, I am sure that I will never have the opportunity to snatch another.  Thankfully, these are easy to root from cuttings!  Now if I can only get my False Indigo to be truthful about its blooming seasons!

What's in a Name?

Amorpha Fruticosa L...a big name for a small shrub! Sometimes I wonder about the naming of plants and animals in the world. Just how, for Pete's sake, are we ever supposed to remember something like Amorpha Fruticosa L.? It is not one of those names that stays on the tongue or in the brain more than about a split second unless you have studied to become a botanist! And that..I have not! So I call my Amorpha Fruticosa by the much simpler moniker of False Indigo Shrub. This, in itself, can be most confusing as there is a "False Indigo Plant" as well! The two share no traits other than the name. My False Indigo is a small shrub that I dug up from the creekbed years and years ago. It is a lovely little shrub that stays sort of lanky. It never gets "girthful" as Son would call it. The trunks of the shrub have never reached more than approximately two inches in diameter. It does, however, make tons of stalks which gives it a nice, graceful appearance! And..did I mention, it has a confusing name??

Until this spring, I had thought I might contact some Notable-Person-in-Charge-of-Naming-Plants and ask them to change the name! Considering the confusion that could arise over the two "False Indigo Plants", I figure that a name change would be quite desirable! Usually, this shrub is in full bloom during the month of February which gave me the idea to call it "Mardi Gras Bush"! It seemed that for years, the bush would invariably bloom the same week as the holiday regardless of the fact that Mardi Gras season is never a set day! It also contained all the "colors" of the season..purple, green and gold! Hence..Mardi Gras Bush! This seems to me a far cry better than trying to remember the true name and much simpler than trying to distinguish between two plants with such similar names! In my brain, my idea was perfect and I was sure that the Notable-Person-in-Charge-of-Naming-Plants (whoever that may be) would be tickled pink when I explained all of the reasoning behind said change! Think of the marketing surge that would come about merely by the name change! Why..anyone who participates in the revelry of the Mardi Gras Season would surely want one or a dozen of these shrubs to decorate their landscape! I am a genius!

But now that has changed simply because of a fluke in the growing season! The weather has not been agreeable with my name-changing plans! With the warm winter and other craziness going on weatherwise, my poor, little bush is totally discombobulated! Here it is the end of March and it is just now setting blooms! Something is surely amiss here! This should not happen! My plans for changing the name of the bush have gone kaput all due to a mild winter! I suppose I should just be happy that the shrub has decided to grace my yard with the presence of showy blooms and not complain about the name. Amorpha Fruticosa L., the confusing name that just would not go away!.......(Secretly...I still like the name Mardi Gras Bush!).....Maybe next year...hmmmmm??