Earlier this summer, I was delighted to find two "Ladyslipper" plants sprout up in the middle of the radish row. This was quite the surprise as I had not intended to plant flowers mixed in with the radishes but somehow a couple of saved seeds were tumbled together with the radish seeds. Actually, I did not know that I had any more of the seeds at all! This was indeed a good thing in more ways than one. First, the blooms of the plants are quite beautiful and, second, the leaves of the plant are handy to have around. These leaves can help heal poison ivy rashes from the get-go. Years ago, I admit that I was a bit dubious of this remedy and thought I should "try it out" before recommending it to anyone. I headed out back behind the canebrake where I knew a large poison ivy vine was entwined around a pine tree. Well, I figured that I might as well pull off some of the obnoxious vine whilst trying to catch a rash. (I am probably the only person alive that actually tried to get a rash!) The pulling of that much vine did, indeed, give me a bit of a rash on my wrist. After washing the spot well, I headed to the garden and grabbed a handful of the "Ladyslipper" leaves. As I was rubbing the area with the leaves, I noticed an almost instantaneous relief in the itching! Care was taken to make sure that the plants juices were smeared all across the rash area. I picked a few more to use later and figured that by the next day my arm would be quite red, itchy and nasty looking. Nope. It did not happen! After using the leaves twice, the rash went away for good! Now you can understand why I really, really like these plants and was so happy to see the little seedlings.
I actually should not be calling the plants "Ladyslippers" at all but should stick to their proper name of Balsam. Pop labeled them "Ladyslippers" long ago and it just stuck with me all of these years. As I said before, old habits die hard. Balsams are also called Jewelweeds or Touch-me-nots. The term Jewelweed comes from the small, jewel-like flowers and Touch-me-not from the seed pods. Those seed pods will "pop" when handled causing the tiny seeds to go flying about the garden!
Finding the Jewelweed plants growing in the radishes made me happy but I am just as elated to find that both large plants are covered with seed pods! I have already picked a good number of them and the plants still have a lot more that need to mature a bit. The plants, themselves, look a tad ragged since I pulled out the tomato plants that were shading the Ladyslippers. They seem to flourish in shaded, moist areas and do not do as well when exposed to the heat of the sun.
Some of the remaining leaves of the plant will be harvested, boiled and frozen. This will be added to homemade lotions and soaps that can be used to heal poison ivy rashes. So now you know just why two volunteer plants and a hand full of new seeds make me so very happy!
Yep, those tomato plants just keep growing! They once again tower above my head. Even though the wind bent them at the cages (42 inches) and dropped them to the ground, they started their upward growth from there and are now a good six to seven feet tall. I feel much like an elf in amongst these towering tomato trees! While I was out searching for any of the fruit that might be ripening on the plants, I spied a bright reddish pink deep under one section of plants. This was right next to the purple basil which also has spiraled out of control. The basil, itself, is a good four feet in height! But like I said, a glimpse of color gave me hope that I might collect enough tomatoes to make another pot of sauce. The pantry shelf is beginning to look a bit better stocked since the garden started this wild growth spurt!
Well, I decided that the best way to get those elusive red tomatoes was to just dive right into the mess of plants! When I started pulling the large, lush limbs to the side, Ms. Ez, the Bayou Dog, thought it was a great game. She joined in the search and soon all I saw was a wagging tail! Help! I lost my dog in the garden! I was giggling a bit too hard, I guess, so Ms. Nycto, the (wannabe) Bayou Cat, came to investigate. That egged Ez on and soon she was romping about in the tomatoes like a wild critter! To my surprise, not one plant was broken! Those things have grown immensely tough! As the dog and cat played chase, I continued to forage for the "ripe tomatoes". Imagine my surprise when I finally reached the source of color only to find that it was not a large ripe fruit but a gorgeous flower! Hidden well under the branches of the tomato "trees", two Lady Slipper plants had flourished! Pop always used to call these "Lady Slippers" but I found that they were actually Jewel Weeds or Balsams. Not that this matters one iota as I still call them Lady Slippers. Old habits die hard.
Back a few years ago, I had lost all of my Lady Slipper Plants to Hurricane Katrina. Mark knew that I really liked those plants, not only for their beauty but because their leaves are a great remedy for poison ivy rash. He searched and searched for the seeds and finally found a new start for me. Then a drought took the plants before seeding. No seeds were saved after that summer and I was without my favorites again. Now, two plants have surprised me! I most likely had dropped a few seeds in with other saved seeds a few years ago and unwittingly planted them along side the radishes. The radishes are long gone and the tomato plants commandeered their garden spot keeping the lovely Lady Slipper plants well hidden. What a happy find! My search for ripe tomatoes ended as I marveled at the beauty of these two plants. A secret garden indeed! Hmmm, I wonder what else is growing under there?
