Blue Mistflower, y muy occupado

First, the occupation. I have been very busy, especially with garden related work, and in miserable working conditions, so was unable to get around to crafting an essay in time for the standard posting (midnight on the first day of each month). Accordingly, I seriously considered using that excuse to make a change, perhaps even stopping this series of essays altogether. Instead, I have decided to offer this brief explanation, while using this lunar cycle to reassess. Asking myself, is it worth the effort (i.e., am I helping) or is this blog primarily just a way for me to vent and communicate, to share and educate remotely, to avoid the in person social interaction? Time and thought will tell. Know that I have canceled my classes many times and turned down speaking offers for that reason. Good news is my place looks much better and because of the exertion (1) I had to make a new hole in my work belt and (2) got below my high school graduation weight for the first time in 56 years, with the downside that my pants fell to my ankles in two stores during the past week! Fortunately, I avoided arrest for public exposure :)

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The pic is Conoclinium coelestinum, at least that is what the plant is called now. It was formally classified as a Eupatorium. A member of the sunflower family (Asteraceae) it is commonly known as blue mistflower or just mistflower. Other less used colloquial names include wild ageratum and blue boneset -- of the two, I prefer blue boneset. Blue mistflower is a North American native forb that I consider one of our most stunning wildflowers. But, when not in flower, mistflower is one of those species that all but disappears in the landscape since the rest of the plant is undistinguishing. Its vividly blue to light purple flowers are spectacular and even more visually diffuse than conveyed in the above pic. Blue is a rare floral hue coveted by many gardeners, including me. The specific epithet (coelestinum) translates to sky-blue or heavenly. Furthermore, being a composite the "flowers" are in fact clustered heads of fluffy small disc flowers. Two additional beautiful blue flowers found in the Midwest are some Tradescantia spp. (spiderwort, middle pic above) and Commelina communis (Asiatic dayflower, bottom pic above). Both are despised by many gardeners because they are "easy to grow" which leads to an important comment regarding judgment. One of the biggest problems most people and far too many "gardeners" exhibit is the inability to consider the whole plant profile (the various attributes) before judging. For example: appearance, behavior!, phenology, duration, fragrance, stature, maintenance issues, preferred habitat, etc. should be considered individually and independently, although it is wise to weigh some outstanding features. The fact a species has a weedy tendency does not make its flowers less beautiful or fragrant. Plus, the spiderworts (many of which are native) and Asiatic dayflowers are as or more attractive than most the species we buy -- and if you don't want all of the spiderworts and dayflowers at your place, simply edit. Alas, most people merely (foolishly) and typically only consider flowers and color. -- Asiatic dayflower would get my vote for the purest blue (azure) flower in our flora and the juxtaposed subtending rich green bracts, hyaline filaments and brown to golden anthers along with the asymmetry make it a uniquely outstanding sight. As for spiderworts, whose flowers can be white to pink to blue or some variant and sometimes all on the same plant, they are an essential element in my garden, both flower AND foliage -- serving mostly as complementary filler.

Blue mistflower has the added advantage of being a late season bloomer -- rarely before August in central Indiana. In the wild one will see it most commonly in at least somewhat sunny and moist areas, especially along streams and ditches since it loves rich alluvial soil. The plants can reach 2-3 long. I say long rather than tall because the plants are weak-stemmed and need some support to be tall. Herein lies one of the three main problems presented when trying to use blue mistflower as an ornamental. (1) Most people try to force this kind of wild plant into a more formal, highly manicured setting, usually unsupported. In nature the support is provided by a myriad of surrounding associate species, and I contend it looks better in the natural setting. (2) Like many members of the sunflower family, blue mistflower can be aggressively weedy, thus the easy to grow :) The same can be said about many members of the bean, grass and mint families, too -- Fabaceae, Poaceae and Lamiaceae respectively. (3) The fact a plant species is native DOES NOT automatically make it good (or more beautiful, or ...). Conversely, exotic does not always mean bad/ill-advised. You should avoid that kind of unjustified bias as it will cause you to be misguided and make avoidable mistakes -- cannot make an informed decision -- and to miss out on the majority of ornamentals and practically all food plants. Besides, your garden is manmade and the concept of native really does not or only somewhat apply in that context. Those that say and act otherwise are delusional denialists, living in a wanna be world. Let me recommend reality, as horrible as it can sometimes be. But, as Voltaire wrote, "It is difficult to free fools from the chains they revere", just as believing something harder (having more faith) does not render it more real. SEE ALSO mistaken belief, illusory truth, cognitive dissonance, confirmation bias and stupid.