A new discovery erigeron in bloom
Inever know where or how I’ll learn about a new plant. That’s part of what makes gardening so much fun. The latest discovery evolved from a phone call from my brother a few weeks ago. Wayne knows that I share his interest in etymology and often calls to ask me if I know the derivation of an obscure word.
“Pam,” Wayne asked, “have you ever heard of this plant? Do you know what the name means?” The plant genus was “Erigeron.” I could joke and say that the word was “Greek to me.” It actually is from two Greek words— ri ‘early’ and ger n ‘old man’. (The root of our word “gerontology.”) “Eri” refers to the fact that the plants generally flower early in the year and “geron” describes the white or gray down on the seeds, like an old man’s beard.
The common name, fleabane, is of course the combination of two English words and points to a very practical use for the plant. Sarah Garland’s “The Complete Book of Herbs & Spices” explains that “Several members of the daisy family have antiseptic properties and are traditional fly repellents including ploughman’s spikenard, elecampane, fleabane and tansy.”
My copy of “The American Horticultural Society Encyclopedia of Garden Plants” provided a little more information. The genus Erigeron includes spring- and summer-flowering annuals, biennials, and perennials, grown for their daisy-like flower heads. (Erigeron is in the family Asteraceae.) The plants prefer sun and welldrained soil and do well in rock gardens and herbaceous borders. While they should not be allowed to dry out during the growing season, they “resent” winter damp. They readily reseed themselves and at least by some accounts may become invasive.
Erigeron is native to North America. It is attractive to butterflies and other pollinators and not attractive to deer. Erigeron annuus is annual fleabane. It grows to about three feet tall. You can choose this or one of the many other species and cultivars. Here are just a few I came across:
Aspen fleabane (Erigeron speciosus) is native to the western part of the United States, north into Canada. On the website of High Country Gardens (highcountrygardens.com) I found a beautiful cultivar called ‘Darkest of All’ with large, blue-purple flowers that cover the plant in early summer. This fleabane grows 24-28” tall by 18-24” wide. It’s described as “a vigorous and easy-to-grow perennial; its butterfly-attracting flowers are outstanding.”
I also discovered a profile of Erigeron pulchellus (Robin’s Plantain) on the website for the Mt. Cuba Center in Hockessin, Delaware. The listing describes “a little-known but very attractive slow-spreading herbaceous perennial worthy of wider use for spring flowering in the garden. White to lavender, 1-2” wide daisy-like flowers. The flowering stems emerge from 6-8” long basal leaves, growing to a height of 18-24”. Over time plants form dense masses and can be quite showy when flowering. Do not confuse this with other Erigerons which seed prolifically. Robin’s plantain performs well in part shade on welldrained to dry soils and is pH adaptable.” (More information at https://mtcubacenter.org/plants/ robins-plantain/)
At the website for North Creek Nurseries in Landenberg, Pa. in Chester County (https:// www.northcreeknurseries.com) I came across a beautiful variety of Robin’s plantain called ‘Lynnhaven Carpet’.” This variety has large daisy-like, silvery light lavender, almost white flowers that bloom in spring over a dense carpet of big fuzzy leaves. After flowering occurs, you can cut down the flower stalks, leaving the foliage to form an attractive weed-blocking groundcover. Grows in full to part shade. Drought and deer tolerant. Height 12” in flower, 4-6” as a groundcover. Zones 5-8.
Even if you don’t intend to plant Erigeron in your garden, I hope you will search it out on the internet and let the images of these lovely, delicate flowers brighten a cloudy fall day. Or maybe visit Mt. Cuba in the spring and catch a glimpse of Robin’s plantain while it’s in bloom.
Note: North Creek Nurseries plants can be found locally at Gateway Garden Center (Hockessin, DE), Redbud Native Plants (Media, PA), Terrain (Glen Mills, PA), and Mostardi Nursery (Newtown Square, PA). Pam Baxter is an avid organic vegetable gardener who lives in Kimberton. Direct e-mail to pamelacbaxter@gmail.com, or send mail to P.O. Box 80, Kimberton, PA 19442. Share your gardening stories on Facebook at “Chester County Roots.” And check out Pam’s book for children and families: Big Life Lessons from Nature’s Little Secrets. Available at amazon.com.