Hot Picks 4/9

From The Desk Of Bill Varga

Lewis’ Flax and ‘Sapphire’ Flax are light blue flowered airy plants listed in the 2021 P.F. catalog. These late spring bloomers are great filler plants between other more robust perennial flowers where they are likely to re-seed and continue to fill in intended gaps in the landscape planting.  Often it is the sea of blue dispersed along roadways to add to the more traditional grass monoculture.    Flax is more than color though.  In her book, ‘The Golden Thread’, Kassia St. Clair, speaks of a botanist in the Republic of Georgia who while investigating remains at a primitive peoples’ cave site in the Caucasus Mountains, found what appeared to be plant fibers used and produced by humans.  Thousands of microscopic flax fibers attested to the collecting of flax plants and weaving threads to create whatever they were fashioning.   Furthermore, who knows what else came from their plant collection days.    A U.S.U. Extension fact sheet suggests cooked flax seed have a pleasant nutty taste.  Did our early ancestors already know this 10,000 years ago?  It also suggests the plant as an anti-rheumatic.  Oil distilled from the seed is said to be soothing and with lubricating properties as medicine to soothe tonsillitis, sore throats, and coughs associated with colds.  A poultice of fresh crushed leaves may alleviate soreness and redness of the eyes or applied to bruises to reduce swelling.    Whether a filler in your landscape garden or an addition to your pharmacopeia, this plant still is a test of time.  It’s never too late to pick up one more plant!