CASTOR-OIL-PLANT
The oil from the seeds of the castor-oil-plant make both the gastrointestinal tract and racing car engines move faster. Because of its toxicity, castor oil is a tried-and-tested medicine for constipation - the intestines try to get rid of the poison as quickly as possible. At one time, castor oil was also a favorite for racing car engines.
EVENING PRIMROSE
The white flowers, over 2 in wide, of this perennial from the west of the United States open in the evening, attracting moths with their delightful fragrance. Their coarse stems grow about 20 in tall, and spread in all directions. Plant evening primroses along the edges of a patio to enjoy scented summer evenings. There will be fresh flowers daily from the end of June until early October. The flowers turn pink in the course of the morning (as a sign to insects that they are no longer welcome), and droop in the afternoon, early on if it is hot.
PIMPERNEL
Some “weeds” are so pretty that we like to have them in our gardens. Pimpernels are one such example and devotees of natural gardens enjoy sowing them. The scarlet pimpernel (Anagallis arvensis ssp. arvensis) grows naturally in many places, particularly in soil that is not too acid or compacted. Scatter the seed in loose soil very early in spring to enable the plants to start flowering in May and to continue until well into autumn. The flowers are just over V4 in wide and close up at the threat of bad weather, hence their common name “poor man’s weatherglass.” Their growth is straggling on bare soil; in between other plants they grow to about 20 in tall. The blue pimpernel (Anagallis arvensis var. caerulea) closely resembles the scarlet pimpernel in almost every respect, except that its flowers are blue. That color is more popular and, for this reason, is used more often in gardens, pots, and hanging baskets.
This low-growing species originally came from Turkey. It grows to a maximum of 12 in in height and produces whorls of narrow leaves on lax stems. The small, delightfully fragrant lavender flowers appear in May and June, attracting a large number of insects. Asperula orientalis is modest and refined and therefore suitable for anyone who appreciates the beauty of small plants. They do very well in partial shade and are very suitable for cultivation in pots, provided they are not placed in full sun and the soil is never allowed to dry out. Sow directly in a pot or border in April-June. Seedlings are reasonably hardy, so it is also possible to sow in autumn.
Some plants are no longer cultivated as individual items, but rather are enjoyed for their collective effect in a planting scheme. Scores of plants of the same species are put close together to form a specific color zone. Salvia splendens is a clear favorite in this kind of gardening, and the plants used for it tend to be about 8-12 in high.
