Don't Know a Good Thing When I Have It

Can't tell you how many times I pulled it up.  Thought it was a weed.  That's the thing with new plants from seeds that one has never grown before but only read the flashy description of in a seed catalog.  When the plants grow, folks like me aren't sure if they're for real or are really just another weed.

Yellow Butterfly Weed--the great survivor

Three summers ago when I ordered multiple packets of seeds, all of which were finer than most house dust, I transplanted the little seedlings that sprouted and watched with disappointment when some of the herbs or flowers failed to thrive, or so I thought.  One such flower was the Yellow Butterfly Weed.





The front bed was weeded faithfully, and I recalled extracting quite a few plants that resembled Fireweed.  This summer I fell behind, and in spite of me more of the Fireweed-type plants again came up.  Flower buds formed.  The Things I get to do today allowed me time to be curious finally, just for a moment.  "Rush less," "look more" were one the list as well.  The buds were orange-gold.

So I'm embarrassed to say that in my haste during the past three summers, this lovely flowering perennial was never allowed to bloom.  Silly me.  Lessons from Asclepias Tuberosa.