AROUND THE GARDEN

“I'm sure my false hearted lover

Will drive me to my lonesome grave…” ~ Ralph Stanley

“The next time I saw his false-hearted smile

He was layin' dead and cold on floor.” ~ Woody Guthrie

Two weeks into spring and yet such harsh words come to mind. Nature has been fickle, even treacherous this year. To keep those bitter thoughts in perspective, let’s turn to a few false plants – or, at least, plants whose names can deceive.

The first is the Lenten rose (Helleborus orientalis), pictured here.

Not a rose, as you can plainly see. Most years though, this butter-

cup relative does pop up during Lent. It’s certainly the first

flowering perennial in my garden. What a wonderful plant –

happiest in light shade, it’s truly not fussy. Trimming back last year’s foliage will show off those “rosy” blooms.

“White forsythia” is a real misnomer – the Abeliophyllum distichum

is a Korean cousin at least twice removed from our yellow forsythia.

It’s also not entirely white: the buds have a pinkish cast that blends

well in places where yellow forsythia would clash horribly. Once open,

though, the delicate flowers are pure white and sweetly fragrant. I like

to take cuttings early in spring: a few branches will scent an entire room. Possibly its only defect is its enthusiastic growth – another reason to cut it back early!

The soft red haze you see on distant hillsides right now signifies the budding red maple, or Acer rubrum. A major element of the New England forest and landscape, the red maple is the victim here: its name gets misapplied to two other maples. Both the Japanese maple (Acer palmatum) and the dark red Norway maple “Crimson King” (Acer platanoides) are often incorrectly called “red” maples.

The true red maple takes its name from its brilliant red buds, flowers, petioles and fall foliage. And yes, maple trees do flower, though they can’t compete with ornamental trees grown for their blooms.

False or deceptive these plants may be – but in name only. Steadfast and true growers, they can be counted on to deliver early in the season, never mind the temperature.