A Seasonal Oddity

Here we are in late November with the temperature outside sulking at around freezing. In the garden, the annuals have long since shown that their year is up, the evergreens are quietly living up to their title and the perennials have withdrawn their life force into the ground to hibernate. It would be all to easy to think that we have to wait for the snowdrops to herald in the new and show that the seasons are turning. But in my garden there is an oddity, a plant that comes up in the autumn and dies down in early summer.

 

 It is alexanders and was amongst a collection of herbs I put in several years ago. I have since learned that in some parts of the country it is considered a roadside weed and I can see why that might be but having never seen it on roadsides around here I was totally unaware of that at the time.I remember when it disappeared early in its first summer I thought it was yet another plant that had declined my invitation to flourish in my patch. I was delighted to see it re-emerge in October and by the next autumn I had learned not to let it set seed, attractive though the shiny black seeds on ochre coloured stalks are. It is clearly very happy to thrive here. I value it for its fresh green when many other leaves are dull and grey and the  early honey scented flowers loved by the lacewings. And now I have realised that it was an early precursor of celery I will be using it much as I use lovage in the summer.

 When I went out to pick some two days ago, I noticed all the stems had bowed  to honour the presence  of Jack Frost.  I noticed that the water in the rain barrel was almost completely frozen. The elemental force and artistry that could sculpt a glassy plaque of swirling abstract patterns and sign it with the delicate etching of a beech leaf all in the course of a few hours is certainly worthy of such homage.