The Luminous Spirit

 W hat is it we need to know about plantain?   I do not mean the banana. Plantain is a green wide leafed weed that grows in your yard more than likely you have seen it but didn’t know what it was.    Latin name: Plantago major                                  Family: Plantaginaceae Growing zone: 3-12. It is a perennial that is seen in disturbed areas such as yards and roadsides. Likes sandy, clay, loomy, moist soil, with a neutral  ph soil. Part shade to full sun. Stifles land erosion. Identifiers: Leaves: Thick medium to dark green in a rosette pattern. Each leaf is 3-8 inches long and 2-6 inches wide and ribbed with 5-7 stringy deep veins. They start at the stem of the leaf all the way to the tip. The age of the plant and time of the year will determine the color and size of the leaves. The leaves are oblong shaped. Waxy or rubbery looking. Flowers: Bloom in April- September...

  What all do you need to know about purple deadnettle? Latin Name: Lamium purpureum                      Family: Lamiaceae Growing zone: 4-8 mostly found on roadsides and disturbed ground. It can stand full sun to part shade. Identification: Annual that is pollinated by bees and it is a hermaphrodite. It likes light sandy - clay soil. Prefers well draining moist soil. Single stem that grows ½” to 2 ½” tall. In my yard where it is growing has reached every bit of 8 inches tall. Mostly shade and heavily fertilized. The stem: is square and can be a green to a reddish purple with tiny hair like fuzz on it. Lower 3rd of the stem has no leaves on it. Leaves: Young leaves are scalloped and wrinkly Underside is very hairy which makes them unappealing to most that are trying to consume. The leaves are reddish purple and as they age they become more green. They are densely crowded and each pair of leaves rotate 90 degrees from the...

 W hat to know about Mullein Photo above: Common Mullein in the first year Latin Name: Verbascum thapsus                                             Family: Scrophulariaceae Growing zone : 3-9 and prefers partial sun and dry soil.  It is very hard to transplant because of its long taproot. In the spring you can find saplings from the previous years plants near the brown stalks that were once the flowers. You can gather the seeds and plant them in the fall. Identification:   Leaves : are soft and fuzzy like a teddy bear or velvet. They grow low to the ground in the first year and only foliage. First year they stay pretty small so on average no more than about 6-10 inches in circumference. The leaves are oblong and have a rounded point at the tip. They are silvery green gray in color. The l...