​This year one of my gardening goals was to get the potager (a fancy term for my vegetable garden) in better shape.  This garden has slowly evolved from a flower patch around a flag pole to a fenced in garden with raised beds and wide paths.  In this blog pictures will tell the story. 

Here's what I did to clean things up: 

• Removed some perennials to allow for straighter paths and covered the paths with good quality landscape fabric and wood chips for sure footing
• Replaced landscape blocks with wood raised beds that my husband Don was so kind to design and construct
• Removed the plants that were unwanted like creeping jenny, chives, and mints that were invasive

I'm finding the garden much easier to work in, actually a joy to maintain and I can now find my vegetables without wading through the weeds.  

​I looked over the deck and below saw the sun highlight several white flower spikes in an area that is intentionally left wild.  Nearby I had planted one Black cohosh nearly a dozen years ago.  Could it have seeded this new clump? 

​Native?  In all probability it came from the plant in the garden bed.  Black cohosh is not native here although it is to Eastern North American and as close as Iowa.  I doubt that those seeds would have traveled that far to land here. 
 
Name?  I found it confusing in trying to research this plant.  It’s botanical name has been reclassified from Cimicifuga racemose to Actaea racemose.  Some sources recognize this new classification, others do not.  What’s an amateur to do when professionals disagree on the name? 
 
Go with the common name?  Not much help there either.  This plant goes by:  Black cohosh, bugbane, black snakeroot, fairy candles, rattleroot, bugwort, and richweed to name a few.  Are you confused?  I am. 
 
Where to plant?  What first attracted me to this plant is that it can be planted in part to full shade.  I have it in a spot on the woodland edge under a cedar tree.  It likes medium moisture and an organically rich soil.  It is very slow to establish.  I have not had deer or rabbits nibble on the plant, but then I didn’t even know about this new clump.  There are some reports online that deer like to eat the flower spikes.
 
Black Cohosh or bugbane or whatever you want to call it can be started as a plant (that’s how I got started), from bare roots, or seeds.  It can take 3-4 years for the plants to start flowering.  What is confusing me right now is that the volunteer plants are blooming and the one I planted hasn't even sent out a flower shoot yet for the season. 

The seeds are even more finicky requiring a warm moist period followed by a cold moist period to germinate.  It may take 1-2 years for the seeds to germinate.   
 
How to use?  The plant can grow 4-6 feet tall with the flower spike and a 2 to 4-foot spread.  It provides a nice vertical flower for up to 3 weeks in shady spots in mid-to-late summer.  This is a very low maintenance plant once it has a nice place to live and minimum clean-up in the spring. 
 
Black cohosh was used in the 1800’s to treat a number of conditions from snakebites, inflammation, child birth pain and menstrual symptoms.  As for medicinal use, be forewarned that the entire plant is poisonous if used in large doses causing nausea, dizziness, and can also cause miscarriage.  The bad odor from the blooms, described as spoiled meat, is said to repel bugs if rubbed on the skin.  Not sure what might be worse, the bugs or the smell of rotten meat.
 
According to Jack Sanders (who wrote about it in his book, The Secrets of Wildflowers), Black cohosh was the main product of the first large successful business in America owned by a woman.  Lydia E. Pinkham Medical Company, founded in 1875, sold Lydia E. Pinkham’s Vegetable Compound to treat female complaints.  In addition to Black cohosh the medicine contained about 20% alcohol which may have contributed to it being a best seller when proper ladies did not drink liquor.  The compound is still marketed today without the alcohol.  

​I like the plant, but prefer my alcohol without the extra poisonous compounds thank you very much. 

​Most gardens are coming into their peak season.  Now is an excellent time to get your camera or smart phone and take some pictures.  Why?
I’ve learned there are many uses for garden photographs.  My reasons to take photos started with record keeping.  Then I expanded my photo collection to use in garden programs.  Now I also share on social media and get creative with cards and prints.  Do you have pictures of your garden?  Here are some reasons to consider regularly taking photos.  

As my series continues on plant names, this post concerns ones with “weed” in the name.  I speak for all gardeners that we want to avoid weeds.  However, there are four that I think you might want to allow into the garden bed.   According to Webster’s dictionary a weed is defined as: 
A plant that is not valued where it is growing and is usually of vigorous growth; especially one that tends to overgrow or choke out more desirable plants.
 So here are some that are suitable for your garden that I recommend. 

​Alchemilla mollis or Lady’s Mantle requires little care, a requirement for my garden.   It is a non-native from the eastern European mountains and is hardy in my zone 3 garden.  Not often featured in garden books, Lady’s Mantle is also overlooked for perennial gardens. 
 
This time of year I appreciate its froths (yes, that is the description all the books and websites give the blooms) of tiny chartreuse leaves. They are a colorful filler in the perennial beds as well as floral arrangements.   They can be used as a dried flower for fall bouquets.  Before blooming the velvety gray-green leaves are especially attractive after a rainfall. 
 

​The Elderberry bushes are in full bloom and there is a buzz about them.  I originally planted the shrubs to harvest the berries that are reported to be an excellent immune booster to prevent colds and flu.  I have discovered that the flowers are pollinator attractors, both flowers and berries look great in bouquets (they can also be used to make a liqueur or wine) and the berries provide food for people and birds.  As a result of all the additional benefits of elderberries, it turns out that I have made only one batch of elderberry syrup.