Red Dirt Ramblings®

Firmly rooted in the Oklahoma soil

Obedient plant isn't very obedient.

Garden Bloggers’ Muse Day: Obedient Plant

Physostegia, Obedient Plant

In spring, I rip you out of the ground,

but your roots, they hide like Paris sewage rats

only to emerge

when the earth is hard for pulling.

You resemble a boyfriend I once had,

handsome in his big dance finery

tentacled roots later on that long night.

Like him, you bloom for a time

Autumn’s lilac luster.

Charmed, I let you stay another day.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  2. Mr. McGregor's Daughter

    Yes, it’s the plant with the most misleading common name. I gather that it’s called Obediant plant because if you turn the flower heads, they stay that way. Pretty lame reason for naming a plant in my book. Loved the poem, very funny, but sad & true.

    Mr. McGregor’s Daughters last blog post..Working Hard

  5. Anna

    I was going to add this plant but not if it’s going to remind me of some aggravating old boyfriends. I don’t want those kind of roots! Great post.

    Annas last blog post..A Fluttering Of Activity At The End Of The Path

  7. Amy

    Oh my, that was so great Dee!! I loved your poem. My mother has this plant and I’ve often admired it. I wonder if it’s invasiveness is controlled here in a colder northern climate?

  10. deb

    Dee, You won’t believe this, but I have killed that plant. I planted it on purpose and it died. I need to add it to the list.

    debs last blog post..Blue Butterfly

    Deb, I think you just saved yourself a lot of trouble.~~Dee

  11. Lisa at Greenbow

    Yep, I rip it out in the spring time too. He doesn’t take no for an answer. I love the poem and the photo goes with it so well.

    Thanks, Lisa.~~Dee

  13. PGL

    I have mine planted in a large washtub container in my garden. This way the bees & I can enjoy the pretty blooms without it taking over. Great poem for Muse Day Dee. Very creative.

    PGLs last blog post..Blue False Indigo

    Good idea to keep him segregated from the other more gentile flowers. He looks suave and sophisticated, but he’s a garden bully.~~Dee

  14. Ernestine

    I do not think I have seen this plant before.
    Familiar with most.
    Maybe the image is so beautiful it does not look like you describe it.
    Have a great evening.

    Ernestines last blog post..On The Road

    Oh, Ernestine, his beauty belies his black heart. He is terribly invasive, but I can’t seem to rid myself of him.~~Dee

  15. Aisling

    Dee,

    lol! Too funny. Mine is just a little unruly, but I did find a stray in my creek bed (which shall be pulled before it goes to seed, believe me!) It’s just too pretty for me to hate, but I do pull some of them each year, without remorse. I have no wish to eradicate them, just to keep them at bay.

    Thanks for the heads up on your post. I wouldn’t have wanted to miss it. 🙂

    Aislings last blog post..Sunday Stroll – Farewell to August

    Aisling, thanks for coming by in spite of no Sunday Stroll. Glad you liked it.~~Dee

  16. Brenda Kula

    That was really great, Dee! You sure have a way to string words together, girl!
    Brenda

    Brenda Kulas last blog post..Labor Day & Typepad Featured Blog

    Thank you, darlin’.~~Dee

  17. Carol, May Dreams Gardens

    I’ve worked to get rid of Obedient plant in my garden, too. Right now, “he” is mostly out, except a “harmless” clump of a variegated one. At least, I hope it’s harmless!

    Carol, May Dreams Gardenss last blog post..Embrace Hard Work For A Happier Life

    Carol, I’ve never grown the variegated one, but as you know, variegated plants are often sports, and they can revert back to the original. He’ll probably always be hanging around her anyway.~~Dee