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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.

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1 September, 2008 By Dee Nash

Filed Under: Perennials

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. joco

    9 September, 2008 at 4:04 am

    Oh you are a finnicky lot!
    Ripping out the likes of Stella and this nice plant.

    Wish it stayed around in my garden.

    I like the Eiffel tower/Paris connection.

    jocos last blog post..Minor success story

  2. Mr. McGregor's Daughter

    2 September, 2008 at 2:16 pm

    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

  3. joey

    2 September, 2008 at 12:07 pm

    Delightful post and poem, Dee! Still chuckling … I’m been tackling Obedient Plant’s tenacious tentacles for over 30 years!

    joeys last blog post.."HAPPILY WE BASK IN THIS WARM SEPTEMBER SUN …" / HUBBARD LAKE BREAKFAST / GRILLED BEER BRATS / BAKED KIDNEY BEANS with TOMATO SAUCE

  4. MA

    2 September, 2008 at 10:20 am

    I wanna hear about that boyfriend! Don’t grow obedient plant. Skeered of it.

  5. Anna

    2 September, 2008 at 9:59 am

    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

  6. carolyngail

    2 September, 2008 at 6:11 am

    You really area a-MUSE-ing, Dee ! Thanks for adding a bit of sass to GBMD.

  7. Amy

    1 September, 2008 at 10:42 pm

    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?

  8. Carla

    1 September, 2008 at 9:20 pm

    heehee! I think I dated the same guy! Not so obedient huh? (I, by the way, LOVE my obedient plants!) You are a-MUSE-ing!

    Carlas last blog post..Pray for those in the path…

    Thanks, Carla, I’m glad you liked it.~~Dee

  9. nola, of the alamo north

    1 September, 2008 at 8:58 pm

    Dee, You have such a way with words! I’ve never had an obedient plant, but always thought they were lovely; now I may have to rethink it.

    nola, of the alamo norths last blog post..Sock Monkey Sunday

    Nola, I wouldn’t let him through the garden gate again if I had the chance.~~Dee

  10. deb

    1 September, 2008 at 7:48 pm

    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

    1 September, 2008 at 7:15 pm

    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

  12. Sarah (Green Zone)

    1 September, 2008 at 7:09 pm

    THAT’S obedient plant? I guess I have it, too, but I can’t remember under what alias it came into my life. Thanks for stopping by Green Zone.
    sz

    Sarah (Green Zone)s last blog post..Gardening at night: the bok choi edition

    Fraid so, Sarah. Is yours invasive?~~Dee

  13. PGL

    1 September, 2008 at 7:18 pm

    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

    1 September, 2008 at 5:31 pm

    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

    1 September, 2008 at 5:10 pm

    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

    1 September, 2008 at 6:09 pm

    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

    1 September, 2008 at 4:19 pm

    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

  18. Gail

    1 September, 2008 at 4:02 pm

    Wow on the poem, that is some imagery! Nice photo. I have a love/hate relationship with this guy at times! Right now I like him!

    Gails last blog post..The Fall of the Golden Empire

    Gail, right now I like him too. That’s the problem.~~Dee

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Hi, I’m Dee, a professional garden writer and speaker born and raised in Oklahoma. Here you’ll find all my best dirt on gardening and travel. Welcome!

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