On the 3rd February in bounds the Chinese Year of the Rabbit, with a choice of representative plants to keep gardeners hopping until 22 January 2012. It is said to be a lucky sign with friendly people who are keen, wise and intelligent, neat and tidy and careful in money matters.
People born under this sign make good teachers, gregarious and good hosts but requiring their own lebensraum. Such people include Drew Barrymore, Fanny Brice, Angelina Jolie, Edith Piaf, Tina Turner and Kaye Winslet.Year of the Tiger ends on 2nd February having been horticulturally represented by the famed Tiger Lily, variously claimed to be
Lilium lancifolium, L. tigrinum, L. trigrinum splendens; or should that be
L. catesbaei, L. columbianum, L. henryi, L. michiganense, L. phildelphicum, L. superbum?
Confusion reigns: some even claim the common daylily, Hemerocallis. And Tigerlily 17768 is an asteroid.Then again, Tiger Lily is a First Nations girl rescued from Captain Hook by Peter Pan while "What’s Up, Tiger Lily?" marked Wood Allen’s debut as a director and "Dance, Girl, Dance" featured Lucille Ball as an
ecdysiast name of Tiger Lily White.
Ironically, just to complete the picture, tiger lilies are poisonous to #, so virulent they can even kill cats. It is with some relief then to turn to those less problematic plants we can welcome into our homes and gardens that represent the
Laporidae, or rabbit family. Technically, the Chinese Year of the Rabbit is actually the Year of the Hare, Lepus to biologists, and a creature more at home to grasslands than burrows. So
Campanula rotundifolia could then be an excellent choice for the cool northern gardenHare Bell,
Campanula rotundifolia – also known as Blue Bells of Scotland, an excellent garden plant for sun or light shade, is found in the wild from northern Canada to points south o’ the border. Nodding blue bells top stems coated with linear leaves, unlike the coarse alien invader, Creeping
Bellflower, C. rapunculoides with purplish-violet flowers up wiry stems.
There is also a native Western Bellflower,
C. peliolata. Hare’s Tail Grass,
Lagurus ovatus – also known as Bunny Tail Grass due to the appearance of the white, oval seed heads, is much valued in fresh and dried flower arrangements. An annual grass originating in Mediterranean regions but is now spread worldwide. Sometimes it is grown as a garden ornamental and as such will self-sow. Hare Foot Fern,
Polypodium aureum – also known as Rabbit’s Foot Fern, thanks to the appearance of its rhizomes – originates in tropical America. Hare’s Foot Ferns,
Davillia species – about 40 species of tropical ferns, all with furry rhizomes, hence the common name, and attractive soft green foliage.
Several are grown as houseplants, such as
D. caneriensis from Madeira and the Canary Islands;
D. pyxidata from Queensland; and
D. fejeensis from the Fiji Islands.But let us now hop over to the many choices for rabbit representation: Rabbitbush,
Chrysothamnus graveolens – hardy, less than 2 metres tall, with yellow blooms in late summer, but unfortunately rare in garden centres, mainly because it demands dry, alkaline growing conditions such as those found in exposed limestone areas. Rabbit’s Foot Fern,
Davillia fejeensis – the brown, fuzzy rhizomes stretching over the ground give rise to this delicate fern’s common name.
Originating in the Pacific Fiji Islands, it is occasionally to be found in plant stores. However unless you are “into ferns” or perhaps orchids this pretty little beauty can be a trifle tricky. Rabbits Ear Orchid,
Dendrobium d’albertisii – achieves its common name from the habit of the petals, which stand erect like rabbits ears. An epiphyte like most Dendrobium orchids, originating in Papua, it is pleasantly scented. While fairly easy to raise, this is somewhat of a collector’s item certainly not found in most collections.Rabbit Tobacco,
Gnaphalium obtusifolia – whitish flowers dry well, hence the alternate name of Sweet Everlasting. Native to eastern and central North America, the foliage and flowers were traditionally brewed into a tea used for numerous medicinal complaints.
The fresh juice was claimed to be an aphrodisiac.Rabbit Foot,
Maranta leuconeura kerchoveana – despite the botanical tongue twister, this is a great small foliage houseplant for light shade: leaves have a dark green background, lighter green patches between the veins which are a brilliant red. Attractive habit of folding up these leaves at night gives rise to an alternate name of Prayer Plant. If kept barely moist and fertilized monthly it will reward members of the black thumb brigade. Originated in Brazil.Rabbit Ears,
Opuntia microdasys – try stroking the young pads of this cactus from northern Mexico and the fine barbed bristles will lodge very painfully under your skin.
Certainly this alternatively named Bunny Ears is not one to be fussed. Give it a sunny widow, light watering in summer, cutting back during winter months and you may be rewarded with yellow blooms. Rabbit Foot Clover,
Trifolium arvense – quite why anybody would want to introduce such a form of common clover into the garden is a puzzlement, but a name is a name, and anyway the flower buds do resemble a rabbit’s paw.
