Hardhack, blooming in Gabriola’s wetlands
In January I asked what’s this plant at the Gabriola Commons? I was wondering about the dead flowers on some bush, and what they might be. Gabriola blog readers came to the rescue and told me that I’d found some hardhack.
I meant to go back and see what the bush looks like when in bloom, but of course I forgot all about that. Well, no matter: yesterday, in the Gabriola woods, I found lots of hardhack. Pretty, isn’t it?
For more about this plant, see the Wikipedia Spiraea douglasii page.
Filed in Gabriola Island,native plants 3 Comments so far
3 Responses to “Hardhack, blooming in Gabriola’s wetlands”
enjay on 24 Aug 2010 at 4:15 pm #
We have frightening amounts of this in our “back 40″—which is frequently wetland. I like it, but it’s actually pretty invasive, and this year we’ve tried to whack some of it back. We’ve uncovered unexpected plants and two cold frames so far, so evidently it’s far more extensive than when the property was first cleared and landscaped.
It’s persistant, though. The whacked back bits are regrowing (one has to remove the root, of course, a challenge when said roots are In The Water). And baby hardhack shoots are coming up everywhere, in places I’ve never seen it, in my veggie garden, in the lawn…. evidently this is a Very Good Year for it.
cheryl on 24 Aug 2010 at 6:33 pm #
When we were growing up we called this plant “Fairy Flower” .We’d pick arm fulls and bring them back to mom. At the time, she’d say, “Oh thank you it’s so pretty”. But I’m sure now, thinking about it, she probably was getting quit tried of receiving this loving gift.
Nick on 26 Aug 2010 at 10:59 am #
Like all plants on Gabriola, hardhack had its uses for the Snuneymuxw. Their name for it, something like “qethulhp”, meant “stretcher-stick plant”. The branches were used to make sticks poked through salmon to stretch them out for drying or barbecuing.