LADY’S MANTLE
Cottage gardens are full of frothy plants–low growing specimens with masses of small flowers that make a habit of surging beyond their boundaries. Like the froth on a lapping wave, they encroach gently on walkways or adjacent areas, softening hard lines and creating a feeling of abundance. Low-growing salvias, annual California poppies and hardy geraniums are among the frothiest plants in my garden, but I need more like them. That is why this year I plan to invest in lady’s mantle.
Lady’s mantle, with its generous heads of tiny chartreuse flowers and softly lobed leaves, doesn’t shout “fashionable.” In fact it is one of the least flashy members of the large rose or Rosaceae family. It keeps good company with its cousins, the garden roses, covering their often unattractive lower stalks.
The plant’s Latin and common names tie together many historical strains that also involve roses, including the Christian cult of Mary and the mysterious traditions of alchemy.
Hieronymus Bock, better known to botanists and historians by the Latin version of his name, Hieronymus Tragus, was a sixteenth century German clergyman, botanist and physician. Tragus, one of the seminal figures of German botany, attempted to classify plants according to their appearances and uses in an herbal or plant book first published in 1539. “Lady’s mantle” comes directly from the German “Frauenmantle” the plant name first assigned by Tragus. The botanist reputedly thought the scalloped edges of the plant resembled the edges of a cape or mantle, more specifically the mantle worn by the Virgin Mary in traditional artistic renderings. Tragus and other herbalists also described medicinal uses for parts of the plant, which fell from favor over the centuries.
Alchemilla mollis, the Latin name, is intriguing. “Mollis” means soft, and is probably a reference to the pleasing texture of the leaves; which are covered with fine, soft hairs. “Alchemilla” refers to the mystical science of alchemy, which was prevalent from ancient times through the Middle Ages. Alchemists sought to transform base metals into gold through a process that involved a substance known as the “philosopher’s stone.” This “stone” would not only transmute base metals, but would convey everlasting life on its discoverer. Needless to say, the philosopher’s stone has yet to be found. Alchemy, however strange it sounds today, helped to give birth to modern chemistry and physics, which eventually supplanted it as a field of scientific inquiry.
So how does a pleasing plant become associated with alchemy? The most popular theory has to do with alchemilla’s ability to catch droplets of dew or rain on its leaves. The small hairs help the leaves retain the water long after it has rolled off other plants. This liquid was considered to be extremely pure and therefore most useful for alchemists’ experiments.
Presumably alchemists’ apprentices were dispatched each day to retrieve water from the leaves so that their masters would have sufficient quantities with which to attempt turning lead into gold. It must have been a time-consuming job. Gardeners today are less interested in gathering those glittering droplets than in admiring and appreciating them. Numerous photographers have tried to capture the beauty of dew-bedecked lady’s mantle leaves.
Linnaeus, who undoubtedly knew of the plant’s alchemical associations, christened the genus “alchemilla”.
Gardens are full of plants with historical associations, but lady’s mantle seems to have even more than most. Few other genera have a heritage that embodies the cult of Mary and the cult of alchemy, which consists of equal parts science, mysticism and speculation. It certainly gives you something to think about when you are weeding.
Lady’s mantle is not fussy, but does need sun and plenty of moisture. When my new ones arrive in the spring, I will mulch them thoroughly as well as providing supplemental water until they are very well established. If they succeed, the plants will provide much-needed depth to my garden. I have little hope of using the captured dewdrops to turn lead into gold or give me eternal youth, but my alchemilla will certainly provide a bit of freshness to the planting scheme.
Alchemilla mollis is widely available from nurseries and garden centers as well as mail order sources.