We Found It!!! And it's an Invasive!
What a great feeling it is to finally find and ID the plant that’s been stumping you. The pretty little white flower pictured in this post has been sitting in a vase for several days while I tried to identify it for Lisa. Today I was successful: it’s Star of Bethlehem, which is not a plant that I knew.
However it’s been around for a while, starting in Europe. According to the sources I’ve been able to access, Star of Bethlehem’s name dates from the middle ages and the crusades.
Some other things to know about this pretty little flowering plant:
It’s a member of the lily family.
It’s a heart stimulant and needs to be treated with caution because some sources say that all parts of the plant are toxic..
Gardeners are divided on whether it’s a weed or a flower. However it’s highly invasive, hard to dig up and hard to kill. So if you choose to let it live, expect it to spread.
Identifying invasive species has become a passion of mine over the past decade. I’m amazed at the plants that I grew up thinking were wildflowers and native to our area were actually brought by European settlers. That’s why I turn to books like Lynn Steiner’s Landscaping with Native Plants of Michigan.
Steiner is a well known garden writer who specializes in the Midwest. She’s a graduate of the University of Wisconsin where she earned a degree in Natural resources. She earned her master’s in horticulture with a minor in agricultural journalism at the University of Minnesota. While Steiner talks mainly about the benefits of native plants and how we can learn from the natural world, she includes sections on “The Bad Guys” as she dubs invasive and weedy introduced plants.
While I didn’t use Steiner’s book to identify Star of Bethlehem, I have used it many times to avoid significant gardening mistakes like the advice from a landscape designer to use Buckthorn trees because he “really liked the way they look.” I looked up the Buckthorn, was appalled that he was recommending it and gave him a copy of Steiner’s book. It was rewarding to see him delve into it immediately and I’m sure he’s never looked at plants for his landscaping plans with the same eye.
You can purchase a copy of Steiner’s book by clicking on the Buy on Amazon button below the visual of the book’s cover. If you do buy this book by following the link in this article, I may receive a commission.
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Creative and targeted programs that make an impact are the hallmark of experienced marketing professional Ruth Steele Walker. Focusing on results that improve the bottom line, she accelerates projects from conception to implementation with a mastery of writing, production, placement, budgeting and coordination.
During more than 25 years with Foremost Corporation of America, the nation's leading insurer of manufactured housing and recreational vehicles, Walker consistently produced effective communications programs that resulted in increased net written premium. Her expertise in crisis communications was a vital part of Foremost's exemplary customer service in the wake of hurricanes, floods and earthquakes. Walker specializes in communications targeting the 50+ demographic, with an emphasis in communications for the 65+ segment.
Among other achievements, Walker developed communications for the merger of Foremost and Farmers Insurance, addressing audiences including customers, employees, trade and consumer media. For Foremost's 50th anniversary, she created a celebration program of internal and external promotions, special events, recognition and a 162-page commemorative book.
Earlier in her career, Walker was a newspaper reporter, a TV and radio producer, and worked in national sales and traffic at network TV affiliates. Walker earned a BA in journalism from Michigan State University and an MS in communications from Grand Valley State University.
She and her husband Scott operate a small vineyard in Michigan's Leelanau Peninsula, producing premium vinifera wine grapes. The vineyard has been the largest local supplier for Suttons Bay wine label L. Mawby, recently named one of the world's top producers of sparkling wines.
