By Leslie Watkins

During the long winter evenings, sitting on the sofa with the cozy company of our favorite cats, it is pleasant to think of the variety of felines we may soon get a chance to see in the garden.

It won’t be long, for instance, before we start to notice the swelling buds of pussy willows (Salix discolor) along wetlands and wherever the soil is moist. The fuzzy buds resemble silvery gray cat toes, and branches may be cut to bring indoors for decoration. They are dioecious, meaning that you would need both a male and female plant to produce fruit. The male catkins are showier than the female and develop little yellow pollen clusters that are attractive to honeybees and provide early spring nutrition.

A slightly oblique cousin is the catalpa tree (Catalpa speciosa), which has beautiful white flowers similar to rhododendrons and orchids. It has large heart-shaped leaves and produces long seed pods. The caterpillars of the catalpa sphinx moth (Ceratomia catalpae) feed on its leaves and are prized by fisherman as bait.

Illustration by Leslie Watkins © 2018.

Pussytoes, (Antennaria plantaginifolia) is a member of the aster family and hardy to zone 3. It has fuzzy leaves and makes a great perennial ground cover for rock gardens. The flowers look like cats’ feet and attract butterflies and pollinating insects, blooming on short stalks above the evergreen foliage in spring.
Farther afield in the cat family are tiger lilies (Lilium tigrinum), which grow three or four feet tall and have showy orange flowers that will last up to two weeks in the vase. They are great in the back of a border and have an old fashioned appeal. They are highly tolerant to plant diseases but can pass on infections to nearby lilies while themselves showing no symptoms.

Cattails, of course, are an important wild edible and also useful in many other ways. They can be woven into mats and baskets, and the fluffy, absorbent material in the heads was used in diapers by Native Americans. It can be stuffed into pillows and mattresses, used as insulation in clothing and quilts, and as flotation in life jackets. A torch can be made by dipping the head in oil. Survivalists use the seed fluff for tinder, as the tight outer wrapping can keep the inside dry during heavy rains. The fresh shoots, roots, leaves and pollen are all edible and nutritions.

Catmint (Nepeta x faassenii and Nepeta mussinii) is a wonderful addition to the perennial border. It has lavender flowers and fine, gray-green foliage. It compliments just about everything but is particularly nice with roses, whose knobby lower limbs it can screen. It is deer resistant and drought tolerant.

Leopard’s bane (Doronicum orientale) is a yellow daisy-like perennial, growing 12 to 24 inches in height or more. It blossoms early in May and provides nectar for butterflies, flies and beetles. It makes a great cut flower. Deadheading may produce a second flowering in the fall. Leopard’s bane is also another name for Arnica montana, a different plant that is used as a medicinal for many ailments. Neither should be confused with yet another Leopard’s bane, aconitum, which is extremely poisonous. This is a good example of why botanical names are so important!

Then there are black cat petunias,, which have truly black velvety flowers and are great in window boxes and containers. They are thought of as the blackest flower available and will make a dramatic addition to your annual display.

Last but not least is the humble dandelion, whose name (as readers of my column know) comes from the French “dent de lion,” or lion’s tooth, for the shape of its leaves. The ubiquitous cheerful yellow flower is found just about everywhere. A powerhouse of nutrition, it packs four times as much calcium as other greens found in the produce section, and has 1.5 times as much vitamin A and 7.5 times as much vitamin K as broccoli. Dandelions contain twice as much iron and 3 times as much riboflavin as spinach and plenty of vitamin E—and this is just a fraction of their nutritional benefits. They are a diuretic, an antioxidant, they help to control inflammation, are used in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease and may be a useful anti-cancer agent. A delicious healthful tea is made from the roots. The flowers are delicious as fritters, young leaves are excellent in salad, and you can even make dandelion wine. Honeybees seek dandelion nectar in the early spring and children blow the powder puff seed heads while making wishes.

February Chore List

• Design your vegetable garden
• Review companion plantings
• Plan your succession plantings
• Order and organize your seeds
• Replace old fluorescent bulbs
• Get seed-starting medium and pots
• Start seeds of leeks, onions and pansies
• Sharpen and oil pruning shears
• Prune apple trees and raspberries
• Cut forsythia for indoor forcing