Many years ago, we transplanted a clump or two of marsh marigolds to the banks of our brook. Today, they cover the banks with gold and spread into an old alder swamp and the damp woods beyond. They are a joy to our eyes, hungry for color after the long winter.
Cowslip is another name for marsh marigold, Caltha palustris, and like the buttercup, it belongs to the crowfoot family. In England, the common English primrose.
Primula orris is sometimes called cowslip, and our cowslip in England is spoken of as “Marybuds” — “And winking Marybuds begin to ope their golden eyes.”
Then there is the Virginia cowslip, Mertensia virginica, and the American cowslip, Dodecatheon media, a wild prairie flower much like cyclamen. All of these local names are very confusing.
Country people used to make cowslip wine and cook the leaves and stem for greens. The flower buds were sometimes used instead of capers in a white sauce, served with boiled mutton, a favorite dish of Queen Victoria’s, I believe.
When cowslips are coming into bloom along the brook, choose a suitable bowl and a sharp trowel and lift the plant, roots and all. It comes up quickly, dripping mud and water, and will fit nicely into the bowl.
The blossoms will open in the house and last a long time, and then can go back into the ground none the worse for the experiment.
44659 by Ruth D. Grew