What won't grow in my backyard

It is hard for me to imagine that there are plants that won't grow in Alabama.   Because our winters are mild, we can grow most cool climate plants during the winter while we grow hot weather plants during the summer;  we can find a season to grow just about anything we want if we are willing to put a little effort into it.

However, after many attempts, I am now convinced that there is one plant I wish I could grow here but have failed miserably at cultivating in my backyard--rhubarb. 

I love rhubarb.  It grows vigorously in cooler, northern climates, almost achieving "weed-like" growth.   Its growth habit is similar to a caladium, with bright red stems and giant leaves.   Not only is it pretty, it is also edible! 

In my home state, Minnesota, rhubarb stalks are considered a "fruit" and used in every conceivable form of dessert.   As a child, I had permission to pull up a stem to eat as a snack whenever I wanted.  Rhubarb is extremely tart so eating it raw from the garden was a treat only for the best "dares."

The challenge of growing rhubarb in Alabama is our long, hot summers.  Rhubarb requires full sun and although it will tolerate short heat waves, it needs cool evenings even during the summer.  I tried deep mulch to keep the roots cool but "cool" soil was not cool enough.  I even tried potting some rhubarb; setting the pot out during the winter and setting it on top of my AC vent in a sunny window during the hottest days of summer.  This produced a few spindly stalks but not enough to fix even a single recipe.

While cruising through the produce section at Publix the other day,  I discovered that they had a basket full of rhubarb stalks.  They were ridiculously expensive (people in Minnesota cannot give away their rhubarb) but my craving for ANYTHING made from rhubarb overruled my frugal nature and I HAD to have some rhubarb.  I purchased three stalks; the cashier had to ask me what they were before she could ring them up.

I made a simple rhubarb sauce, which I enjoyed with my Mothers Day cheesecake.  It reminded me of home and my own Mom, who still makes the best rhubarb-strawberry pie on earth.