Going to seeds (in a handbasket!)
While trying to ignore the many crispy-fried-plants in my garden, I started looking for other things going on.
And lo and behold, many of my plants and trees are going to seed today.
I didn’t capture them all, but some of them are just so interesting to look at.
And they are as diverse as the plants from which they come.
The Pride of Barbados seed pod is thin and delicate, just like the shrub.
It almost looks like a snow pea pod, but a little longer.
The Esperanza pod is long and shiny and thin. It almost looks like it’s covered in lime-green wax.
This hideous looking pod is from the stunningly beautiful Moy Grande Hibiscus with giant hot-pink blooms that I posted about several weeks ago here.
I have hundreds of seeds coming on, so if you’d like me to send you some, please comment with your email and I’d be happy to write to you and get your info to share them. She was amazingly prolific this year, and I see that there is another bloom about to open tomorrow. She’s like the Energizer bunny!
This spiky little guy is from my white Datura, which reseeds (by the gazillion) every spring. The plant is as tough as the seed pod looks.
These fat, woody and fuzzy pods are from the Texas Mountain Laurel, which is covered in seeds right now. Sadly, they are S-L-O-W growers, and if you want to start one from seed, you’d better not be counting on any shade from it for several decades!
And this is one of my very favorite books. If you have kids or grand kids, this is a delightfully written and beautifully illustrated book about the life cycle of plants and the many different kinds of seeds. The book IDs many seeds and plants and Kallie and I just love it. Learning about the garden is just a normal part of our outdoor life, and while we talk about seeds as we see them, this book bring it all to life for kids. If you can’t read that small type, the author is Diana Hutts Aston and the illustrator is Sylvia Long. By the way – those giant pods at the top of the book cover are Mountain Laurel pods with the little red seeds inside and a little hint of Laurel heavenly-grape bloom peeking in from the top.
I highly recommend it — for kids (and adults).
