seeds that POP!!!

cleome, they are fasinating too. Seed scatter everywhere, I can't imagine why
there aren't more growing.
They are a pretty little flower, the touch me not.

I grow a dwarf Cleome and love it. I watch the seed pods and when dried, I pick and hoard them. Some folks don't like the cleome smell. To me it smells like fresh peas. Yummm!!

To me it smells similar to a skunk.
But the beauty makes up for the smell.
Charleen

LOL ~ on the skunk! The dwarf cleome isn't that woofy...

That would be "woofy" wouldn't it. I planted some
Burgendy Basil one year in our garden, Tomatoes like it,
comes up every year, Longears got in there and ate it an
(I couldn't believe it) then cleome. Must not be poison,
they are still going!!!!!

What a nice person you are ~ I am certain you like to 'share'! Sounds like you are planting a crop for the critters!

question ~ are long ears mule? or rabbit?

This message was edited Oct 15, 2009 7:15 PM

Both!!!! We don't have to invite them, they invite theirselves.
I havea hole under my John Deere Lawnmower where
an Armidillo has dug. I took pic. Haven't ever seen anything like it.
You have them too, don't you?? They come out at night, you should see all the holes in
my yard. It is going to be fun running that mower over those. Haven't moved the mower
since he dug in. But donkeys got out yesterday abd had to chase them down, I noticed the hole s full
of water. He going to drown!!! That hole is big enough my little fat 10 lb. Chichuahua could walk
in there with no problem. Awwwwww!!! Life on the Funny Farm....
Charleen

Dillers are amazing. I have a fenced yard... they can get in but it is inhabited by a pair of dogs that discourage so the yard isn't so bad. Outside the yard we have pineywoods rooters... feral hogs! They will do some major tilling and are hated by anyone with pasture land. I noticed the armadillo holes are like summer residences. Late summer/early fall is the season they get really bad here. Their holes appears vacated until that season. Always wondered where they go ~ south like a snowbird?

I know where they are going? Over to my house!!!!
I got a pic of that hole that Rascal dug.
I bet Missy, (my dog) had him cornered and he started digging.
A lady that has a greenhouse that I go to, has an electric fence about 12''
of the ground and she says it keeps them out of her yard.
You can imagine the damage they could do in there.
This was my first experience with them
Charleen

I don't mind them so much. They don't seem to bother the plants but root for grubs. I honestly don't know that they even bother the roots of plants other than rooting them up. They come to the flower beds and gardens because it is watered and usually a good grubs dining spot.

The reason I don't mind them is although they root up plants, I usually can stick them back in the ground. But the best part is they loosen the dry, compacted soil at the end of summer and that helps the soil absorb moisture better.

I do know some folks that treat their yards for grubs and that successfully keeps the armadillos out.

This message was edited Oct 16, 2009 8:50 PM

They haven't been a problem for me either. I notice the holes here & there, where they have rooted but haven't had them in my garden yet. The dogs go nuts if they see one so they don't stick around too long.

We're not completely fenced so all sorts of critters can come and go. And they do LOL.

Not too far from here I saw a pack of feral hogs there must have been at least thirty of them!! Like you said Podster, I've heard they can do some serious damage. But I've also heard they aren't so bad once you get them on the supper table.

Just be sure to cook the meat well. There have been documented cases of hogborne diseases again as a result of feral hog consumption. On the other hand, we may be glad for the meat someday and I would not be above eating an armadillo either if hongry! 8 )).

Well, i hope I won't be that hungry but they are an interesting animal. They are not hurting anything,
just make little v holes in the ground. They got to run out of grubs sooner or later ^_^
I hear Armadillos make good eating. But who would want to try it. You would have to do them
likew a turtle. One thing about it, you wouldn't get ay hair in it.
Charleen

I lost my first few tries at saving pansy and viola pods in a shallow dish. They dried and burst all over the place, only a few wedged in the tightly curled pod. They go in deep clear plastic canisters now:)

Have you ever got to watch them pop?

I was in the room watching TV (they were on a paper plate on top) and I heard the small pop and heard the seeds hit the top of the tv but didn't see it actually happen, by the time I got to the tv the husk was curling up a bit.

I did get startled by the touch me nots the neighbor had in her front bed. I bent down to touch the seed pods which looked pretty green still to me and 3 of them went off like grenades and almost gave me heart failure:lol: I'd never seen them before and had no idea:lol:

LOL ~ on the heart failure. It is startling even when you know they can do it.

Pet shops have little containers they sell crickets in to feed lizards and snakes too. It's got a screen over it. I put my "poppin fresh" seeds in them or paper bags, or also paper coffee filters with the tops taped shut. Allows them to dry with out escaping all around the house or getting mixed in with your other sees.
Phillipene violets also pop...

I am almost afraid to ask... what are you feeding to get those little containers? LOL

I will have to check out those violets...

Actually, I"M not feeding anything to get them. I got the idea from my of the gals that works for me helping to care for the horses. ( I have a farm and we board/train horses and I give lessons also). She had one of those big lizards...can't remember what their called now, but she brought me some seeds from a MG she had growing in her yard and she happened to stick them in one of those containers. Not being one to throw out a perfectly good container, and immediately seeing the benefits of using it to dry seeds. It closes securely ( a necessary consideration when you have a cat that thinks paper plates sitting around are meant to be slept on) , and has good air flow, hummm....seed drying container.

Excellent ~ and I agree on the cat/paper plate connection. There is some magnetic attraction there... lol

I have this site saved--and I think it is time to post it again. It will help a lot--if you are not faamiliar what newly emerging seedlings actually look like.....This would be outside--where seeds come up on their own--not inside--where you know what you have seeded....
This is NOT all-inclusive! But good enough! and they are true to scale.
Gita

http://theseedsite.co.uk/db1.html

Labas!--Jonna Sudenius---
I KNOW you are Lithuanian--just from your name!
I am from Latvia--born there----now live in Baltimore, Maryland in the USA.

How did you end up in Belgium? Did your parents emigrate there????

Y-Sveikata!!! Gita

Thank you so much Gita. Great site!! I'm putting in my favs' too!

Gita, I don't know my early roots. Me and my family are looking for their roots since decades without any success.
So I'm bewildered about your observation my name is Lithuanian. It might be possible, knowing the few things I know, but we never thougt of Latvia. I'll send you a d-mail with more details: you might be able to help me solve the mystery.

Jonna