Hello Everybody!!!
Would you like to join in a discussion about growing and propagating native Texas plants?
Texas native plants are beautiful. I am sure many of you have them in your garden. Let us share what we have experienced and learn from each other.
Your Friend;
Josephine.
To reach the other threads click here;
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/993950/
ok, I'll ask again:
Does anyone have experience collecting seed from the greenthread? It's so thick, I'm really really not wanting much of it to go to seed where it is, but I would love to have the seed for elsewhere in the neighborhood. So I'd like to collect as early as possible but still be sure the seed have (or will) develop.
Also the gaura - I've never even fooled with seed from it before, because there's usually so little. So far it's made little hard green seed pods along the stem where each flower was. I'm guessing they will turn brown and then pop?
Thanks!
I am sorry but i have never collected Greenthread, I suppose you would treat it the same as Coreopsis,
http://wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=THFI
Newtons...Cheryl...
You asked about the Texas Betony. The first year I bought mine I thought it was dying. Then it came back nicely the next spring. I hope yours will be ok, don't give up on it. You might try clipping a few of the longer flower stems.
As I mentioned in the other thread ( Arlington RU one).. DH & I went on our monthly butterfly field trip with the group..to Decatur..the LBJ Grasslands. The wildflowers were gorgeous & now I am "hooked" on native flowers. Next year I am going to "build" a garden just for TX natives! It won't be too big, but enough to have my fav's! hahaha
Yes, it's so easy to get hooked! When you see how pretty they are out somewhere where nobody takes care of them, it's just amazing! Trouble is, I have TOO many favorites! Can't grow them all, no matter what I want! This is Burridge's Greenthread, native to Texas, but seeds are more likely to be found sold from overseas seed companies.
OK, here's what I've learned about collecting greenthread seeds:
- The only instruction about timing I could find was "when the stem starts to turn brown". However, there's is only a weak correlation between the stem color and the ripeness of the seed head. Sometimes the stem is still green and the head is already open, sometimes the the stem is well past yellow on the way to brown, but the seed head is still closed tight. So that might be a good general guideline if you're doing a mass harvest of a field, but it may not help for individual flowers.
- The seed heads swell and eventually spring open as the seeds ripen, very similar to the bud opening into the flower. There seems to be generally about two days between when the seeds are ripe (based on appearance) and when they have fallen from the plant.
Off on the big gaura collecting expedition tomorrow...
It sure looks like you girls are having a lot fun, I love wildflowers too, but growing them is keeping me too busy right now.
Birdlady, I love gaura, but mine got killed by pests..I cut off all the dead parts so, will it grow back? I hate to lose this pretty plant!
It's supposed to be a perennial. I don't have enough experience to know how resilient it actually is after pest problems, but um, sure, let's say yours will be back soon. 8>)
We had a jurassic jungle explosion of the stuff this year, after pretty much none the two years before, so either yeah, it is mightily perennial to have waited out the drought. Or else it is a tough patient self-seeder.
Thank you birdlady.. I have left the gaura as it is! hahaha.
This Rose gential showed up in my garden area this year... and yes, she can stay!
I think this is Bitterweed. It also showed up near the same area of my garden. They are both volunteers.
The whole plant
I've just collected seeds of the cranesbill, wild geranium. I think it stands out more right now than when in bloom LOL!
Those are all really pretty, thank you for showing us.
The plants with those yellow flowers look like one of the sneezeweed species, possibly Helenium amarum, which can have the yellowish disk flowers in the center.
http://www.missouriplants.com/Yellowalt/Helenium_amarum_page.html
This message was edited Jun 1, 2010 1:20 PM
Thank you frostweed.
That is it LindaTX8; Helenium amarum.
This little fawn isn't a plant but he looks like a newborn! He was only there for a moment before his mama was calling for him and he ran off into the forest. But he did look a little nervous when he saw a chicken walking toward him! lol
