I have 2 kinda of skullcap and love them both-can't seem to get the whole seed thing for them figured out:( One is a purple and one is a pink....
well I'll be darned-it must've been from a trade cuz I dunno....
Cottage Garden Seed Swap & Chat #15
Here's a link to a China Aster in the plantfiles, it does resemble tcs pic don't ya think : ) http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/739/
to me hers didn't look like that, but I did have those growing last year....hers just looked real tight and my asters were more daisy like shaped-does that make sense??
Here is what happens with the weevils and the hibiscus:
Adult weevils lay their eggs inside the young seed capsule. The larvae consume several tomany seeds as they develop, while the fruit continues to mature. Eventually each larva boresa hole of ;2 mm in diameter in the fruit wall to exit from the capsule. The larvae then dropto the ground and begin pupation in early September (Weiss and Dickerson, 1919). Bruchidbeetles lay eggs on the immature capsule soon after the petals abscise. Shortly afterhatching, their larvae burrow through the ovary wall and each enters an ovule, within whichlarval development and pupation take place. Infested seeds reach their full size and appearnormal, but they are hollow and dead. Adult beetles emerge from the seeds during lateautumn (after the fruit capsule has dehisced) through a 1 mm diameter hole in the hardseed coat (Weiss and Dickerson, 1919). Competitive interactions between these two speciesof seed predators have not been studied. It is possible that weevils, which eat developingseeds, affect the survivorship of bruchids that develop inside the seeds.
I got it off of this site:
http://209.85.215.104/search?q=cache:xBoDriUrxbkJ:www.biosci.ohio-state.edu/~asnowlab/klipsbau.pdf+hibiscus+seed+wevil&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=us
What is the tall skullcap? I don't have one of those, they are hard to get the seeds from I've been watching the one that Lucy sent me and still haven't gotten any seed from it lol I've got four different ones in my herb garden and haven't gotten one seed yet lol But mine are all short. The hummers sure like them. Usually mine are full of blooms must be this nasty hot weather we are having.
Lucy, my Mexican Flame Vine is getting ready to bloom, finally! :) I sure am glad I got to see what the bloom looked like when you sent it, thanks for leaving it on there for me 8)
I know they have seeds like in the frisbee things, but no clue how to get em-and mine seed all over the place-I have little surprise ones all over:)
Yes that makes sense, for some reason I thought hers in the pic just wasn't all the way open yet. : ) Maybe I am wrong though. : )
Lebug I don't know if this answers your question but here it is in plantfiles http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/112327/ : )
The one I can't get figured out is my english-type creeping thyme. I know it must set viable seeds, because I grew it from seeds I got in a swap! But I can't ever seem to catch the stems at the right time to get the seeds from them. There are new flowering stems on now as well as older brown stems, so I'm just going to keep checking. Bagging the stems on such a low growing bushy growth would be awkward, and I think I'd only get a few seeds per stem, so I'm just going to keep trying to figure out the right time to clip the bloom stems for seeds. I've given away a lot of potted divisions, but it would be nice to be able to share seeds from it, too!
I got the fabric bags they use at wedding for favors and they seem to work pretty well-I think theyn sell them @ Michaels and wally world
Critter, can you take a brn. paper bag and shake the seeds in that, I bed they are very small, I just did some veronica that way and that's how I do my coral bells, doesn't work all of the time but sometimes :) I just buy the lunch sacks from the dollar store.
Meredith, if you manage to get any seeds from that skullcap I would love to have some I had no idea they had a tall one must have missed that one in the plantfiles :) They are hard to get the seeds though, the first year I had mine the seeds were so easy and after that I've had an awful time trying to get them, I haven't gotten one yet this year.
I'm just cleaning seed trays today lol It's so hot out today in the 90's, don't even want to see for sure feels like 120! lol I've been fixing my dog ice and have ice water out for the kittens, did a bunch of bottles up last night for the freezer, I may not have any food but I have the freezer full of ice bottles for the animals :) No room for food lol
The plants in the ground that I watered last night are wilting like crazy the watering didn't seem to help them I hope I don't lose them :( It's too hot even to collect seeds and it's going to be like this next week too, no rain in site!
LeBug, I've been crumbling the seed stalks between my fingers, trying to find any sign of a seed, and -- nothing. I do remember the seeds as being tiny, but I thought they were dark in color... and I just don't see anything that isn't chaff. Maybe I need to pick a few that are just turning from green to brown and put them in a vase on the kitchen counter so I can watch them veeeery carefully!
Lea, I can never find those seeds on the skullcaps, they either fall out before I get to them or something. On that pink one, I just root it, and forget the seeds. It roots fairly easy.
On your mexican flame vine, maybe you can cover the base of it before it freezes and it might come back from the bottom. It looks like a plant that might, because as it gets alittle age on it, it gets woody down close to the ground. If nothing else and you have room, start rooting yourself another one before it gets too cold.
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/p.php?pid=5451554
ladies.... My NoID with purple flower was ID'ed as Brazilian Bachelor Button.
Lea, I will definitely try to save some of those seeds for ya! : ) If I think it needs it I'll use those mesh bags like Fairy. I just tried it for the first time and so far I like the idea!
Critter, you sound like me trying to collect the Jacob Kline seeds for the third year in a row with no luck! : )
I think I need to try putting the mesh baggies on a few of the heads before they turn brown and see if I can at least get a few.
They are small and I'll need a lot but it doesn't look that bad. It looks like I have little upside down wedding favors scattered in the garden LOL : )
Tcs that's good to know, I'm going to look it up and see what they say about them.
How do I get monarda seeds-the flower heads have no petals and all these little holes in them??
Fairy if there are ripe seeds inside they are easy. : ) Just snip of the old blooms and tip them over into a container or I use a brown baggy usually and kinda twist em with pressure at the base and the seeds should fall out. I usually check one in my hand to get an idea of which stage they have the most seeds in them. Usually the still somewhat fresh looking all brown ones have the most. The seeds look like sesame seeds. : ) My Jacob Klines never have any though. All my other Monardas usually have plenty.
I'm not certain, but I thought I'd read somewhere that 'Jacob Kline' was a sterile hybrid. Who knows, maybe my thymes are F2 plants that are somehow also sterile, LOL.
Maybe that is our problem critter : ) The only odd thing is I bought three plants that were sold as Jacob Kline and two that were just sold as the straight species M. didyma. They look a lot like the Jacob Kline except a little less consistent with the height of the flowers on the same plant there is some short and some tall, and overall they don't get as tall as the JK. So I thought maybe those plants would have seeds but so far I have found none. I think the culprits are beetles, because every time I check a flower head at least one little black beetle that is the same exact size and shape as a seed falls out.
Thanks Mer-I will try that:)
Ladies -- my posts will be far and few between as i'm back in Wisc ... probably for a month , and i dont get on line much.
When i get home i'll be picking tons of seeds.
have a nice trip tcs :)
Well, my Job's Tears (from swap seed) is just now starting to show its bead seeds ~
it is really facinating!
The nolana didn't bloom too prolifically, but the few, pale blue, blooms are lovely...
This morning I was surprised to see a bloom on the potted Browallia viscosa ‘amethyst’ :)
I just looked it up in my journal here at home...I noted that the seeds were really tiny for this. I'm going to try and bring the pots in for the winter since it is a tender perennial. Has anyone done that?
Morning all!
My Nolana didn't flower much either, and now it has disappeared completely. The slugs, no doubt. They love it too, but for entirely different reasons!
I tried to overwinter the browallia and it flowered for quite some time, but then it was ruined by aphids......
Finally!!!! Catching up on what I missed.
How dry I was..
How wet I know be,
Cuz storm Faye dumped over 11 inches on me.
I've been so blue...
cuz in the house I've had to stay in my room,
with five days of rain and glum...
I'm afraid alot of my plants may be doomed.
Ya bad poetry. Don't mind me. Been stir crazy with no internet and not being able to go out and just watching things flood.
Man, haven't had only 3/4" of rain since middle of May and now I get all we missed in one big swoop. At least I got some. Only all the veggie seed I sowed, is gone to who knows yard. Gonan be funny when folks start having broccolli and califlower and collards all popping up in their yards. LOL
I am thankful for the rain we got, just hope next tiem it gets spread out a bit.
hi Star....gosh you got all the rain....we are bone dry here...go figure
We got two small showers yesterday, very small but I'll take whatever comes at this point lol I geared up and planted the last tow days hoping for at least an inch lol Yes, I was dreaming lol
I planted my Jack Flash yesterday and I'm holding my breath, I started these plants last winter in the house and the biggest plant is three inches tall lol I started out with a bunch and was down to three :(
Lucy, I'll put some big rocks around my Mexican vine and mulched leaves and hope for the best, it's too beautiful to lose :) I'll take a start off of it too for the house but I have no light in the house, we shall see, I'm going to try and keep a cutting off of the skullcap, that is a beautiful plant too :)
Oh Star, your neighbors will be so greatful for their veggies LOL
Wind your flowers are very pretty!
I tried but didn't get any seed off of the Jacob Kline, I heard too that they are sterile, I have a couple of plants I need to move come fall they were in a trade and not sure if they were suppose to be something else or they were just along for the ride. I also have a plant there I have no idea what it is, it was planted in the morning sun so the flower stalks (about four feet) stretched to the sun and ended up on the ground so I have to move it this fall too, tried to get a picture of the bloom but it didn't turn out, it has a small purple bloom with four petals to it and the seed pods are long and skinny, about three inches with oodles of seeds in it and they were all over those stems, the bottom part of the plant is pretty close to the ground, guess I'll have to wait until next year if it comes back to get an id on it. I didn't get to collect much seed on it it was all tangled with the Jacob Kline lol
Lea, maybe you can get them to live through the winter. I sure hope so. : ) Both of the plants should root pretty easy. I haven't had any trouble with them. If all else fails, I can always send you some more, if you want them. : )
~Lucy
Thanks Lucy you are a pal :) I'll try to do them and see what happens :) If they don't make it at least I got to see what they looked like, it's not necessary for you to send another one, unless we could find something to trade maybe 8)
Holy cow I think I hear an echo in here.
Heloo helooo helooooo
yup an echo
hi lala, hi fairy .....helloooooooooooo helloooooooooo
you both are funny!
why I'm still out here, just haven't had much new to mention from our swap seeds/plants. My husband and I made a bunch of jarred salsa and finally had success at making some grape jelly from our red grapes. If only we picked them soon enough; last year we picked 7lbs and messed up on the jelly (made sauce!) and this year we only picked a little over 1 lb, a lot fell to the ground for the birds!...but it gelled and turned out, so we're happy.
Our geraniums probably just needed more time because now they are starting to bloom more, as are the lilac petunias.
oh, and the orange tithonia just finally started to bloom! horray, I'll have to go take a photo and post it.
yes-we love pics WInd:)
Here's my first aster bloom, from the bestest Fairy : ) Isn't it pretty?
Hey-mine never looked that pretty!!LOL It is a beauty Mer!!
Lol-Thank you : )
...that is pretty Meredith :)
Has anyone ever harvested purple majesty millet before? I'm not sure how; I can see what look like seeds in the tassel part, not sure if I just cut off the tassel or what.
Also, I have a lot of Queen Anne's Lace seed heads, do you think anyone would want that in the next swap? Otherwise, I probably won't harvest any since it is a weed.
LeBug, I never got any of the white lace flower this season. I'm hoping maybe it will come up next year, you never know.
Thank you wind : )
I am wondering the same thing about the purple majesty millet?
Yes, those round things in the tassel part of PMaj are the seeds -- they look just like the millet seeds in birdseed mix. I think the biggest ones generally do best, so I tend to sort out a few fat ones if I'm planning to start plants inside... if I'm direct sowing or winter sowing with a bunch of seeds, I just sprinkle them generously.
critter, I'm loving the Lion's Tail from the seeds you sent me! Look how pretty it is with MGs growing up the stalk.
I'm going to have to look at the pmaj again. Mine are starting to get beige and when I run my hand up them little fluff comes off. I thought those might be seeds.
I have another blooming plant from the swap : )
Butterfly Blue Delphinium from Flowerhead. Thank you Flowerhead! : )
