I had some seed with fluff that were giving me problems, till I started pulling a bunch out the the head by the fluff, and using little scissors to cut the seeds off. It left a tiny bit of fluff attached, but worked well.
Cottage Garden Seed Swap & Chat #18
re- the butterfly weed
this is what i do.... put the whole head in a paper bag, close bag, shake the beegeezes out of it... go outside, and gently blow the 'fluff' out of the bags... the seed settle to the bottom.
This message was edited Nov 16, 2008 1:35 PM
I'm curious about this too. (Regarding Perennial's question about Anemone seeds) I have 'whirlwind' outside. It bloomed like crazy this year, and I keep looking at the spent flower area and trying to figure them out. Most are green balls, some are brown. When I break open the brown ones there is white cottony stuff inside... ones that have opened have a hard black ball about 1/8" left on the stem, but it's firmly attached... what is the seed here?!
This message was edited Nov 16, 2008 2:40 PM
Thanks guys! So I take it that fluff and tails are unwanted and it's okay to just pull them off or whatever way they'll come off. Does anyone know about the anemone heads that hadn't opened and no fluff yet - if they'll make viable seeds?
Meredith, if this is you second year for the baptisia australis it will send out more shoots then it should bloom the next year, it's taken mine four years to become full and pretty now it's reseeding and I'm letting it :) The first year it doesn't have that many shoots just one or two, or mine did anyway.
perenniallyme, I know my toadlilies are going to reseed they did from last year and I collected seeds like crazy from them lol This year I'll be ripping them out like crazy lol I don't have room for them to reseed in most places where they are lol
BTW, I have some Lobelia cardinalis and didn't get to water them as much as I wanted to so they were pretty dry this summer and they did fine, it was really dry out there, we'll see if they come back for next year though :) How long do they usually last in the garden, I have them in two other places and have read that they are short lived?
I think I'm caught up now lol I'm going to check that vervain out up there, I've been wanting some blue and red if anyone has it in the swap :) I aim to go thru the lists today, need to take a break from all of these seeds lol I haven't been thru them yet :)
>>about the anemone heads
Can't help ya here. I've never seen one.
and for the Butterfly weed/Milkweeds
all that will be left is a lil brownish Orange disk like thing.
klstuart, Check this site out it has Anemone seeds I hope this goes to the page if not go to the start and it's about the third page on 'A' second one :)
http://www.theseedsite.co.uk/db2.html
I too have Toadlilies that I've been watching. None of the seed heads appear to have ripened. They are green cone type things (with a triangular cross section).
I assume the seeds would be in these if they'd set seed? If I tear apart the green cone, there are teensy little pale things that look like unripe seeds in rows in there. Oh well, the plants appear to be multiplying anyway, but it would have been fun to have seed! They sure had enough bees all over them in the fall. I wonder if one could hand pollinate for a better chance of seed, or if they don't set for some other reason?
Thanks Lebug. Great site!
Mine don't look like that at all! Maybe they didn't get a chance to get to that point before they got frozen? I've got green balls, and a few brown balls. I just went out and looked again. A few of them had small seed-like things on either side of what looks like the seedpod... hmm. May try a viability study on these just to see. The brown balls are empty when I break them open!
Just a curiosity anyway, since I've got more than I need and some to share by roots, and they spread nicely!
klstuart, put that in your favorites it comes in real handy!
If you want to get rid of some of those Anemone in the spring I wouldn't mind having some, I'd have to check out to see what I have for a trade this spring, I'm going to be spliting a lot of plants this year, let's talk later and see what you are looking for if you decide to get rid of some :)
I'm off to the lists :)
I second. Great site! My anemone seeds do look like that - mostly cotton with teeny dark specks inside. Do I have to clean all the cotton off, or can I offer them with padding?
Lea, anemones are hard to transplant as they have a taproot. Can be done, but they'll look like they're about to die for a few months after. Maybe it would be easier to just scarf up some seeds.
I've transplanted these many times. I guess they do look a little weeny at first, but I'd think in early spring it wouldn't be long before they were perked up again. The roots on them seem to run sideways, almost like runners, only woody.
Maybe different types?
I've transplanted them many times too, but never tried packing them up and shipping them.
Thanks lea. : ) I can't wait for the baptisia to get big - I love the way they look when I see them in other people's gardens.
I know I am not part of your swap thing, but I have been reading a lot of the posts, I am fascinated by all I am learning! I am SOOOOOO doing this next year when I actually have stuff to trade!
ANYWAY, Wind asked about the Hollyhocks cross-pollinating and since I have grown the double white hollyhocks for 4 years now I thought I would jump in here. I don't believe they cross-pollinate. I only know from the experience that I have had growing the double whites with single pinks that the double white seem to only produce double whites. I don't know how they get new Hollyhocks, but the ones I have had have always come true even though they are growing all in the same space.
BTW about cross-pollinating, I did learn that one when I planted zucchini and yellow crookneck in the same space. I ended up with the oddest looking yellow thing that didn't taste at all like squash. Then I was too afraid to eat any more of them! LOL, this was of course before I found DG. Now I can learn what I need to know before I plant! :)
Good luck with your HollyHocks.
I will go back to my eavesdropping now. ;)
Just pulled the silky tails off the butterfly weed seed. Came off very easily. They are soooo silky feeling, was wondering if they could be spun into a fiber for cloth - like cotton or linen or what have you. (Mind, I'm not a spinner or a weaver, was just wondering. Sure wouldn't mind a set of butterfly weed fiber sheets though, but would probably never get out of bed!)
Thanks LissaD
I'm going to try the two Hollyhock types in the same garden area next season :)
Hey guys, should I try to take off the "silky tails" from aster seeds before sending them in to the piggy swap? If so, has anyone tried the paper bag trick on those? Same questions for purple fountain grass. Thanks from a seed newbie!
Tonya
gee, my asters don't have silky tails. It seems from my previous questions that people don't want the tails on them.
I think you would go insane trying to de-fluff aster seeds. They always have fluff when I get them in trades so I wouldn't worry about it.
perenniallyme, have you ever grown them from seed I wonder how fast they are to spread from seed.
I do have your 'yellow' candylily too, I just read that post I'm way behind so sorry :) I hope I haven't missed anyone else. That's why I like for people to dmail me :)
I never worry about tails on my seeds at least it's less than what you would be cleaning if you were sending them out instead :) I'd say send the seeds out that way, the person will most likely just clean what they are going to use anyway unless they just get sown that way I have done that.
I haven't even started cleaning my milkweeds lol I told pamsue I would tonite but I don't think it's gonna happen, it's been one of those days :)
I've always sown my anemones with fluff and all, no problem with germination there.......
Thanks, everyone. I think I'll leave the fluff this time around. I was thinking like Tuink. Nature plants them with the fluff!
They may need to be stratified, though......
Would wintersowing stratify them enough?
Think so.....
It's fun lurking in on you all. Visited the trading forum and thinks to myself I would never be able to keep up with that. Shucks I have never even edited anything and by the time I looked up how I would certainly be pulling my hair out. Still fun to sneak around the corner and eavesdrop. That other one scares me though.....
First time for everything and here I am editing my post. Thanks Lea if this works and even if it doesn't. LOL Told you all I am a computer illiterate.
This message was edited Nov 17, 2008 7:22 PM
This message was edited Nov 17, 2008 7:23 PM
Veronica you are a trip lol
If you want to edit all you do is hit the edit button and do it, real simple even I can do it and that's saying something!
Nanny, now that I've gotten organized, its not hard to keep up with (I realized how easily I could lose track, as scatter brained as I am). I'm keeping everything right by the computer, so I add to people's baggies as I see the posts, and edit my list just once or twice a day.
..having said that, I'm not nearly so organized about what I'm receiving. Making messy lists, but by the time they come in I'll have forgotten so much that the surprises will be like Santa just delivered, LOL.
Finally I have started to post my have list.I was out of town for days and waiting. My Mother-in law is here for a visit so I may be a bit slow to respond but I will be checking the threads.
This is the hardy hibiscus photo for color (a very pale pink)
This is the columbine. It should come true it is the only one in this garden and all the seedlings have been true.
Almost a dusky pink
gemini , I know you will love the spooky dianthus,I plan to have more next year,myself.
One little thing that helps me keep track of what i'm sending and receiving... I do a search for my name
you hit the Ctrl button on your keyboard + the "f" key, and it brings up the find box.... i type in my user ID [i also have to do it for my name, as some use that too] ... the real task comes at the end when there are 2-+ pages to sort thru... but it can be quick enough.
and -- I may seem organized... but i'm really not.. i too have notes all over the place... and none of them are complete.
WOW tcs that is a great tip! I really like that - it will come in handy for lots of stuff! Thank you for sharing : )
Lea, don't know if your question was about asters or japanese anemone. I haven't grown either from seed as both spread well by themselves. Believe I've had some self-starters from the anemone, but hard to know for sure as they can send underground runners pretty far. Didn't collect my aster seeds as I don't remember any self-starters from them, even with hundreds of flowers, so I don't know if they're viable or not.
perenniallyme, I had just wondered how fast the japanese anemone would grow from seed, but you haven't grown them from seed before, I got one in a trade this summer and was thinking about getting some seeds to them :)
Sorry, I really don't know. Why don't you just try some and see?
Indy.. LOl glad ya peeking, your welcome to join in if you want. Ya just take it slow and act like ya know what ya doing. Most of the time I behind and slow too, I get there eventually.
I may not win the prize for the first place blue ribbon, but I good at last place honorable mentions. hehehehehe