Tag Archives: self seeding annual

Old Plant Friends Cannot Be Forgotten

Posted on January 10, 2024 by Dallas Garden Buzz

January 10, 2024

This is the time of the year when one things about past efforts and plans ahead for what’s to come—naturally the future must be vastly improved over what came before.  Its been that way for a long time.  After all January is named for Janus the god who is able to look to the past and the future.

All useful so far.  Evaluating past efforts and planning for the future is important for just about everything.

However this is also a time when one is most susceptible to promises of  perfection if only you buy something—well not just anything of course but the new and improved item currently on offer.  Let’s not consider the diets and health promoting supplements and the body that would be ours if only a new and improved fitness machine was ordered.  All available right now and payment can be easy—there is a plan available. 

Gardeners are not immune to these thoughts  by any means.  Emails seem to arrive daily to showcase the “must haves” for this years garden.  All involve buying the new and improved plants from all sorts of places.  Catalogues have pictures that are simply astonishing  The flowers in glorious colors.  Petals are now double and triple and maybe more.  Some seem to be very small “fit any space”  How can this be exactly.  Surely they would want to grow at least a little bit.

Even shrubs and trees are new and have amazing flowers and turn all sorts of colors.  Buy now”   really seems the only reasonable thing to do after all “supply may be limited”. 

But wait—take a deep breath and consider—where will all these new plants go?  Go back and look at your garden photos (you know they are right there)  and when you look you see that not only was the garden actually lovely it was pretty full.

Now there is nothing all wrong with buying new plants.  There are indeed new discoveries to be made.  Plus its just fun and adds excitement to the garden—and may be the key to the perfection everyone is looking for—this could happen.

Just think carefully about replacing the tried and true plants.  The ones you have counted on for years—that have stood the tests of time and weather.  Afterall they hold memories of past gardens—yours and so many others—and even of the gardeners who loved them before you and maybe even shared them.  It’s a lot to think about.

Tithonia requres a lot of dead heading but you can enjoy the butterflies that love it.
How could you resist this dusky purple color in a plant that loves to live no matter what.
Strawberry fields globe amaranth does seed out but appreciate it?
When zinnias reseed they are usually single pink. But is there something wrong with that?
Grasses aadd grace and stability so forgive a little mess.
Common mullein adds a sense of drama and plants itself.
Pothos is common but that’s okay there is nothing like it for brightening a dark corner. Why pay more?
Annual salvia is wonderful for late summer. Yes, it seeds but think what a virtue that can be in a hot dry summer. This is coral nymph salvia.

The little song children used to sing sums it up: 

Make new friends but keep the old— one is silver and the other gold.

Susan Thornbury, Dallas County Master Gardener Class of 2008

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Chanticleer, A Pleasure Garden

Posted on October 23, 2023 by Dallas Garden Buzz

October 23, 2023

My heart is beating fast just thinking back to my four hours at Chanticleer in September. The history of the garden is interesting because without philanthropic foundations like Chanticleer’s, we wouldn’t have the opportunity to visit such awe inspiring gardens. This historical information is taken from their website.

The Chanticleer estate dates from the early 20th-century, when land along the Main Line of the Pennsylvania Railroad was developed for summer homes to escape the heat of Philadelphia. Adolph Rosengarten, Sr., and his wife Christine built their country retreat in 1913, remodeling and expanding to make it a permanent residence in 1924. In 1990 following the death of Adolph Jr., the entire Chanticleer estate was set up as a foundation for the education and enjoyment of the public.

Thirty five acres are open for exploration.

Map of Chanticleer Garden

The teacup garden, named for this fountain is reinvented every year. This year’s design was taken from historic Persian gardens with silver and variegated plants. See Starla on the left in focus!
I am not sure the name of this garden but loved the yellow foliage and the large leaves of the banana below.
Asparagus for days! A truly inspiring asparagus border located next to the vegetable garden.
The ruin garden, notice the firestick plant in front, flanked by cactus, agave and euphorbia and an espaliered magnolia holding up the wall(so to speak).
The dry garden reminiscent of a Mediterranean garden and also looking very Texan. This garden of agaves and Yucca rostrata with many self -sowers, like Mexican feather grass, echinacea, poppies and asters; faces the same challenges we have at Raincatcher’s. Edit, edit for beauty.

The Serpentine beds-an inventive way to celebrate agriculture. Sweet potatoes are planted in these large swaths and were recently harvested. Yes, sweet potatoes can be beautiful.

The great lawn below the main house, part of Minder woods, is planted with blue, purple and orange flowers. Cosmos, Zinnia ‘Queen Lime Orange’ and asters, Russian Sage and blue salvias along with lusty dahlias.

My favorite pot with an other-worldly bromeliad, brownish-green Hoffmannia roezlii, caladiums and purple at its feet. I couldn’t name all the plants but plan to have this in my garden someday.

Ann Lamb, Dallas County Master Gardener Class of 2005

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THE JOY OF SELF-SEEDING PLANTS—WITH A SIDE OF CAUTION

Posted on July 11, 2022 by Dallas Garden Buzz

July 11, 2022

Lovely and tough plants for free—who wouldn’t want that??  Great plants that often carry memories of gardens and gardeners long gone can be yours; plants that in many cases would be hard to find in a shop.

Pollinator gardens are perfect for self seeding plants.  They attract and nourish the bees that carry out the pollination for one thing  Seeds cannot form with out pollination.  The garden and the bees need lots of plants and flowers—big  and small simple and complex—all sorts of plants and flowers.  Perennials are the backbone of the garden, of course ,but the bees and butterflies need flowers for as long as possible and as many of them as possible—so annuals are a must have.  Planting lots of annuals can be expensive.  There is the cost of buying them of course and that can be significant.  But its not the only thing to consider.  Think of all those plastic pots—really the world needs a lot fewer of those no matter how hard the gardener may work to recycle.  Then there is the growing medium—what really is involved with that—something to think about!. Those plants were likely transported from a distance—another cost.  It takes time and effort to plant them and additional water to get them started.  

Gomphrena
Variegated Amaranth
Mullein, ready to seed

Plants that come back all by themselves—those are starting to look better and better.

So why aren’t they loved by all???  There is no perfection in this world and there are no perfect plants.

There are so many good things about self seeders—they come up at the right time for them and seem strong from the very beginning without special effort to get them established.  

But they aren’t perfect and the faults cannot be ignored.

One of the big problems is—they come up where it suits—them—not the gardener!  The middle of a garden path often seems a great place.  How to get around this—some plants will have to simply be pulled out but be alert often young plants can be easily transplanted to  a different place with minimal effort.  A bigger problem can be sheer numbers.  This is so variable some years seem to favor certain plants and at times the self seeding can be for the gardener—way too successful.  Again, be alert its almost always very easy to simply pull out the tiny plants—remember just because you have too many a friend may have none—a sharing opportunity.

They are not predictable every now and then—they don’t come up as expected.  Its always good to save some seeds from treasured plants—remember its not so easy to obtain these plants.

The last—but significant problem is that for a plant to self seed—it must form seeds!!  Seems obvious right—but the gardener can fail to realize that this means the plant must fully mature, flowers cannot be deadheaded.  Unfortunately—this is rarely a pretty sight. 

The circle of life must be accepted.  However—this does not mean that every plant has to be allowed to go to seed.  Choose only the best plants—the others can be deadheaded or removed altogether.  In allowing a few plants to go to seed the gardener not only ensures new plants for the next year but look at it as an educational opportunity the whole cycle can be explained to garden visitors—maybe even share a few seeds.

On your next visit to Raincatchers pollinator garden be sure to look for self seeded plants—and try some in your own garden.

Susan Thornbury, Dallas County Master Gardener Class of 2008

Rather than being broiled outside in our summer heat, read about these self-seeders indoors with a glass of ice cold tea:

Separating the Seeds from the Chaff

That Doesn’t Look Like Milkweed!

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Larkspur Deconstructed

Posted on June 19, 2013 by Dallas Garden Buzz

We have had Larkspur blooming in our garden since April.  It is a cool season, self seeding annual. Another words throw down your seeds in the fall and expect blooms the following spring.   Like Love in the Mist! 

Larkspur and some Dallas County Master Gardeners

When the flowers begin to fade and seed pods turn to papery brown, you can either leave the flower stalks to drop more  seeds  and/or you can harvest them so you have a stash to share.  We have plenty, so we will share, thank you.

Larkspur Stalks With Seeds

Jackie, a Master Gardener and  seed saving expert, suggests turning the stalks upside down in a paper bag to let them settle at the bottom of the bag.  We are doing this at the Demonstration Garden and will sort out the seeds  and package them later this summer.

  I am trying this at home, using a metal trash can for the seed collection.Larkspur Seed Saving Process

Swedish Proverb:

“All the flowers of all the tomorrows are in the seeds of today.”

Larkspur Seeds

Ann

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Love In The Mist, Nigella damascena

Posted on April 29, 2013 by Dallas Garden Buzz

Love In The Mist At The Demonstration Garden on Joe Field RoadSome cottage garden favorites just do not work for us. Towering foxgloves just rarely tower, but Love in the Mist that’s a happier story.

Love In The Mist Blooming In April In Dallas

It’s true it doesn’t care for heat but still it loves spring here and adds a pretty airy charm to the early garden.  Its easy care as long as you remember Love in the Mist doesn’t like heat.  So the seeds are best planted in fall or early winter;  the plants establish themselves over the dreary months and then grow amazingly fast and start to bloom when warm days arrive.  The flowers are in shades of blue as well as pink and white  with fine foliage that is a treat in itself. When flowering is done, the seed pods form. 

Seed Pod Of Love In The Mist

Remember,self seeding annual, means you have to allow the seed pods to become mature but in this case it’s really an added bonus as the pods are intricate stripped balloons that add interest to the flower bed and can be saved for arrangements as well. Just be sure that some seeds fall to the ground. It’s the circle of life right there in your garden; the seeds will find their way and when winter comes they start to grow  and soon…

Susan

Pictures by Starla and Ann

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