Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Winter Planting

Sometimes we have to strew a few seeds in the winter in order to have some summer flowers.  Some seeds benefit from the extreme cold found in a snowbank, in the spring they will be watered by the snow as it melts  and hopefully they will grow! I took this photo last summer, can you tell what it is?
Far Guy had collected some of this plants seed heads last fall, he put them in a paper bag. One evening he got his collection out and began to clean seeds..it is putzy work..but he enjoys it. He separates the seeds from the chaff. I think he just likes the feel of the seeds falling out of the flower heads onto his collection paper..and watching his seed bag fill up!
He had a plan, he wanted to strew some seeds out in the snowbanks between snowfalls. He would like the whole area near the sauna and my garage filled with wildflowers. He gave me a spiel about a quaint little split rock walkway meandering out to the sauna..with wildflowers growing on both sides. He painted a pretty picture.
Here it is blooming, it is a Grey Headed Coneflower or Ratibida pinnata. It is a prairie flower and grows in dry woods and prairies. It likes the sun, and usually grows about four feet tall and the deer don't eat it! It is not fussy about soil or moisture. The only thing I dislike about it is that it is hard to photograph on windy days...because the plants are so tall they sway in the breeze. It is a plant native to Minnesota:)

20 comments:

  1. That is so cool! And those are wonderful photos of your place...I'd love to live in a place with lots of room like yours. It's gorgeous!

    Enjoy...

    :-D Anna

    P.S. Love your blog!

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  2. It sounds like a great idea. Taking a path to a sauna would be wonderful. Plant few herbs along the way too so as you brush by them you can have the scent of sage, basil, etc. I am more then ready for spring. I am going to order some different colors of coneflowers this year and see if I can keep them alive. My white ones died out, while the natural ones live on.

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  3. I've never seen that cone flower. I have some cone flower seeds given to me and need to get those planted too.

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  4. Well it that don't give ya'll the itch! I've had the seed catalogs out just dreamin' of spring days I can get out and play in the dirt. I often save the seeds and throw them in the freezer until I'm ready for them.

    Ya'll have a wonderful day!!!

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  5. I love the picture of Far Guy planting the snowbanks. Now that is a great idea! Can spring be far behind?

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  6. Hi C! Yes, feeling better. The last 6 wks were THE absolute hardest--I'm REALLY tired of 3-day liquid sweet green gunk detoxes!--but had only one tiny spot that was a little painful yet today. Still waiting to see if a few residual symptoms will work themselves out, but I definitely feel like MY "spring" is finally approaching.

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  7. Connie, have you ever grown any cardoon (Cynara cardunculus)? And eaten it? I keep seeing it popping up in catalogs and have grown curious.

    Linda
    http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com

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  8. TN has purple coneflowers. I love them. As you said, coneflowers are hardy plants. Chance is doing a great job of supervising Far Guy's work. That dog would have a fit if you all tried to do something without his company, wouldn't he?!!

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  9. I have only seen purple coneflowers. The yellow is really pretty. It would really brighten up an area. I didn't know you could sow flower seeds in snow. That is an interesting fact to learn. I never have success with wildflowers anyway - my husband calls them weeds and mows them down. It is a constant battle - I have to guard all my flower beds to protect stuff from getting weed whacked.

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  10. Now you have me thinking of planting when I have sworn I am not planting anything else. The snow is deep and I am dreaming of the pink cone flowers, those are my favorites.

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  11. ...and I love your header. Bleeding hearts are also a favorite of mine.

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  12. A good time to remind us all that summer will come again....

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  13. Your header is absolutely beautiful! That is a great idea to spread seed now over the snow...

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  14. I would like to be the Johnny Appleseed of wild flowers. Maybe I can team up with Far Guy. He can gather dry and separate. I'll throw the seed.

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  15. Wildflowers swaying and dancing in the wind next to your delightful sauna! I bet it's going to look fabulous this summer!

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  16. Thanks for all your comments!
    Linda, I had not heard of cardoon..but I looked it up..interesting plant. I did note that it can be invasive..so it must reseed itself. It is always fun for me to learn about new plants! If you grown some and eat it..let us all know how it was! :)

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  17. I must say that your coneflowers look far richer than our prairie ones.

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  18. The coneflowers are so pretty. I would love to have all different kinds in my garden. I spread some seed yesterday too after a good rain. I am trying to create a wildflower area too.

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  19. Oh thanks for that great post. I really appreciated that intimate look at a flower and what it means to the people who love seeing it growing, even though its swaying might be a little frustrating.

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Thanks for stopping by! I appreciate your comments! If you have a question I will try to answer it here. I no longer accept anonymous comments. All comments will be approved before posting...due to spammers...may the fleas of a thousand camels infest every hair on his body. Connie