The spring bloom explosion has passed for my wisteria and I am dealing with the repercussions. Those would be the hundreds of seed pods that form after the petals fall. The fallen petals were a different repercussion, bringing back memories of my sweet dog who thought they were a special taste treat. Who knew dogs liked flower petals? Or maybe she was just odd. In any case, each spring she ate lots of those petals. The last two years I've had to clean them up myself. She was such a good garden helper!
But now I'm talking about the seed pods that need to be dealt with. The last few weeks I've kept a bucket near the fence and when I'm out there watching the kids I pick a few handfuls of the pods and toss them in. As they get bigger they are easier to see. This weekend I will get out the ladder and pick all the pods that are up too high to reach. You might wonder why I pick them. There are actually two reasons. First, as the pods mature they eventually dry, crack open and literally shoot their seeds out...at some distance and velocity. They are considered possibly toxic...the literature varies...but with children in the yard I've never wanted to test that out myself. And the second reason to remove the pods is...
