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...
3 comments:
I know next to nothing about wisteria. All I know is what I've learned from your posts. Very interesting about the seed pods.
It was a nice surprise having a comment from you on my blog. A group of members from Green Bay Botanical Garden recently returned from a tour of some southern California gardens. They're still gushing about the trip. One place they visited was Lotusland in Santa Barbara where visitors are limited to 18,000 per year due to its accessibility through a very prestigious neighborhood. Even members of the garden need to make a reservation to visit. Interesting.
Lovely blog. I found you through balcony-garden, which I also found today. Such a great day for garden blogs. :) I'm a novice gardener and have shyed away from using wisteria because I had always been told that it will eventually crush whatever structure it clings to. That might not be right, or that might be a certain variety - but it was terrifying enough not to use it. Beautiful gardens, by the way. So inspiring. I'm hosting a Share a Garden Sunday, and I'd love it if you'd participate. There is more information on my blog - which you're more than welcome to stop by! I hope you can play along - your gardens would be an inspiration to many! Take care! I'll be back ... Artie
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