Category Archives: seeds

Dandelion: Easy to Grow

Posted on May 30, 2013 by unmowed

All winter and spring I try and try to get plants to grow. I pamper cranky houseplants, sprinkle seeds into pots and encourage them to grow into seedlings. I cheer for each crocus that pokes up through the snow, celebrate each brave hint of green, the first … Continue reading →

Posted in adaptations, edible, flowers, leaves, plant parts, seeds, spring | Tagged dandelion greens, dandelions | 6 Comments

Bee Balm: A Good Bet

Posted on May 11, 2013 by unmowed

I admit it. It’s an addiction. The first step is admitting it, right? Much as I love nature and wild things, I just can’t pass up a greenhouse. There’s something about all those plants, spread out in a wild crazy … Continue reading →

Posted in flowers, plant parts, seeds, Uncategorized, wildlife | Tagged bee balm, native plants, plants for hummingbirds | Leave a comment

Garlic Mustard: The Time is Ripe

Posted on May 6, 2013 by unmowed

Time to get rid of it. Garlic mustard. Sounds tasty, doesn’t it? It’s a pretty little wildflower with lovely white blossoms. The leaves have an attractively scalloped edge, and a savory garlic taste, a fantastic addition to salads, quiche, and … Continue reading →

Posted in edible, environment, leaves, plant parts, seeds, spring, Uncategorized | Tagged garlic mustard, non-native plants. invasive plants | 4 Comments

Tulips: Old Masters

Posted on April 15, 2013 by unmowed

This is the most bustling, enticing, delicious farmer’s market I’ve ever been to. Local spring greens, potatoes, herbs, leeks. Muffins, honey, goat cheese, maple syrup. And flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers. The famous Greenmarket in Union Square. Funny, I had to go to … Continue reading →

Posted in adaptations, photos, plant parts, seeds, spring, Uncategorized | Tagged Greenmarket, tulip history, tulips | 2 Comments

Yew: Life and Death at the Mall

Posted on April 8, 2013 by unmowed

Sears department store is better known for tractors and washing machines than for floral arrangements. The landscaping around the Sears in Colonie Center Mall, Colonie, NY, is pretty sparse. Actually, once you get up close to these plump round balls of bushes, the … Continue reading →

Posted in leaves, plant parts, seeds, Uncategorized | Tagged european yew, poison plants, yew | 4 Comments

Burdock: Hooked Like Velcro

Posted on March 23, 2013 by unmowed

One day in 1941, a Swiss scientist was walking his dog, and noticed with annoyance, like so many other dog-walkers before and since, that his pet had blundered into the tall prickly plant called burdock. And as he was picking the … Continue reading →

Posted in adaptations, birds, edible, great ideas, plant parts, seeds, Uncategorized, wildlife | Tagged burdock, invention of velcro, velcro | 3 Comments

Thin-leaved Coneflower: What’s in a Name?

Posted on February 14, 2013 by unmowed

A cold and dreary winter field. In summer it’s a green and golden wildflower meadow. In winter it’s brown stalks. Peeking out from under this abandoned piece of haying equipment (I think it’s a baler?) is a not-very-well-known wildflower. In summer … Continue reading →

Posted in plant parts, seeds, Uncategorized, winter | Tagged coneflower, Linnaeus, thin-leaved coneflower | 1 Comment

To Feed a Mockingbird

Posted on February 5, 2013 by unmowed

Another day, another parking lot. Now this might not look like a National Park or anything. But I drove into this parking lot in Guilderland, NY the other day, parked, and sat there thinking about nothing in particular for a … Continue reading →

Posted in birds, environment, great ideas, plant parts, seeds, wildlife, winter | Tagged birds overwinter, cottonwood, mockingbird, pokeweed, wild grape | 4 Comments

Touch of Spring: Guest Photographer Frank Knight

Posted on January 27, 2013 by unmowed

Thanks to Frank Knight for this stunning photograph. Frank specializes in close-up photographs of flowers. I love this beautiful shot of a delicate cluster of poison ivy flowers. Yes. Poison ivy has flowers. Dainty and delicate, lovely flowers that, yes, … Continue reading →

Posted in adaptations, birds, edible, photos, plant parts, seeds, Uncategorized, wildlife | Tagged drupes, poison ivy, poison ivy berries, wildlife food | 5 Comments

Poison Ivy: A Good Thing

Posted on January 20, 2013 by unmowed

“For many years I was a self-appointed inspector of snowstorms and rainstorms and did my duty faithfully, though I never received payment for it.” Henry David Thoreau You have to love Thoreau. He’s so quotable. And so energetic—no armchair nature … Continue reading →

Posted in birds, edible, plant parts, seeds, wildlife, winter | Tagged berries, birds, poison ivy, woodpeckers | 4 Comments