A Seed Saver's Garden

[heirloomgal]

I'm gonna have to remember Kingfisher Daisy.'
I admire chickory that grows as a weed here.
It looks a lot like it, but is a tamer version.
Beautiful pictures!!

I didn't post a very good picture ducks, they are actually a bit prettier than what the photo shows. Once it blooms a bit more abundantly I'm going to try and capture it in a way that shows how sweet the blue colour is.

 

[Pulsegleaner]

According to dad the rest of the cuke types and the horned melon have developed flowers (I haven't gone down and confirmed it yet). And the survivor black tomato has a fruit started (I DID confirm that).

The Egyptian River Hemp seems to be back as well, which is odd when I haven't planted any in tree or more years and the season isn't long enough for it to make seed here. Guess they much be REALLY good at staying dormant. The only difference this year, I guess will be that, since I KNOW they can't make seed here, as soon as the flowers show up I will cut them and put them in a vase inside to enjoy them (the black leopard spots on the bottoms of the petals are really cool) .

 

[heirloomgal]

According to dad the rest of the cuke types and the horned melon have developed flowers (I haven't gone down and confirmed it yet). And the survivor black tomato has a fruit started (I DID confirm that).

The Egyptian River Hemp seems to be back as well, which is odd when I haven't planted any in tree or more years and the season isn't long enough for it to make seed here. Guess they much be REALLY good at staying dormant. The only difference this year, I guess will be that, since I KNOW they can't make seed here, as soon as the flowers show up I will cut them and put them in a vase inside to enjoy them (the black leopard spots on the bottoms of the petals are really cool) .

Sesbania?

 

[Pulsegleaner]

Sesbania?

Yep, Sesbania sesban. Like a lot of other fiber plants seed for it showed up quite often in my searches (as did another Sesbania, acutifolia, I think. Maybe grandiflora, if that comes in white as well as red, whatever kind it is the Thai people like to eat the flowers of. ) A bit showed up when I did rice beans and a LOT when I would do senna (even now, with the much cleaner seed, some sort of Sesbania is usually the only foreign seed I usually FIND in a modern search. (NOT either of the previous two, this one is different.))

 

[heirloomgal]

Yep, Sesbania sesban. Like a lot of other fiber plants seed for it showed up quite often in my searches (as did another Sesbania, acutifolia, I think. Maybe grandiflora, if that comes in white as well as red, whatever kind it is the Thai people like to eat the flowers of. ) A bit showed up when I did rice beans and a LOT when I would do senna (even now, with the much cleaner seed, some sort of Sesbania is usually the only foreign seed I usually FIND in a modern search. (NOT either of the previous two, this one is different.))

It is certainly a pretty plant, foliage a bit like a 'Sensitivity' plant. I found a photo of yellow flower buds with dark speckles. Very nice.

@Pulsegleaner do you think there's a chance - since I'm getting multiple butterfly pea blooms right now - that it'll make seed?

 

[Pulsegleaner]

It is certainly a pretty plant, foliage a bit like a 'Sensitivity' plant. I found a photo of yellow flower buds with dark speckles. Very nice.

@Pulsegleaner do think there's a chance - since I'm getting multiple butterfly pea blooms right now - that it'll make seed?

That's kind of hard to say. I suppose it depends on how long it takes for the flowers to turn to mature pods. The fact it has set flowers ALREADY is a good sign, but I know many plants that can take a long time from flower to seed.

On hopeful thing is that, if YOU manage to get seed, it means I probably will when I plant my seeds next year or so.

BTW those blue kissed white ones I mentioned are now available from Trade Winds, who I THINK are authorized to sell in Canada (https://www.tradewindsfruit.com/clitoria-ternatea-blue-white-butterfly-pea-seeds). Over time, you will probably find the white kind as well, and maybe the pink (ignore the red however, that's actually a different plant species, so you can't extrapolate if it will grow from the others.)

 

[heirloomgal]

That's kind of hard to say. I suppose it depends on how long it takes for the flowers to turn to mature pods. The fact it has set flowers ALREADY is a good sign, but I know many plants that can take a long time from flower to seed.

On hopeful thing is that, if YOU manage to get seed, it means I probably will when I plant my seeds next year or so.

BTW those blue kissed white ones I mentioned are now available from Trade Winds, who I THINK are authorized to sell in Canada (https://www.tradewindsfruit.com/clitoria-ternatea-blue-white-butterfly-pea-seeds). Over time, you will probably find the white kind as well, and maybe the pink (ignore the red however, that's actually a different plant species, so you can't extrapolate if it will grow from the others.)

Well that's interesting, judging by these photos the ones I have are double flowered. They don't have single blooms; I had no idea that they even had doubles and singles.

 

[Pulsegleaner]

Well that's interesting, judging by these photos the ones I have are double flowered. They don't have single blooms; I had no idea that they even had doubles and singles.

Yep, though I think the color I linked you to only come in single at the moment.

 

[heirloomgal]

Yep, though I think the color I linked you to only come in single at the moment.

Isn't it interesting though the license that seed companies take with butterfly pea flowers, the deep 'blue' variety in particular? I do find them bluish of course, but they do have a low purple tone in there. That ultra blue in the photos is a stretch indeed. Maybe when cooked with, that indigo blue shows more vividly, but the flower doesn't have that uber fluorescent quality.

 

[Pulsegleaner]

Isn't it interesting though the license that seed companies take with butterfly pea flowers, the deep 'blue' variety in particular? I do find them bluish of course, but they do have a low purple tone in there. That ultra blue in the photos is a stretch indeed. Maybe when cooked with, that indigo blue shows more vividly, but the flower doesn't have that uber fluorescent quality.

It may have to do with the acidity of your soil. The blue turns purple in the presence of acid (which is how they can make the ices change color by adding lemon juice.) I imagine, if one's soil were acid enough it might change the flower colors.