ONE OF OUR FINEST Â HORTICULTURAL ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE YEAR TWO-THOUSAND AND ELEVEN: JEWELWEED HAS BEEN SUCCESSFULLY CULTIVATED AND BROUGHT TO FLOWER AND SEED IN THE GARDEN OF THE SANGUINE ROOT.
The yellow Jewelweed. Â A few seeds collected from a trackside ditch, tossed into a moist area of the yard just one year ago. Â Now there is a flower, blooming away with more to come.
Another ditch-collected seed-planted Jewelweed specimen in our garden. Â It doesnt get better than this. Â Note how much red is in this flower. Â Some flowers are more orange, with red dots. This Jewelweed flower has red veins. This plant, growing and now flowering in our yard is a special occasion. We cannot stop talking about this plant and our successful propagation!
The plants blew down in Hurricane Irene. Â They were staked up yesterday, and they just keep flowering as if there was never a problem. Flowers did fall off the plant, as can be viewed at the very bottom of the picture.
Did you know that the seeds are edible, and reportedly tasty?
Nicole, I did read that one time. That they have a nutty taste, if my memory serves me. It sure is fun to touch the seed casings when they are ripe and watch them explode! To be able to eat them as well! How exciting! Of course, the most excitement we have gotten was to plant the seeds and have them grow and flower the way they are. Sean
Scott, you are welcome. It is interesting to hear that both the yellow and orange ones are growing along Little Crum Creek. Sean
We lost a good deal of our jewelweed to Irene’s wind and falling branches on Little Crum Creek. It is so delicate and easily uprooted that I’m surprised at whatever remnants remain this late in the season. I guess that’s part of what makes these late flowers so welcome. That and the hummingbirds love the orange blooms. They seem to ignore the yellow ones. Thanks for celebrating the jewelweed!
So beautiful! Wild that an impatiens can look so much like an orchid? I’m so happy to hear that it survived the hurricane, and the rest of you too!
The impatiens does have an orchid quality. I like the funnel shape. Luckily the ones in our yard were not uprooted, like some unfortunate ones in The Horticultural Center. Still a few more weeks left of hurricane season though. -Sean
Sean, if the red veined one makes seeds, maybe the next version will be even redder! Not sure if that reasoning follows the biological laws of propagation, but it would be cool if it did.
It will be interesting to see what the next years crop will look like. The plant has produced some seeds that are not yet ripe though. My guess is that the seed will grow a red-veined flower next year.-Sean