[gardeners] Johnny Jump Up & Poppies
flylo@txcyber.com (gardeners@globalgarden.com)
Wed, 4 Jul 2001 13:19:37 -0500
I planted Johnny J's a couple of years ago and now have them
volunteering all over the beds. I love them. They're too tiny to do
much good as an edible, but you can dunk in a simple syrup to
candy and dry them for cake decorations. (Martha Stewart rearing
her ambitious little head here <G>). Notice, this Martha says YOU
can do that!!
You also can make a syrup out of honeysuckle flowers. And I do a
few things with mesquite, simply because it's such an aggravating
tree, just a little satisfying to be able to make a syrup or a flour out
of it.
Poppies: well, poppy seed anyhow. They grow like weeds for
everyone else but I just can't get them to grow. I know you can't
transplant them but what's the secret to getting them to grow and
arrive well before the Spring weeds so I know what's what?
So far I've tried plain breadseed poppy from Seeds Blum, Elba (a
white seeded type) from Seeds of Change & from Shepherd's
Garden Seeds, I'd have thought if any were viable those sources
would be good. So, obviously it's me! Could I try sowing seed in the
Fall so it's ready to come up at the appropriate time? Maybe I'm
not getting it in early enough. (Feb/Mar in Cen Tex.)
One other floral hint. Our old farmstead has jonquils naturalizing all
over the front yards. I've been digging them out (lifting and
separating them) and planting around the edges of the garden.
They're supposed to work as a gopher purge and we sure don't
have any runs where the masses of bulbs are. These are OLD!
Butter n Eggs, planted by my great greats back in 1870ish.
They are probably fairly toxic to livestock, but nothing I've found
eats them much anyhow. Not even the goats!
Martha, (Texas)
Visit our Paso Fino Club: www.TxPFHA.org
Visit our farm:www.geocities.com/Heartland/Fields/5505/index.html