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The Eye of the Beholder - Page 2

© Emily Levitt

It's easily grown from seed, and where climates are mild, will re-seed itself nicely. The passion flower makes a lovely addition to the wild garden, but it can ramble out of control if you don't keep an eye--and some snips --on it. It doesn't do well to my knowledge as a cut flower...if you've had luck with it in arrangements. please let me know! Botanical.com's Modern Herbal can tell you more about alternative uses for this exotic-looking native plant:

http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/...

Passion vine, like asclepias, has a boat load of cultivars found all over the country, although in some areas it is still considered to be a weed...

http://hammock.ifas.ufl.edu/txt/fairs/fw...

Queen Anne's lace (Daucus carota) presented an excuse to play with the culinary coloring chemicals. We dipped the blooms in food coloring to turn them into all kinds of crazy colors, experimenting with all the pigments, and annoying my mother. We usually ended up in the bathtub with more red dye #2 on our selves than the flowers, but it sure was fun.

It has a deep carrot-like root, like butterfly weed, and is easier to buy in a container than to dig up. It self-sows as well, but is easy to control if you pull up the plantlets when they are small. Otherwise...get a backhoe.

This airy bloom has become a popular cut flower and holds up well in arrangements when water based floral preservatives are used. It's a close relative of our domestic garden carrot, and is edible while tender, toughening into string as it matures.

I have new appreciation for these specimens, in the garden and in bouquets. I will, however confess, I shared the secret maypop projectile with my son...in a sneak attack...(and I GOT him!)

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