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Random Acts of Beautification - Page 3

© Carol Wallace

My Euphorbia 'Chameleon' is good that way. Either it blew from my yard to the neighbors, or a bird deposited some seed in her yard - but she has euphorbia that she never planted - and she also instantly identified the source. Other suitable seeds in my experience are Nigella (Love in a Mist), almost all poppies, most nicotiana, sweet alyssum, Aquilegia (columbine) and Lychnis coronaria. Now that I've finally got them to bloom for me, Foxgloves (digitalis) and annual larkspur also seem to be likely candidates. And, believe it or not, there is a rose, Rosa glauca which grows as easily from seed as a dandelion.

One thing to remember - the ideal seed is one that keeps on giving - reseeding year after year if conditions are right. But no fair sowing kudzu or purple loosestrife or anything else that is more destructive than it is beautiful. Sow responsibly.

Of course, suitable plants and seeds will vary from climate to climate, so there may be other seeds that suit your own conditions most admirably. Use what works best for you.

I once read an appalling figure - 80% of the seeds purchased each year never get planted. If you feel even the slightest twinge of guilt in reading that statistic, you're a great candidate for random acts of beautification. Get our those seed packets that never made it into the ground. Get all the seeds you have saved and done nothing with. Many may not germinate; some will. And isn't it better to share them with the world, to do something, however small, to illuminate the bare and unlovely spots in our life - and to make them beautiful while making sure our investments in seeds doesn't go to waste?

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