A Gardening Year

The adventures and misadventures of an heirloom gardener

Friday, May 27, 2005

Money Plant

Two years ago, I planted seeds for Money Plant (Lunaria). Being a biennial, it bloomed last year. Money Plant can have white or purple flowers. For some reason, all of mine were white flowers. I saved the seeds and planted them this year in the purple garden and the cosmos garden. For the life of me I cannot remember what I was thinking when I planted seeds for a white flower in the purple garden.

At the same time, some mystery plants in the Medieval Garden and the Yellow/Orange Garden from last year turned out to be Money Plants. The seeds must have been carried into my yard courtesy of my feathered friends. They were also kind enough to drop some in my neighbor's yard. All of the plants have purple flowers! I'm going to save the seed from the plants in my yard to plant next year.

The big question in my mind is what color(s) will the flowers be from the seeds I saved from the white flowered plants and from the purple flowered plants? Is one color dominant and one recessive? Can white flowers only produce white flowers or will they produce both colors? If it produces both colors, will there be more white than purple? Obviously, I was paying attention in Biology class oh so many years ago.

2 Comments:

At 6:27 PM, Blogger David (Snappy) said...

Sometimes the best plants and flowers you get are not planted by you.They are dropped by passing birds.My wild purple flowered petunia was dropped in, grew, and looked different enough from a weed and interesting for me to move it into the cottage garden.
I will leave that one now and see what grows.Sometimes im obscessed with removing weeds from my borders.Not all.Is it better to let weeds grow big?
the problem is when you cannot tell what is seedling and what is flowers.I try to look for identifying features that make all the seedlings look the same.The weeds look different.
Dandelion seeds i take out, because they already have run of the garden.When we first moved here we had lots of wild white and red clover.The bee's loved it.A natural wildflower, nicer than dandelions.
one of my pictures was dandelion heaven because their were hundreds on the side grass.
I love reading your blog, and looking at the photos.You make me laugh too because we have similar ideas and disasters.
Gardeners must be natural optomists.Builders,squirrels,rabbits,dogs,kids, and finicky seeds erode it slowly.We always think well it might grow, and look great!!

 
At 1:25 AM, Blogger crazygramma said...

I couldn't agree more Snappy the garden should hold surprises. I love discovering something growing that I know I did not place there, except for the dandelions. I also let things grow awhile until I am sure what it is.

 

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