On Thu, 15 May 2003 22:32:13 +0100, eddy wrote:

On Thu, 15 May 2003 19:31:51 +0100, "hayley"
wrote:


"eddy" wrote in message
. ..
I noticed this plant in my local park and cant identify it.
Its about 24 inches tall , small mauve flowers now, leaves like a
foxglove and its most notable feature is oval flat seed pods around 1
inch long along the stem. about 5-6 seeds in a pod.
its probably an annual of some type.

sounds like Sweet Honesty (or Silver Pennies). The seed pods look attractive
dried. Its a biannial and also comes in white.
Hayley



when to plant the seeds from a pod ?
now or when ?

Hi,
Lunaria annua. I once treated it like a weed and now rather wish I hadn't. It's one of
those wonderful double barrelled plants. Flowers and then really quite spectacular seed
pods which friends are always asking for.

Do the ones in your park look as though they are self sowing? Mine used to (like mad).

Info for you below:

Hussein

Succeeds in ordinary garden soil[1]. Prefers a light soil[108]. Prefers partial shade but
also succeeds in full sun[188]. Established plants tolerate drought[190].
Plants are hardy to about -15°c[200].
A good bee and butterfly plant[30].
Often grown in the flower garden[1], it is occasionally cultivated for its root[61].
Plants are fast-growing and usually self-sow freely[188].

Seed - cooked. A pungent flavour, they are used as a mustard substitute[183]. The pungency
of mustard develops when cold water is added to the ground-up seed - an enzyme (myrosin)
acts on a glycoside (sinigrin) to produce a sulphur compound. The reaction takes 10 - 15
minutes. Mixing with hot water or vinegar, or adding salt, inhibits the enzyme and
produces a mild bitter mustard[238].
Root - raw[2, 61, 177]. Used before the plant produces flowers[46, 183].

Seed - sow early spring or early autumn in situ[200]. The plant will often self-sow.


Grow a little garden

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