I went this evening down there, sunny & breezy all day, & found 3 of the plants have flowers at the top. It is" Corn Cockle" as you suspected after I compared it with a picture on the net.
Most of the flufies blew off in the stiff breeze, & new ones are appearing with new leaves at the top, they are not feathers as are integral to the root of leaves.
Also a lot of Y.Rattle sprung up & have tiny yellow flowers.
I did see this and agreed with Corncockle, but couldn't explain the white fluffy bits. The plant is very hairy, has something killed a bird and the feathers have been trapped on the buds? Bit of a weak theory! Or are we being teased?
Ah yes Corn Cockle. I've been growing these for about 5 or 6 years now (though I didn't know it). Though they are indeed a hairy plant,I've never seen anything on mine like you have on yours Nick
Denno666 when sowing wildflower seeds it's best to sow them mixed with sand so as not to sow too thickly. You want about 5g/m^2 which isn't very much, if you thing a teaspoon of salt is ± five grams.
As a note of interest corn cockles are rare because their seed, which is like a black pepper corn,
doesn't last longer than a season in the soil. So if you don't allow it to grow each year you'll lose it and have to buy seed next time. It does last a few years in the fridge though.
Hi Jim, I bought a pack of wild flower or butterfly attractors a few years back now and without knowing it,Corn Cockle seeds were included. I've had them growing in pots and the garden ever since,they self seed pretty readily and it was only through taking a photo and putting it on here that I could put a name to it. I've since read online that they were once quite common among wheat fields etc (in the 1800s) but are more or less extinct in the wild now due to modern herbicides. All parts of the plant are toxic
My Borage, Corn Cockle & the only one Poppy are rather tall (nearly a meter) & topple needing support. Is this normal or my sowing was wrong & did not plant the seeds deep enough, but how.
Also the Y.Rattles seem spindly with very small flowers, are they so usually?
My wife mocks me with "....perhaps you planted the seeds upside-down....*$@#%.,"
Remember wild flowers which are agricultural 'weeds' have evolved to grow up close and personal and support each other. I seem to remember though that yours are grown in partial shade so that may contribute a tad but I wouldn't worry, obviously if you want to stake them it's your choice as it's your garden but I leave wildflowers to their own devices and if they die then so be it, they weren't fit for purpose.
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Thanx,
I went this evening down there, sunny & breezy all day, & found 3 of the plants have flowers at the top. It is" Corn Cockle" as you suspected after I compared it with a picture on the net.
Most of the flufies blew off in the stiff breeze, & new ones are appearing with new leaves at the top, they are not feathers as are integral to the root of leaves.
Also a lot of Y.Rattle sprung up & have tiny yellow flowers.
I did see this and agreed with Corncockle, but couldn't explain the white fluffy bits. The plant is very hairy, has something killed a bird and the feathers have been trapped on the buds? Bit of a weak theory! Or are we being teased?
I thought you taking the mick nut. It's a birds down feather on a corn cockle.
Denno666 when sowing wildflower seeds it's best to sow them mixed with sand so as not to sow too thickly. You want about 5g/m^2 which isn't very much, if you thing a teaspoon of salt is ± five grams.
As a note of interest corn cockles are rare because their seed, which is like a black pepper corn,
doesn't last longer than a season in the soil. So if you don't allow it to grow each year you'll lose it and have to buy seed next time. It does last a few years in the fridge though.
Thank you all - fingers crossed for something pretty!
Hi again,
My Borage, Corn Cockle & the only one Poppy are rather tall (nearly a meter) & topple needing support. Is this normal or my sowing was wrong & did not plant the seeds deep enough, but how.
Also the Y.Rattles seem spindly with very small flowers, are they so usually?
My wife mocks me with "....perhaps you planted the seeds upside-down....*$@#%.,"
Thank ...........nick
Remember wild flowers which are agricultural 'weeds' have evolved to grow up close and personal and support each other. I seem to remember though that yours are grown in partial shade so that may contribute a tad but I wouldn't worry, obviously if you want to stake them it's your choice as it's your garden but I leave wildflowers to their own devices and if they die then so be it, they weren't fit for purpose.