I saved all my teasel heads from last year. please can you tell me are the seeds the actual spines on the flower head or are they inside these spines? should I just scatter the flower heads to spread the seeds or sow them in trays?
Also could I put the whole flower heads ina bird feeder?
The seeds are inside the spines, down at the bottom (if they're still there), if the heads were ripe when you picked them they will have dropped some to germinate by themselves.
If you put the whole head in a bird feeder the birds may not be able to get into the seeds. I like to leave them on the plant and watch the goldfinches take them
I have grown teasels and honesty mainly for painting and hope to pick the lovely stems dried for art projects during the winter months. At the moment the teasels are about 6/7 ft high and the honesty plant has still green pods. I have no flowers on my teasel seed heads. Any ideas when I can pick some of these and also when the birds will come.thankyou.
I'm glad you brought this up Stacey! I'm growing teasels from seed I bought from the RSPB, and there was no warning on the pack about them spreading so eagerly. Forewarned is forearmed!
Teasels will flower sometime this summer. The first year they form a rosette of leaves, the second, they shoot up and flower. The flower head will have rows of small purple florets which open in succession. You will notice bees on them at this time. When they start to go brown is the point that you should cut them . Be careful not to drop seed everywhere.
If you have primroses in your garden , it's sometimes hard to tell the difference.
The teasels are the ones with a line of prickles running down the middle of either side of the leaf. If they are very young, it will be a line of dots.
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I saved all my teasel heads from last year. please can you tell me are the seeds the actual spines on the flower head or are they inside these spines? should I just scatter the flower heads to spread the seeds or sow them in trays?
Also could I put the whole flower heads ina bird feeder?
The seeds are inside the spines, down at the bottom (if they're still there), if the heads were ripe when you picked them they will have dropped some to germinate by themselves.
If you put the whole head in a bird feeder the birds may not be able to get into the seeds. I like to leave them on the plant and watch the goldfinches take them
In the sticks near Peterborough
Thanks for your input I will try both.
I have grown teasels and honesty mainly for painting and hope to pick the lovely stems dried for art projects during the winter months. At the moment the teasels are about 6/7 ft high and the honesty plant has still green pods. I have no flowers on my teasel seed heads. Any ideas when I can pick some of these and also when the birds will come.thankyou.
I'm glad you brought this up Stacey! I'm growing teasels from seed I bought from the RSPB, and there was no warning on the pack about them spreading so eagerly. Forewarned is forearmed!
Teasels will flower sometime this summer. The first year they form a rosette of leaves, the second, they shoot up and flower. The flower head will have rows of small purple florets which open in succession. You will notice bees on them at this time. When they start to go brown is the point that you should cut them . Be careful not to drop seed everywhere.
If you have primroses in your garden , it's sometimes hard to tell the difference.
The teasels are the ones with a line of prickles running down the middle of either side of the leaf. If they are very young, it will be a line of dots.