Friday, April 22, 2011

Nasturtiums

Are my favorite flower. The seeds are big- about the size of a pea-so I know Ive put them where I want them, and I don't worry that I will drop the seed packet and all the teeny tiny seeds are gone!

They are also obliging about re-seeding themselves.But, after a few generations, they all revert to orange with bright green leaves.




Here is a second generation cream colored one, sloooowly showing it's orange roots.  Its daughter will be bright orange.
Like this one.  But even in the unimproved variety, the cute round leaves, non aggressive vining habit, and spicy smell are lovely.  The leaves are edible, too, (as log as the are not in an area of the yard where dogs can pee on them!)

They don't like to be transplanted, but the seeds are so easy to plant and start so fast there is no need to buy them already started. Even the snails leave them alone.  Yup, a nice dependable, hardworking flower.

6 comments:

Carol E. said...

I love nasturtiums, too! So pretty, and I love the leaves, too. Didn't know they are edible! By humans? Do you actually eat them?

Rosalyn Manesse said...

One of my very favorite flowers! And they often reseed themselves. I used to grow them but I never had the nerve to eat them. Sometimes you see them growing wild near the coast in California.

AlisonH said...

Now I know what I want to go plant--thank you! Snail free would be *wonderful*.

The chickens don't eat the seedlings?

Miss Kitty said...

I've heard so much about nasturtiums but don't think I've seen any until now. I hear the blossoms are also tasty in salads. I've enjoyed pine-needle sun tea, dandelion salad, squash blossoms, and the nectar from honeysuckle flowers, so nasturtiums might be right up my alley.

My word verification is floorqua. As in, "Queequeg gets a lot of attention in Moby Dick, but most scholars overlook his brother Floorqua."

Anonymous said...

So, they are truly edible. I have seen them in the produce isle!!!! They are lovely- to look at, tasted them once at a baby shower, they were uneventful- plain tasting just like the salad but made a fab presentation.
Maggie in MI

Clare said...

I know they say red and green should never be seen, but the colours in that first photo are stunning.