Flowers: coneflower babies

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JulieQ Cullman, AL (Zone 7b) October 25, 2009 01:34 PM	I clipped off some of my purple coneflower seedheads and just left them in the garden. Now I have noticed that the whole seedhead is growing little baby seedlings. I hope that some will survive and colonize this area a little. They are just on top of the soil and are very close together. Is there anything I should do now, or wait until spring? I think it is an interesting thing, seeing how the whole seedhead is coming alive. View Larger
Smokey_SC Piedmont, SC (Zone 7b) October 26, 2009 03:01 PM	That is really neat. I don't know if I would do anything to them until spring. When they die back I think I would cover them with leaves or mulch or pick up the seed and store in the house.
themoonhowl Prairieville, LA (Zone 9a) October 26, 2009 03:42 PM	You could scoop some of them up, soil ans all and transplant to a pot to protect over the winter and divide and plant in the spring.
bobyrd Conroe, TX (Zone 9a) October 30, 2009 04:22 PM	That looks like a cool way to start plants. Just clip off the seed heads and throw them in the bed. Too bad it doesn't work consistently (or does it?) :o)
JulieQ Cullman, AL (Zone 7b) October 30, 2009 05:43 PM	I think I am just going to let nature take it's course. It seems to be doing a good job so far. haha
NatureLover1950 Vicksburg, MS (Zone 8a) October 31, 2009 04:20 PM	Some of my spent coneflowers fell over in all the rain we've been having and several seed heads did the same as yours. I just left them and several on the outer edge have put down roots and are growing real well. They're big enough that they should make it through the winter and grow/bloom next year. Good luck with yours.
hanseycollie Cynthia (N. Kansas City), MO (Zone 5b) November 03, 2009 12:41 AM	That is really neat - I didn't know seed heads would do that. I haven't deadheaded any of mine this fall as it's my first year and I'm curious how much they'll self-sow. Guess I'll go out tomorrow and look to see if any of mine have fallen over, LOL. I love that photo you posted. Aren't coneflowers babies just the cutest?
NatureLover1950 Vicksburg, MS (Zone 8a) November 04, 2009 12:00 PM	nanseycollie, I never deadhead my flowers--I leave the seed heads for the birds to feed on during the winter. When they pick at them, they always knock seeds off which sprout the following spring. I always have so many that I share the extras with friends and relatives who are very happy to get them. I finally cut down all the stalks sometime in late January or early February since my flowers begin to emerge sometime in March. This is the first time I've ever had entire seed heads sprout but it's because we've had so much rain that it finally knocked several flower stalks over.
hanseycollie Cynthia (N. Kansas City), MO (Zone 5b) November 08, 2009 10:20 PM	Wow, that is so cool. This is my first year to have a garden and I don't think I'll deadhead either, just so the seeds fall and the garden fills out more. I don't like the look of dead flower heads, so we'll see, LOL. The "A" personality traits may take over, hee hee. We'll see!
NatureLover1950 Vicksburg, MS (Zone 8a) November 11, 2009 08:33 AM	LOL! I've been called a "neat freak" many times in my life but retirement is mellowing me a lot. Besides, I really enjoy watching the birds work their way around all the seed heads on my spent flowers--it gives them a little extra to go with what I have in their feeders :-}
hanseycollie Cynthia (N. Kansas City), MO (Zone 5b) November 12, 2009 12:05 AM	I'm working on the Type A personality traits, so we'll see how the garden does next year. Have suet and a bird feeder out, but the birds seem to enjoy the tiny pears on our pear trees more. I did see a woodpecker on the suet feeder today, so that was encouraging. The birds would eat by the hundreds last spring, but they must be getting food elsewhere. I surely do miss them.

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