THE GARDEN 45 



r.eeded, if such can be managed. Put your seed cups on the top shelf 

 of the pantry, or some place where they will not be disturbed. Often a 

 careless maid will throw things out in her cupboard cleaning hurry, so be 

 sure to put a marker along with the seeds. 



SEEDPODS 



The study of seed-pods cannot but be beautiful, as well as interesting 

 and educative. Most of our garden flowers produce either pretty or 

 unique pods. All are more or less decorative. 



About the first seed vessels to form — at least to form in such a man- 

 ner that an outsider's attention is attracted — is the columbine. I 

 wonder how many gardenfolk have ever noticed these peculiar five-celled 

 vessels. Borne upright at the end of the flower stems are many rich 

 green vessels, made up of five narrow cigar-shaped pods, joined together 

 vertically. Thru many long weeks three vessels remain, turning slowly 

 deep brown, until they have become like so much thin brown paper. Then 

 each of the five cells opens at the top, and the seeds escape. The seeds 

 are jet black tiny bullets. While these seed-pods are on the plant, the 

 effect is most decorative. 



Sweet William forms seed vessels next. But seeds and flowers are 

 frequently forming at the same time as the great flat flower heads. Each 

 seed pod is a narrow cylinder opening at the top. and disclosing the tiny 

 black seeds, which are flat, not at all like the gleaming seeds of the 

 columbine. 



On account of the fact of bloom and seed growing at the same time 

 on sweet William, it is impossible to find one perfect uniform seed head, as 

 In most plants. 



The Canterbury bells produce the prettiest carved and fiuted seed 

 vessels of deep rich green, also containing five seed cells. Since every 

 plant bears dozens of bells, and wherever there was a bell, a seed vessel 

 forms, just try to imagine, the attractive appearance of a Canterbury bell 

 Dush. Just as the bells hung downwards, so do the seed vessels. But instead 

 of a bell hanging there, a five-rayed star an inch in diameter, hangs from 

 the stem. At the back of the star, the body of the pod swells out in the 

 shape of a round bowl, the outside beiny hung with five dimpled flaps, 

 giving a quaint and ancient look. 



Turn the bowl right side up — and there you have a circled rim, from 

 which the star points ray out, and within the circle are many yellow brown 

 berries. 



These pods hang on the plant until very late, as the seeds within take 

 long to ripen, 



DECORATIVE SEEDPODS 



Nobody can possibly deny the short and ethereal loveliness of the 

 poppy, whotse life is but a day. 



Indeed the whole life of the poppy plant is short, since only a little 

 while after flowering, the seeds have ripened, and the plant dies down. 

 So that at no time of the poppy's life is it other than beautiful, because 

 what could be more shyly lovely than the slowly forming, drooping green- 

 hidden bud? 



After the bud, the flower; after the flower, the seed pod. And when, 

 pray, did ever flower produce a more perfect and quaintly beautiful seed- 

 pod than this same poppy? A long pale, delicate green fleshy stem — 

 stipporting a small round globe wearing a crinkled and fluted crown — a 

 globe that grows with remarkable rapidity — a tender, easily broken globe, 

 filled with countless snow-white tiny ronud seeds. These seed pods of the 



