The leaves haven't started seriously turning color and most of my fall flowers are still in the bud stage. But the seedheads are looking great.
Diphylleia cymosa - American Umbrella Leaf. This has huge leaves and clusters of tiny white flowers in spring. But it's the autumn berries that are the glorious surprise.
When I went looking online for the proper name for this plant, I discovered it's been changed and now appears to Podophyllum cymosum. Mine is getting too much afternoon sun due to the loss of a neighbor's tree. I am going to have to move it if I want to keep those giant leaves from getting fried.
Paeonia japonica has small seedheads but I love watching them make their appearance.
Even though they're small they make a bright pop of color in the garden.
Paeonia obvata var. alba is the star of the show with its glossy blue seeds. They are the fertile ones, not the red ones.
For the first time in the many years I've been growing P. obvata var. alba, it sent out a pod that only had infertile seeds.
If it wasn't on the same plant as the more typical seedpod, I might have thought that's just how they typically were. I'm wondering if it did this because this big plant was grown from seeds that appeared in the garden.
Every time I saw a recognizable leaf, I grabbed it and planted it with another baby leaf until I had a big, full-size Peony plant in only a few years.
Fantastic seed pods! Have you ever used them in a vase? Can they be dried?
Posted by: Chavli | Tuesday, September 26, 2023 at 02:50 PM
Those seed heads are fascinating. It will be interesting to observe their behavior in future years.
Posted by: Jenny | Thursday, September 28, 2023 at 05:13 PM
What marvelously exotic seed pods!!!
Posted by: Old Lady Gardener | Saturday, September 30, 2023 at 11:14 AM
OLG — They are a colorful addition to the fall garden and make the Peony an even more attractive garden plant.
Posted by: Linda Brazill | Tuesday, October 03, 2023 at 08:23 AM
CHAVLI — I don’t think I’ve ever used them in a vase. I should bring it indoors and see how it holds up.
Posted by: Linda Brazill | Tuesday, October 03, 2023 at 08:24 AM
You remind me that I need to collect the seeds and plant them in a pot before they disappear completely!
Posted by: Jerry | Thursday, October 19, 2023 at 09:48 AM
JERRY — I passed some of the fertile Peony on to gardening friends but never really planted any myself. Instead I just watch for seedlings to pop up. They are very obvious even as tiny plants. Then I put a few together until I get a blooming plant. I now have two nice plants using that technique.
Posted by: Linda Brazill | Thursday, October 19, 2023 at 09:57 AM