Being married to a seed nut (which is different than a Brazil nut) has many advantages. We had a summer filled with wonderful vegetables. But we also have many beautiful flowers growing, most of which Craig has grown from saved seed. Wherever we go it seems like he is collecting seed pods, cuttings,or leaves. Some seeds are forgotten in coat pockets or the glove compartment for a few months, but they always eventually get found and planted, even though we aren't sure what they are.  The latest (and somewhat unwanted) example was the overly enthusiastic Cardinal Climber - it attempted to take over a whole corner of our backyard flower garden, and even ended up at the top of our Dogwood tree!  (That one came from the garden at Robin's Nest B&B in Mount Holly).

Some of our more interesting finds are these beautiful Hibiscus, the foliage of which  look suspiciously like an illegal substance. We found the yellow (Sunset Hibiscus) and red (Coccinea, or Texas Star) varieties in the Raulston Arboretum in Raleigh a few summers ago. The white variety (White Texas Star) was a gift from a fellow tomato lover exchanged while at Monticello last fall.  Next year Craig will grow a rare pink one found  while kayaking on Falls Lake this summer (and for which Craig risked tipping over to get the seed pods).  

Fall is in the air, and we are going to miss our fruits, veggies and flowers of the summer. But we have plenty of seeds and discoveries for next year's gardens.

Take a look at these beauties.