Thursday, May 13, 2010

Feeeelings.... and a random Mutant Dandelion for your viewing pleasure

So I just wanted to get out how I'm feeling on the 2nd/3rd week of my self-imposed plant/seed/plant container moratorium (unless the plant is trade/bartered for or it is for and emergency, aka loss of a plant, or needed for next season's food/garden use, aka green mulch/groundcover).

So, easily put, it sucks because we all know the high of  getting a new plant.

But at the same time it doesn't too because it's one less thing to take care of/plant and there's a certain freedom in this moratorium because a decision is made and so technically I can't be tortured by plants/seeds (though I keep encountering through online sales fliers and catalogs *face plant*) because as much as I want say, a ruby spike selaginella (gah! you were for so cheap at the Botanic Garden sale, why didn't I get you then?!)  or many, many other random herbs, or everything from Bakers Creek Heirloom Seeds  would be nice to have, I have absolutely no reason to get them now, and my head will just do a "NO!" and I move on.  This is sort of Pavlovian isn't it?

Oh discipline, it is tough.  But I just need to work with what I've got, and make 'em thrive.

ANYWAYS...

Sometime ago I encountered a very odd dandelion:
Obviously this was not normal for dandelions and it looked almost as though something had chewed gently on the stem, if it was not obvious that it grew all gnarly like this.

A little closer up and you can see the depth of the indentations and pallid color of the stems in those indentations.

And not only was the stem weird, but the dandelion head too!

WTF, eh?  Two headed-body crimped and striated dandelion, what happened to you?!  I find it interesting too (no pun intended) that though the head(s) are attached by one stem, one of the flowers had already flowered and the other one was at a different stage.

Genetic defect? My dandelions are all inbreeding? Or a disease? (a weak point of mine)

If anyone has any info it would be appreciated.  I'm starting to wonder if my garden/yard is full of radioactive material!