A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion The Plants and Flowers Forum A cool Variegated form of a weed!

Last year I found a single variegated Common Dayflower. I potted it and it grew huge, but was amazing looking. This year from randomly thrown seeds from my plant last year, I got more growing and they are more colorful! First pic is the usual color, the second is the variegated form, very attractive actually!
[img]http://lh4.ggpht.com/wDfkTpyE9SbjJ5...zGuNXLlLQYGFsRzIqxSX0UWrLYh2t_uC3g=s1200[/img]
[img]http://lh3.ggpht.com/MGojU6lAkQ_tlQ...44aAC-yb2PSiau8aXLn91l-wCbwDuaT6UF=s1200[/img]

I love day flowers! your variegated version is nice.

WOW - I have those but didn't know they were called day flowers! I dug up a small patch - they are weeds here - about 5 years ago, and they are growing like gangbusters. Never saw a variegated leaf before - I like it very much!

This year I potted up several cuttings in 3 large pots and have them growing on my deck - I just love the small bursts of blue on the flowers! As I said, around here they are just weeds and no one ever pots them up.

Really weeds here too--but me being me, I brought some from "the farm" to this house when we moved---so now they have pretty much over-ran my cultivated wild violets--- --When I rip some out they just come back---but hey, NOW I have a name for them--yea!!!!!!

and I too really like the varigated ones... Very nice !!!

They are weeds here too, but the variegated version is so eye catching I bet people would plant these if they all looked this nice.

I love these weeds and propagate them intentionally. They do not grow anywhere that is not watered regularly. So they really don't take over easily in my desert landscape. But their green is good and the sweet tiny flowers are beautiful.

I think you are right, Keith - if they grew and sold them as plants here, people would readily buy them! I haven't seen them around here much, but where they are, it's very invasive.

Mine have taken over a long garden as well, Carol, but I just pulled out the piecees I don't want there, and potted them up this year.

By the way, have you noticed that the small flowers close up in direct sun? When I first noticed this I thought they had all mysteriously disappeared!

Keith - Will you be saving seeds from the variegated ones this summer to see if you can grow more next year?

I wanted to save some seeds for myself, and mabye to give away here in case anyone is interested in trying to make more of these beauties from my stock. Afterall, if we make enough of the variegated variety mabye they will be in high demand for gardens in the future lol.

But I am not sure how to save the seeds, as the pods split open by themselves and the seeds are gone after. I also have no idea what a "ripe" pod looks like. I looked at one of the regular plant pods that were green, and inside the seeds were white and mushy, ripe seeds I know are brown, so I know a green pod is unripe, but I dont know how long it takes to ripen? I got a flower on my special one yesterday, so any idea how long for it to ripen, mabye I can collect before they are sown by themselves?

Any help is appreciated.

Well I dont' know when they ripen, but what if you were to do what I was told to do with datura seed pods? Gentlyl wrap something like a piece of panty hose around the flower and leave it there until the seeds fall into the material? I do belive the seeds of this tiny flower would be extremely small, so the material should be pretty close knit, but still airy enough for the flower/seed pod to breathe?

well I am up for some seeds of the varigated ones---

I am wondering what another name of the plant is???---

I seem to remember looking it up one time---but I tried just now & got5 nowhere---If I find some info I will be dure to let you know Keith, but how about wrapping some type o f material around the flower head--like a close-wovwen cheesecloth?? something that would let in the sun but not let the seed out ???

OK so now I am I found its other name: Commelina communis. and I am, sure you knew that----but hey---I was hoping we could find some information on seed gathering in all of the info given--I did find a place where one could get free seed--but you h ad to be a school--

Thats the thing, the pod is the size of a pea, on a stalk a little thicker than a toothpick, pantyhose will injure it, and in this heat might kill the whole plant. It's hot here.

If I had one of those mesh butterfly houses I could have put the plant inside, and it would have air flow and room, and the seeds would collect on the ground and not blow away, but I dont have one.
All I have are plastic enclosures, but if I put a plant in there, in this heat, it will cook my plant!

hmmmm ok - how about setting some newspaper or something under the stems of the plant to collect the seeds?

yea, I think Lynne has a good idea there---, or cut out a hole & a line in a paper plate ??

I'm not sure if the seeds just fall out, or "pop out" (like wild violet seeds do), If they just fall out then I suppose I could try to put a plate underneath. Only trouble is, I still need to know what a ripe pod looks like, so I can watch out for the seeds.

Commelina communis

Propagation Methods:
From herbaceous stem cuttings
From seed; direct sow after last frost


seed Collecting:
Bag seedheads to capture ripening seed
Allow pods to dry on plant; break open to collect seeds

Grow with extreme caution, as it will quickly spread in a cultivated setting.

I could not find any pictures of the ripe seed pods, sorry

They grow everywhere in the south. Down here we call them spiderswort.