Memories

Last year, or was it the year before, I spoke of childhood memories. I recalled being very young & my grandmother having a plant in her garden that we called the 'poppy' plant.
No relation at all to poppies, but rather small bushy plant with bright green leaves & seed pods that exploded seed & recurved the segments of pod back onto itself in a single movement at the slightest pressure from small exploring hands.

After the strawberry patch that plant was our first port of call, when Granny would tell us the pods were ripe, on every visit.

Of course time passes & the details dull. I hadn't really thought of that plant in years, or even recalled the memory until I no longer had my own garden & found myself yearning to garden again & then wondering where my love of plants had come from in the first place.
The memories of hot summers & that plant resurfaced. I found myself trying to figure out what it could have been, to no avail. I had no really clear picture in my head - just the height, the colour & those darn seed pods. I couldn't have even told anyone if it flowered, although it obviously must have. As a five year old my only interest was obviously in those darn pods.

When we moved here, to this rental, the garden was a mess. Full of weeds & 'something annual' that kept popping up. The something annual quickly got ripped out...it was a prolific little bugger.
Last year I inadvertently let the 'something annual' grow in one corner of the garden. One evening I realised that the 'something annual' was flowering. The second I looked closer I recognised those seed pods! Sure enough one light touch on a fat juicy one & there was the explosion & recurving that I so well remembered.

This year I let the 'something annual' grow right through the garden. Given it's height of around 6', I know this is not the same species that my Granny had growing, but it is without doubt the same genus. I just wish I knew which genus that was.
While I'm trying to figure that one out I intend on enjoying some pod popping fun, in between watching the bee's happily buzzing from flower to flower to collect their pollen.



In the meantime, if anyone reading this blog recognizes it, please please leave a comment. I can't promise any great reward, but you'll certainly have my gratitude!!