Topic: TEASEL

[Nemesia]

My son likes to wander around the fields near the sewage works at the back of where he lives and he was telling me that birds love this plant. He brought me a seed head at the end of the season last year.  They are very easy to propogate but what I wanted to ask is - would you have it your garden? Is it an attractive plant or too tall for the average suburban garden?

[caroline7758]

I have just been potting some up which I grew from free seed fromT&M-never had anyluck with collected seed- so yes, I want it in my garden- though Imay be cursing it in a few years time if it self-seeds!

[Robert_Brenchley]

We get the odd one on the site; there was a dead one on my plot when I took it on, but it's never appeared since. I'd probably let it grow in an odd corner as long as it didn't get out of control.

[Nemesia]

Thank you for that. If T&M give the seeds away it can't be too much of a problem and that unattractive.  We will have to wait and see. I do like to try new things but always sow too many seeds!

[Unwashed]

I grow quite a bit, in the back garden and around the allotment pond, I've even grow it in my front garden.  The birds love it, and a neighbour asked for some for flower arranging.

[Bjerreby]

There was one outside my kitchen window this last winter, and goldfinches loved it, and when all the seeds were gone they stayed in the garden eating sunflower seeds. They left just a few weeks ago. I gather it is only goldfinches that eat teasels. Their red foreheads are very thick feathers that stop them being prickled.

As I like birds, I decided to sow some teasels, and paid £1.65 for a packet. Some seedlings came up, I planted them out, and now I can see I needn't have bothered........................the teasel that was there last year has self sown over quite a wide area.

Ah well........at least now I know what a teasel seedling looks like!  ;D

[Flighty]

They're a wonderful looking plant which I'm growing on the 'wild' area of my allotment this year.
Goldfinches love them, which I see around but not on the allotments (as yet!)

[tonybloke]

yep, they are a fantastic plant , bees love them, as well as goldfinches

[honeybee]

I buy it as an added treat for my flock of goldfinches who enjoy sunflower hearts but really love the teasel.

I have often thought about planting teasel but worry about the spread, however my garden is planned around enticing wildlife and making them content and meeting thier needs, so I am really interested in the replys in this thread.

[Sinbad7]

Probably a fantastic plant but not on my plot.  I am growing more and more to dislike them intensely.

The first year a plot holder gave me 3 plants I was so excited to have them and loved how tall they grew and what they looked like, you didn't have to water them as when it rained the rain would stay in their leaves, so a lovely self sufficient plant thought I.  I didn't see any birds but the bee's seemed to like them.  The second year they kind of popped up everywhere from 3 plants to at least 20 plants.  This year I must have at least 50 of the horrible things, for every one I seem to have bumped off another 2 appear. 

It wouldn't be so bad if they didn't give you a nasty shock everytime you brush past them.  The wind tends to blow them over a bit so they  are usually in the way.  They don't like me and I don't like them.

I certainly wouldn't put one on an allotment.

[Nemesia]

I buy it as an added treat for my flock of goldfinches who enjoy sunflower hearts but really love the teasel.

I have often thought about planting teasel but worry about the spread, however my garden is planned around enticing wildlife and making them content and meeting thier needs, so I am really interested in the replys in this thread.

This is very interesting. It sound like you can buy bags especially for Goldfinch. We bought Nyger seeds for them but the garden centre was not handy for us and now they have all gone the birds have gone too so I will definitely put the plants in the ground. I hope I can just pull them up if I get too many. They were easy to germinate.

[manicscousers]

we grew some this year, for the plant sale, I've kept a couple back for our area by the pond  ;D

[saddad]

They self sow readily, one year we were pulling plants out of the greenhouse guttering...  ::)