Mine are up, Jennifer. I gave them a covering of leaves last evening...hope it's enough to help them through this cold spell.

I'll try to remember to check later in the week.

I love it when banners threads get such interesting and interactive conversations going!

What a creative idea for a banner! It looks like you used a scissors, like on curling ribbon, to create the curls!
I love the term "interactive seed pods"!

A really neat banner I didn't think of food, but rather a bow tie on a package

The most productive way I have found of collecting the seeds is to sneak up on the plant, scout a battle plan where you can get the most seed pods in one shot & then grab them in your hand as if you were catching a fly. They explode! But they explode IN your hand. Keep it tightly closed until your hand is over a container & then you can brush them off your hand into the container. It's fun to feel them explode in your hand.

I finally learned to ease the little collecting bag over the pod, and then reach in and pop it. Usually, however, even the motion of one captured pod exploding will set others off. That's okay though, it's easier on me if they reseed themselves. I did winter sow a batch, just in case, but it looks like I'll be okay without them.

Gosh, I didn't think my method of collecting impatiens seed was that unusual or exciting, but it certainly seems to be a lot less labor intensive. No pods to show you all with, so I sacrificed an Allium maximowiczii shoot. (Well, not really sacrificed: it tasted very good. )

1. Use three fingers like a the jaws of a pliers and position them around your prey (the ripe seed pod).
2. Quickly close your fingers around the pod. The pod will snap, but your fingers will prevent it from exploding.
3. Sever the pod from the branch/stem.
4. Put your captured pod inside a cup and release.
All seeds are retained. If the pod doesn't explode, than the seeds aren't ripe.


(Excuse the orange paint spray speckles on my thumb.)

Ah-ha! I see! Instead of grabbing the middle, capture the end. That makes perfect sense...

Very cool banner Chelle!!

I now have an intense need to get this plant, just so I can see the exploding seed pods!

Me, too!