Hi Ellery! LOL! I still jump when those pods explode in my hand. Make sure that you can see a dark streak down the pod. That will indicate that the seeds are more likely to be ripe. When the pods open the seeds inside should look black for best results. I have learned to cup my hand gently around the pod so that I am able to catch the seeds otherwise they do go everywhere. If they are really really ripe you just have to barely brush up against them and they will pop. I had relatives and friends last year popping them too so even the adults get a bang out of it!

Penny

Sounds like fun things to do. I grew some "Touch Me Nots" this year. Had not seen them since I was a little girl. It was fun showing them to my granddaughers. Boy am I going to have those flowers all over the place next year.

I've always loved jewel weed, but I never been man enough to grow in the yard. Fortunately New Jersey may be the geographic center of this impatiens distribution. It grows everywhere on alluvial soil except in the pine barrens. One of these days some plant breeder is going to get ahold of this plant and breed it for larger flowers. Until then it will continue to be overlooked by all but the most attentive observers, and hummingbirds of couse.

I love these curious plants!.i really had to water mine because it's been so dry around here.The hummingbirds did eventually find them and I'm going to let them grow wild again next year.
-stephen

The weekend before last I went to BHWP Native plant sale And so many people were asking William Lamack the nursery manager if he sold jewelweed since it's all over the place there he said no and never would Sometimes they sell the seeds Then this past saturday I was helping cleanup the shoreline at the new fishing pier they have that's part of the John Heinz wildlife refuge there was jewelweed all over the place there. And they were looking for some to plant near the enviromental education center. So I told them they should just dig some up and transplant.It seems that jewel is quite the popular plant lately. By the way it's all over the place in Philadelphia's Fairmount park. Sarah

DH was mowing the grass yesterday and when he finished he said that jewelweed was popping all over me if I got too close with the lawnmower. We are going to have plants everywhere again. I just laughed and told him we can pull out the excess like we did this year. I don't have good luck with transplants unless I transplant them shortly after germination. However give me a few seeds and I can create a forest! I have a few packets of seeds already this year so far. My spotted jewelweed flower color also seems to intensify each year. This year the lower lip is alsmost a solid deep reddish orange and the rest is a bright pumpkin orange.

Penny

I am trying to determine if what I have is Jewelweed. It is a tall plant (at least 2 ft) growing wild along my creek at the woods edge. It has smooth pointed leaves, and nodding type flowers that hang underneath. The shape reminds me of maybe something between a columbine and a snapdragon. The flowers are a dark yellow with an orange "lip." The stalks are easily damaged (kind of succulent looking, light green) when my kids go into the creek or we get a really heavy rainstorm and the creek gets really high, but they always come back. Oh, and there are seed pods hanging all over the plant that are around 1 inch long that look like little green beans, only a lighter color. What struck me about this post is that the hummingbirds love my plants more than anything else in the yard, and I'm wondering if they could be the same? Does this sound like Jewelweed to you guys?

Thanks!

Becky

Yes, that's Jewelweed. Mine is growing ion the edge of a driveway and is about 6' tall, and flopping a lot because it has been very dry. It's not actually mine, it is growing on the property where I rent.

I've never heard of it. Can someone post a photo?

Minnie,
my camera is on the fritz again but here is a picture that I found online.
Penny

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:1000582}}