Seed pods are ripening in the parts of the Garden that I call ‘Fiesta.’ Tropical plants in bright colors have interesting seed cases, easy to gather.

Pods on Pride of Barbados were eagerly awaited. The few seeds I collected last year sprouted this spring and were tiny, mimosa-like sprouts when the cat walked on them when the dog chased her. The cat thinks the greenhouse is a cattery, and the dog thinks it is a gymnasium with obstacles. Not every pod holds seeds, but I’m hopeful of enough seeds to make a row of these beauties.

Porterweed, or Stachytarpheta has long spikes of blossoms. The blossoms open a few at a time, until the last at the top are gone. There are seeds smaller than a caraway seed all up and down the spike.

They call it Esperanza in Texas. It is sold here as Tecoma stans. Great armloads of yellow bells in clusters leave behind bunches of pods that resemble green beans, filled with little flat seeds with a bit of white fluff.

Cassia alata, which we call Candlesticks has large three-sided pods filled with irregularly round seeds hardly bigger than a bb. Seed pods are prolific while the plants are still blooming.