What the heck did I grow?

[mary25]

I was a little chaotic with my gardening attempts this summer. I put down some seeds and threw out the packets. The bees love these tall flowers that range in color from macaroni and cheese yellow to a deeper orange. I tried to get a good photo of this other plant that came up but struggled with getting a good shot…it has sage shaped leaves and teeny, tiny pink blooms near the stem but no scent I can detect.

[marsha]

I don’t know what it is @mary25
Did you plant a package of wildflower seeds? I sometimes have things come up, and I don’t know what they are. So I let them grow usually until they bloom.
:love:

[Amethyst]

The orange ones look like they might be a type of marigold. The others I have no idea.

[MeganB]

I agree with @Amethyst that the golden ones look like a type of Marigold. If you have a smart phone there’s an app called Seek by iNaturalist (https://www.inaturalist.org/pages/seek_app) that can help you identify plants, bugs, and other animals! It’s worth a shot

[Susurrus]

I agree with everyone here (@Amethyst & @MeganB) & the use of iNaturalist app or Google Lens will do the same type of thing for you. I use it when the wildflowers I spread, much like @marsha, come up & I have no idea what they are either, just that the birds & butterflies seem to like them. Or on walks when I come up on pretty flowers & need to know what they are to decide if it’s something I can plant in the coming seasons.

[Ostara]

I use the Picture This app and it’s great at identifying plants. It’s also good for a sick plant. Take a picture of a sick plant and it will tell you what may be wrong with it.

[Susurrus]

@Ostara… well looking that one up in the play store because my green thumb isn’t quite that green when it comes to what to do with plants… especially indoors. Outdoor I have much better luck though. I will add it to my collection of plant apps!

[mary25]

I finally figured out what the bright yellow blooms are! Sulphur Cosmos - an edible flower that attracts beneficial insects and pollinators. The flower and leaves are used in salads in Thailand and traditional medicine. It’s added to cow feed as it has natural anti bacteriala and anti fungal properties and is used to treat malaria, fibromyalgia, and other ailments. Originally from Mexico or South America where the flower was used in dye since Pre-Columbian times, it was named “Cosmos” by Spanish priests who were impressed by the orderly arrangement of the flower petals. in magick, it is associated with clarity of speech and clear communication, particularly for intentions where it is important to you to be heard and understood. I will collect the seeds as it is an annual. I haven’t figured out the second plant yet.

[Amethyst]

Huh. Sulphur Cosmos’ eh? Neat! Glad you figured one of them out!