Chicory
By Diohio
- 29 Aug, 2008
- 8 likes
Chicory, a wildflower origionating from Europe, showed up in my yard one year. It's also known as Blue Sailor or Ragged Sailor. Chicory was brought to the USA to be cultivated for its long taproot, which can be roasted and ground as a coffee substitute or additive. Its edible leaves are high in vitamins and minerals, but taste quite bitter. From a distance, the plant can look sparce and ragged but a closer look at the pretty blue flowers proves its beauty.
Comments on this photo
Man..., why can't I get that lucky, I've had my eye on these for years now ! It's hard to find anyone who sells the plant and I 'm not patience enough to wait two years to see it in bloom, besides I'm bad to forget where I've planted something and I wind up pull them out thinking they are weeds, ...duh lol.
30 Aug, 2008
My husband has mowed this plant over for a few years but this year I put a tomato cage around it to prevent that ! It got nice and full.
I'm not sure about its seeds.........maybe I'll try to collect some for you.
I know what you mean about pulling out seedlings for weeds. I used to be horrible with that, but now I try to mark everything.
30 Aug, 2008
This is the flower Chickory or the common name so you say is Blue Sailors. As I said I did grow it from seed Katy
4 Sep, 2008
Oh, that's great to know Katy ! Mine is done flowering for this season I believe so I'll keep checking it for seeds. I don't think many people have this flower in their gardens because it's considered a weed. BUT a weed to many is a beautiful flower to me, so it all depends on who you are. I happen to like "weeds". I guess we have so much of it growing along our roadsides that it's just too common for the garden (not in my opinion). So far I only have the one plant.......but my husband mows around it so I don't know if more would grow or not. So far I'm not seeing any of the leaves elsewhere.
5 Sep, 2008
Pictures by DiOhio
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What else?
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See who else is growing Cichorium intybus (Blue Sailors).
See who else has plants in genus Cichorium.
This photo is of "Chicory" in Diohio's garden
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I've seen it growing wild not far from here.
29 Aug, 2008