Have you ever seen a tumbleweed? Did you know you could grow tumbleweeds? Would you want to grow a tumbleweed? Why do people grow tumbleweeds? I have so many questions. If you want to grow a tumbleweed, head over to Curious Country Creations, which describes the seeds they sell:
Grow your very own Tumbleweed with our high quality natural tumbleweed seeds. All of our Tumbleweed seeds are naturally grown and harvested. Take these seeds and plant in your garden or window box and see the magic happen as your own tumbleweeds will begin to grow and take shape. Then late in the year when it gets colder they will form into a dormant round shape. You better keep an eye on them when they do this because they will be gone with the first gust of wind. Great fun for the whole family to see how plants grow and how tumbleweeds seeds mature.
What exactly is a tumbleweed, though? Deep Look created a video called "Why Do Tumbleweeds Tumble?" The YouTube page explains:
Tumbleweeds start out attached to the soil. Seedlings, which look like blades of grass, sprout at the end of winter. By summer, Russian thistle plants take on their round shape and grow flowers. Inside each flower, a fruit with a seed develops. Other plants attract animals with tasty fruits, and get them to carry away their seeds and disperse them when they poop. Tumbleweeds developed a different evolutionary strategy. Starting in late fall, they dry out and die, their seeds nestled between prickly leaves. Gusts of wind easily break dead tumbleweeds from their roots and they roll away, spreading their seeds as they go.
Watch the video to learn more!
