The need for seed

As he contemplates filling gaps in borders, Toby looks to seeds of plants that fared well during the hot summer

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WHEN a squirrel buries an acorn, it does so in the full belief that it'll remember where the tasty seed is hidden. That's why you never see a squirrel drawing up a map. But the fact that squirrels forget their seeds isn't simply because they're 'squirrel brained'.

Seeds possess a magic beyond their ability to keep the embryonic life in suspension until conditions are right for growth. They also cast a spell on anyone or anything that collects them, making them forget to remember their hoard - and I have the proof! It's stuffed in coat and trouser pockets, house drawers and shed boxes, where dozens of unlabelled envelopes, containing seeds that I've long forgotten, languish while I try to recall what they are.