For many years, I’ve heard seed exchange participants remark, “I wish I had saved all those seeds from last summer. I have an absolutely stunning indigo blue, white button delphinium.”
Classic examples of seed bearing early spring perennials are: columbine(Aquilegia). lupine (Lupinus polyphyllus), blanket flower (Gaillardia x grandiflora), lady’s mantle (Alchemilla mollis), lungwort (Pulmonaria), garden phlox (Phlox paniculata), and oriental poppy (Papaver orientale).
July is the halfway point in the gardening season. Mother Nature has begun to prepare for next spring. Spring bulbs and perennials are going to seed.
Here are some simple principles when hoping to collect viable seeds.
Always let Mother Nature do the job. Never speed up the maturing or drying process.
This may seem obvious, but flower heads must be left on the plant to set seed and fully dry. Cutting off spent blooms (deadheading) to prolong the blooming process is not an option.
Often large plants will produce numerous flower stalks. Some stocks could be deadheaded while others can be left to set seed.
All flower heads that are not deadheaded will form seeds. Those seeds that are not collected will naturally fall and grow seedlings. To prevent this process, remove and compost all faded blossoms.
Vegetable seeds can also be collected. Simply allow the vegetable to fully ripen. Plants that have gone to seed will spoil the intended purpose (e.g. spinach leaves will taste bitter, once the plant flowers) or will reduce the quality of the intended edible.
Choose a fully ripe vegetable (e.g. zucchini squash). Cut open and scrape out the seeds. Remove any imperfect seeds.
Dry on a screen or paper towel. Avoid excess heat or moisture. Once totally dry place in envelope or paper bag.
Do not save seeds that come from hybrids. They will not produce seeds that will grow to resemble the one that grew in your garden. They could develop traits of one or both parents or neither one and become something totally unwanted.
Some plants develop seeds within heads or pods of various descriptions, while others hide their seeds inside fruits or berries. Regardless, any seeds produced will develop where the flowers appeared.
The timing is critical when planning to capture seeds. A close watch on the seed pods is essential. Extreme hot days will dry the seed pods very quickly.
It’s a common mistake to separate seeds from the plant before they’ve finished developing. Those collected too soon will not be viable.
Seeds that have finished enlarging will change in colour (white or green to light brown, or black) and begin to dry out.
Pods will start splitting or the heads will begin to fall apart, dropping the seeds. Many seeds don’t ripen all at once, so check often. It may be beneficial to tightly tie a paper bag or pantyhose material over the seed heads to prevent dispersal before you can harvest them. This method is extremely useful when trying to capture seed heads (impatiens and phlox) which literally explode open.
Store collected seeds in paper bags or envelopes to assist in the drying process.
Some perennials that bloom in the spring are fall bulbs. Tulips (Tulpia) are among the most favourite, while daffodils (Narcissus), hyacinths (Hyacinthus) and crocuses (Crocus) are a close second.
With the right growing conditions, these perennial bulbs will perform favourably for many years. Left to grow the bulbs will naturally multiply.
Often gardeners feel that individual bulbs are not performing as in the past. The best time to remove tulip bulbs is in July.
As soon as the flowering stops, remaining foliage uses the sun (photosynthesis) to nourish the underground bulb in preparation for next year’s flowers.
Gardeners must make sure that the foliage turns yellow naturally before the bulbs are harvested. Otherwise, the new bulbs will be very small and will fail to produce good flowers.
Once removed, shake off soil from the roots. Do not wash the bulb. Allow bulbs to dry in a cool location.
Store bulbs in paper or onion bags until fall planting.
Ron Stevenson is a member of the Fergus Horticultural Society
