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Your support makes all the difference.<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nRead more<\/span><\/svg><\/span><\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nIf you\u2019ve seen your garden flowers turning brown, it may be time to start collecting the seeds to give you more plants for free next year.<\/p>\n
Collecting seeds from lavender, foxgloves, honesty, wallflowers, poppies, sweet peas and Nigella damascena (Love-in-a-mist) is so easy and can save you a lot of money, says garden influencer Anya Lautenbach (@anya_thegarden_fairy), author of a series of books for the budget-conscious gardener including The Money-Saving Gardener.<\/p>\n
\u201cSeeds are like treasure,\u201d she enthuses. \u201cThey have to ripen on the plant so you can\u2019t speed up the process. You can\u2019t collect seedheads when they are green \u2013 you have to wait for that moment to happen.\u201d<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t forget perennials, which may also be ripe for seed collection, she continues.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of them will produce seeds in late summer and autumn. For example, I grew some great delphiniums and astrantias from seeds, which will perform year after year.\u201d<\/p>\n
How can you tell if a seed is ready to be harvested?<\/strong><\/p>\nFlowers should have turned brown. \u201cTake a brown flower and just shake it and see if the seeds fall,\u201d she suggests. When the seedhead opens you can see that the seeds can easily be shaken out, she explains.<\/p>\n
Is there an easy way to collect the seeds?<\/strong><\/p>\n\u201cPut a paper bag under the seedheads and shake them or cut off the whole stem in the paper bag and hang it upside down in a cool, dark place, especially if the seeds are microscopic.<\/p>\n
\u201cGardeners can put their hand under the flower after it has turned brown and gently rub the flower. When they are ready, the seeds will easily be removed,\u201d she offers.<\/p>\n
Separate the seeds from other debris (known as chaff) by sieving them. Some seeds benefit from being sown straight away, such as delphiniums, clematis and anemones, while others should be stored for winter or spring sowing.<\/p>\n
When is the best time to collect seeds?<\/strong><\/p>\n\u201cWith many plants, late summer and early autumn are the best times,\u201d she says. \u201cThis is when everything is ripening. Some plants need the whole season for their seeds to ripen. Erigeron (Mexican daisy) produces seeds on a daily basis. Yet they are quite expensive to buy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Foxgloves and lavender seeds should be ready to harvest, as should honesty, she adds.<\/p>\n
\u201cHonesty seed cases look like silver coins. You will see the seeds on this plant inside the papery seed cases.\u201d<\/p>\n
Is weather a factor?<\/strong><\/p>\n\u201cYes. The best time to collect seeds is when it\u2019s dry, in the middle of the day, not after rain and not in the morning because the seedheads are still damp. Collect them on a warm, dry day.\u201d<\/p>\n
How do you store them?<\/strong><\/p>\n\u201cStore them somewhere dry and cool, but you don\u2019t have to create special conditions. I grew a whole garden from seed and stored all of them under my stairs in the house, not in special conditions.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ideally, store them in paper bags or something which allows air circulation, not a plastic tub with a lid, she recommends.<\/p>\n
How long will they keep?<\/strong><\/p>\n\u201cAfter two years they usually start underperforming, so the rate of germination will be lower. I usually start them off straight away or keep them for the next season, so I\u2019d say they last about a year.\u201d<\/p>\n
Will they produce identical plants?<\/strong><\/p>\n
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