Collecting flower seeds.

[cheops]

Hi Everyone,
Looking for advice and accured knowledge from all of you.
Although I've been deadheading all my flowers to prolong flowering as each variety nears the end of its flowering period I want to allow the seeds to develop as it is my intention to collect lots of seeds to sow later. Mainly cornflowers, various poppies, various marigolds, lupins and many more.
Now - how long should I leave the various seed pods before I collect. If they are slightly green and immature will they ripen without the parent plant. Or should each seed pod be ready to drop the seeds.
Also, should these seeds be planted soon after picking or should I wait till spring. Thanks.

[veggiechicken]

I let them dry on the plant, then cut off the head and put it in an open box/bag until the seeds are ready to fall out of the seed head.
I'd sow them at the normal sowing time for that particular flower.

[Martin H]

What VC says. If you can leave them on until the seeds are starting to drop, that's the best. If it gets to late autumn, the weather is about to turn wet and windy but they aren't quite ripe yet, it's better to cut the stems slightly green and immature rather than leave them to potentially rot. In this case, put them head down in a paper bag on a bright windowsill, leave the bag open so that they can finish ripening. The seed pods should then dry out and shed the seeds into the bag in due course.

Good luck!

[cheops]

Thanks VG and MH. As I thought leave them to the last minute on the plant. I do want them to self seed so I will just have to daily inspect and collect as and when ready. And I'll keep the seeds as long as is appropriate for the plant which means a bit of googling for me. Thanks again.

[fiveaday]

Hi Cheops

Whilst watering my border yesterday my lupins started "spitting" at me. Basically the seed pods that have dried burst and the seeds fly out. So I would say that if you check for yours doing the same it would be a good indication that the seeds are ready.

I've now harvested all the seed from the plant (I was too impatient to put them in bags, which as VC has pointed out is the best method) and but for a few 'green' seeds they all look developed. I've got so many that I'm gonna run an experiment with trying to get some germinated this year and over winter hoping that they may flower next year.

[Scarlet]

I've got so many that I'm gonna run an experiment with trying to get some germinated this year and over winter hoping that they may flower next year.

There are several perrenial plants that can be down in September for overwintering in a cold frame/green house, lupins, foxgloves, perrenial poppies, I think also delphiniums are worth a shot? Ive also recently sown some echinacea for overwintering under glass.

[bramble]

You can also collect the seeds from Pansies, Petunias and Sweet Peas. Put them in seperate envelopes if you want to keep the colours seperate.

[cheops]

Fiveaday - seed you can get to germinate now and overwinter will come next spring have a head start over germinating the same seed variety next spring - so good luck with that.

scarlet in your list you mention foxgloves - as these are biennial germinating them now and overwintering means when you plant them out next spring they will flower later in the summer. I have over a hundred small white foxgloves plants which I'll overwinter and enjoy their blooms next year. A hundred is quite a lot but when you buy foxglove seeds there are about 1000 tiny tiny seeds in each packet.

Bramble - you mention collecting seeds from pansies in different envelopes to keep the colours separate. Last spring I bought a six tray of violas and planted them in a bed. They bloomed all late spring and all this summer till a few weeks ago when they started getting a little untidy and straggled. I cut them back hard and all over the bed they have self seeded in great numbers. Some of the new plants although only a very small plant have put out single flowers. These flowers are every colour and mixtures of colours not true to the mother plants - my point being seeds from say a yellow viola will not produce new yellow violas - rather they will be random colours.

[Ryez]

My understanding is also that saving seed does not guarantee that the new plants will have the characteristics of the mother plant. Although I am sure they will do be beautiful flowers. Might save seed from my pansies too. Only a couple went to seed and I binned them... The rest are thriving! I give them, occasionally, some feed. I will also try to save seed from my lupins and dahlias. Why not :-). Very good information in this thread, thank you.

[Sappidis]

I normally let them dry on the plant. This one I've kept going since 2002. Put them in a basket this year and they're just about trying to flower.

[happyhumph]

I've sowed sweet Williams this year from a friends garden. They could come up any colour between pink, white & purple but who cares - they'll be great either way

[cheops]

Has anyone grown ladybird poppies this year. I have and am trying to collect the seeds from them but the seeds are like dust. All poppy seeds are very very small but you can feel them between your fingers but the ladybird seed is so very very fine you can hardly feel anything between your fingers. How on earth can this seed be planted?