is anyone collecting seeds yet?????

BeeSuite, you have mail.

Maxine

(clearing my throat politely....)

It's great to see folks getting excited about seed trading this season, but let's try to keep seed trading correspondence in its own forum http://davesgarden.com/f/trading/, so this one can remain true to its stated purpose, which is questions and comments about seed saving. Thanks!!!!

Sooo sorry Terry. Please forgive us. I guess we are just getting carried away when we see seeds that we are really wanting.

Sorry, Terry!
I'm fairly new here. Lost my head with excitement!
I know better now ; )

And may I say... how POLITELY you did that!!!
WELL DONE!! much appreciated.

I'll mind my Ps & Q's now ; )

please add to my list
coreopsis sea shells
variegated shoo-fly
coreopsis yellow

This year we had a wet spring and a very hot summer. It'll probably set a record as the most sunny and hot summer in past 100 years! Blooms fade quicker and set seeds earlier as usual I've experienced. Deadheading does help a little but flowers get floppy as if they quit to go to winterdormancy. Or is it just to hot and dry and should I water them more? It's near to 40 C in my yard.
Saya

add ornage cosmos to my list too
has everyone quite collecting? just wondered since no one has posted in a while...
wel maybe you are out there collecting and no time to post hehehhhe thanks so much for the info
moretz

I am done except for canterburybells. Working on getting the ffall beds ready.

Fun thread! I have collected:

Poppies, Sweet Peas, Loads of Chives, Allium 'Purple Sensation' and 'Ivory Queen' (wonder if they will come back true?), Cornflowers and the Lupine 'Sunrise' is just about ready. I really need to go walk around the yard!

Still collecting here! The monarda is almost done drying enough for me to collect; still waiting for borage, Cerinthe, Melampodium, Salvias, African foxgloves, perilla ....the list goes on and on :)

Terry where is the seed on Monarda? I have Marshalls delight, medium purple, mohogany and red to share but dont see the seed. Can get the exact name out once I know how to de-seed the little buggers. I have in the past just transplanted new growth to have more plants. Tell me Tell me Please? Thanks so much

Flowernut, I'm not Terry but I have collected some Monarda seeds. After the flower dies off, I let the whole stem die back. Then cut the heads off and laid them out in a tray to finish drying. If you will notice the flower head has little tiny tubes which are all pointed up. The seed should be down inside the tubes. I just rolled them between my fingers as I held them over a tray. I actually didn't too many seeds this year, so I don't know if it was just the kind I was collecting or what. But the seeds can be collected once you roll the spent flowers in your fingers.

Mollybee, you described the process to a "T" :)

hee hee Thanks Terry Ü

Thanks for the info. That is what I was doing, but the seed is sooooooooo small I wasn't sure I was doing it correctly. Thought most of the seed was already gone. Wow one could spend a lot of time on these. I have a few to share now. Thanks again.

This is my purple monarda

This is my Mahogany monarda

This is my Marshalls Delight Monarda

this is my Scarlet Monarda

I've been collecting for about a month now:sunflower,4oclocks, old fashioned petunia, and impatiens balsamina. Never saved seeds before so im anxious to see what comes up next yr!!

berrygirl,
If you are counting on them as your only source next year maybe now you should test some for germination by starting a few in a damp paper towel. ;~D SB

I've collected seeds from wild cranesbill, wild mimulus, flabellata columbine, wild nootka lupine, and some sorbet viola. The weather is turning quite wet, so I hope it doesn't mold seeds on the stalk!

Does anyone know when you can start collecting snapdragon seeds? Thanks, Denise

I assume that once the flower dies, and the seed head turns brown then it is time to collect them. As true with most all seeds as well.
Hope this helps

Right you are, Mollybee! The snapdragon seedheads that I have harvested were full of seeds. I'd also suggest that any harvested seed be left in an open container or plate to dry out completely before storing.

I have been harvesting cleome, cosmos, day lily, hosta, hollyhock, lupine, snapdragon, yarow, baby's breath, lichnis, coreopsis, daisy's, salvia, dianthis, alpine bells, centaurea, erigeron, thats all I can think of for now.

So far I've collected seeds from shasta daisies, petunias, purple coneflowers, columbine, cosmos, butterfly bushes, stella d'ora daylilies, radishes, hostas, coral bells, morning glories, baby's breath, cleomes, clematis, poppies and dill. Great thread!

This message was edited Thursday, Sep 4th 8:14 AM

I've collected seeds now for my Purple Amaranth (tons!) and Purple Ruellia (and now watching for seeds on the Pink). Catnip all OVER the place ~ and from what I hear... I can plan on that being the spot where next year's Catnip will be! Ditto the Ruellia!

Red Castor Bean is ready to harvest, but dadGUM those pods are spikey! NOT thrilled about that part! LOVE the plant though.

I've got to get out there and see if I can find some viable seeds on my Salvia Blue Bedder so I can be sure to have it next year. I love the suggestion to try starting some NOW in paper towels to be sure they're viable for next year! I will definitely be doing that. If not... I guess I'll have to BUY seeds for that one ~ easily my best producer in the garden this year!

Also collecting seeds on Crape Myrtle now ~ bright pink, white, and hopefully I can talk my neighbor out of some gorgeous purple!!!