The last post was about collecting seeds from plants in your own garden, have a look here if you want a reminder of how to collect seeds and why it’s s good idea.
The easiest and most successful method is to collect the seeds of hardy annuals. These are plants that grow, flower and die in one year, but will tolerate some frost. In other words they’re the toughies of the plant world that aren’t too easily put off.
Ammi-majus
White lacy flowers, a kind of refined cow-parsley and really on trend at the moment.
Calendula officinalis / English marigolds
Simple flowers in shades of burnt orange through to yellow.
Nigella damascene / love in a mist:
Deep blue or white flowers, with an attractive ruff collar of ferny foliage, beautiful seed-heads too.
Papaver commutatum, P. rhoes, P. somniferum/ corn & opium poppies:
I think we’re all familiar with poppies because they’re so popular, they come in shades of orange, mauve, pink or white.
Lunnaria annua/Honesty
White or purple flowers followed by seed heads of papery see-through discs.
Mark where you’ve planted the seeds using a plant label.
Seeds sown in September will grow into little plants before the winter, they’ll loiter around during winter, but get off to a head-start next spring.
Method:
Prepare a sunny open are of your garden, or use large flower-pots.
Dig over the soil to loosen it and pull up any weeds.
Make shallow grooves about 30cm apart and scatter the seeds in these so they’re not too close together, then cover with the soil and water the ridge.
If hard frosts are forcast and you want to guarantee plenty of plants next year, you may need to cover the seedlings with fleece, just to nurse them through the winter.
Enjoy growing your own plants.
Jill
images: Jill Anderson
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