Gathering Seeds

It is time again for our monthly blog hop where my fellow gardening buddies share news from their gardens. Most gardens around the country are now abundant with fruits and vegetables. But in USDA Hardiness zone 9B (Phoenix, Arizona), my garden is past its prime. Since it is difficult to do a great deal of summer gardening in our triple digit temperatures, I just let the garden go. A few plants manage to make it through to fall, but not many. Actually, it is a time I start collecting and gathering seeds.

In February I received seeds from Floret Farm. This is my first time ordering from them and my yield was less than expected. I place the blame on very hungry birds who were successful in pulling out the fragile shoots, which I should have covered. But the sunflowers that did make it, are just beautiful. Even though I did hope to cut armloads of them, the birds seem to be enjoying them even more.

Look how these sunflowers attract a flock of peach faced lovebirds! Seeing these stunning birds in the garden frequently is rewarding.

Now the sunflowers are past their prime. The petals are dry and falling off and the stems are leaning over as if they are ready to go to sleep. Since this is my first time harvesting the sunflower seeds to use at a later date for planting, or sprinkling with salt for eating, I need to do some research.

Prior to harvesting the seeds, you need to look for a few clues that it is time to harvest. You can let the flower dry on or off the stem until the back of the head turns brown, the foliage turns yellow, the petals die down, the seeds look plump and somewhat loose.

From what I gather from the internet, there are two ways to harvest the seeds from a sunflower.

Cut off the Head

Since I did this just before leaving town, I put all the dried sunflower heads into a paper bag. When I get home, I will remove the seeds using a fork or just rubbing my hands over the head. These flower heads may have been left on the plant a bit too long, as they look incredibly dry to me.

Leave the Heads on

Experimenting with the second option, I leave the sunflower heads on the plants. By wrapping the heads in tulle and securing with ribbon, hopefully the seeds will dislodge and fall within the netting bag. Can you see the “face” in the above photo? A bit creepy, right?

There is joy in growing sunflowers, as it is fun to watch the stages of growth. They are fast growing and are so pretty in the garden. Not to mention all the birds and bees they attract too. Hopefully I will get viable seeds and grow them again next season.

Wish me luck!

Hollyhocks

Our property has an abundance of hollyhocks as they grow like weeds in multiple beds. I love these plants because there are many different colors option and petal formations. When they are in full bloom, these flowers make a grand statement. Gathering hollyhock seeds is VERY easy.

Like most plants, as they are dying, hollyhocks are not very attractive. Their flowers fall off, and their tall stalks wither and tip over. But that is all for a purpose. As the stalks hit the ground, the seeds fall out and the propagation process begins all over again.

At the base of the flower, the seed head exists. Stacked up like little dominos, the flat black seeds are numerous.

Using small paper envelopes, I tap the seed head and let the seeds fall in.

With a marker, I label the hollyhocks based on color of flower, or number of clusters of blooms. The first time I planted hollyhocks, nothing happened the first year. I nearly forgot about them and then lo and behold, I now have hollyhocks everywhere. The birds must play a role in spreading them too.

It is tempting to cut down a plant when it is dying, but letting it go through the entire process helps provide the most nutrients back to the seeds. I am always tempted to pull tulips and daffodils after their prime, but the energy does go back into the bulb for the next season.

Whatever stage your garden is at currently, please consider saving seeds. They make excellent gifts and there is something satisfying about growing generation after generation of plants.

The Monthly Gardening Blog

Now let’s see what my fellow gardening bloggers are featuring this month.

Chas from Chas Crazy Creations shows us some easy DIY Garden Plant Care here.

Stacy from Bricks ‘n Blooms gives us an early summer garden tour here.

Kim from Shiplap and Shells has 9 ways to protect your garden from extreme heat (geez, I need to read this one!). You can see it here.

Gardening is so rewarding wherever you live. From lowering blood pressure to providing food, it’s a worthwhile endeavor.

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