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Flower Seeds
Every year you find yourself at the local greenhouse buying plants that have been started by
someone else, but have you considered saving your own flower seeds? Actually saving seeds is
as old as gardening itself and there was a time in the past that it was the thing to do. People
would save their seeds from one planting to another. Even though seeds are relatively
inexpensive, there is no feeling like saving your own seeds to grow your favorite flower in the
coming year. Saving your seeds for your favorite flower is the only way you can be sure you will
get the same outcome.
You can't save seeds from all flowers, but there are some that you can such as the Clemone,
Foxgloves, Hollyhocks, Nasturtiums, Sweet Peas and Zinnias. To get the pure seed you're
looking for will take a little care from you. To stop the cross pollination of other plants of the
same species, you will have to physically separate them and plant them by themselves. You can
also accomplish this by planting only one kind of flower or plant them far enough away so that
they don't cross-pollinate. Different plants need different spaces. Another way to overcome this
is to plant different flowers at different times or use a physical barrier such as a row bag to cover
one species at a time, but you have to give each enough time to pollinate among its own kind.
When saving seeds, make sure the seeds are completely dried out before you store them. If they
are not dry, they will mold in storage. Remove as much of the chaff as possible, store them in a
paper envelope and don't forget to mark the kind of seed it is and the year it was harvested. You
then need to place the seeds in an airtight jar or container- canning jars work very well for this.
Store them in a cool, dark dry place and try to use them the following year. Seeds are best used
the coming year instead of being stored too long.
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