Last week when I divided my spring-blooming perennials I had so many extras I potted them up and offered them to friends and neighbours. If you find yourself in the position of having lots of perennial plant divisions on hand (and you are in a generous mood) this is the perfect time of year to make a gift of them to your friends and neighbours.
An alternative is to contact your local horticultural society who would be only too pleased to re-distribute them and possibly incorporate them into one of the public gardens they maintain. Most horticultural societies plant and maintain flowerbeds for hospitals, seniors’ residences, museums, civic gardens etc.
This weekend I will take some time to collect seed from some of my perennials. This is easier than it may seem, if you haven’t done it before and the results can be very rewarding. Collecting perennial seeds and starting the plants from seed can take a little longer than going to the garden centre and purchasing an "instant" plant, but it is amazingly easy and great source of fun during the long winter months. In fact it is a perfect hobby for the whole family, especially the kids, and watching how the plants progress to maturity provides a great sense of adventure.
Not all seed taken from your plants grow come ‘true’ to their parent, especially from plants of a hybrid nature, which have been bred from previous generations of seed. These "F1 hybrids" are bred to produce vigorous, high yielding, pest and disease resistant plants with top quality blooms, foliage and roots. In order to propagate plants identical to the parent you must collect seed from species plants.
Some candidates easy to grow from seed include Achillea (Yarrow), Alcea (Hollyhock), Armeria (Thrift), Asclepias (Butterfly Weed), Buddleia (Butterfly Bush), Echinacea (Purple Coneflower), Liatris (Gay Feather), Oenothera (Evening Primrose), Platycodon (Balloon Flower) Polemonium (Jacob’s Ladder), Salvia (Sage) and Verbascum (Mullein).
Collecting seed is the initial stage of your seed-collecting pastime. Seeds need to be fully mature before being harvested. You should wait until the flower petals have withered and the seedpods have developed and thoroughly dried before removing them from the plant. This is sometimes the most difficult part of collecting seed as the pods can suddenly fully ripen, burst open and disperse your chosen specimens in all directions.
If you are unable to closely follow the seed ripening process, it is useful to tie a paper bag around the developing seed head to catch the catapulting or falling harvest. The mature seed heads should be left in a warm dry place to cure then carefully separated and labeled according to each different variety and colour. If you are sharing this experience with young children you can take this project one step further by encouraging them to keep additional notes. Include the date of collection, colour, and height etc., for comparison with the parent plant. Once the seed is thoroughly dried it should be placed into a labeled envelope and stored in an air-tight container in the refrigerator or cold cellar until sowing time arrives.
Some seeds keep longer than others. If you are doubtful about the germination rate of any of your collected seed, here is a good test to carry out before planting (around February/March). Spread approximately 25 to 50 seeds (depending upon size) on dampened paper towel. Roll up the paper towel and place it in a plastic zip lock bag in a warm place, for example on top of the refrigerator. Take a peek every few days, over a period of up to two weeks. If germination is less than 50% you can either discard the seed or double up on the quantity you sow until you have the number for the plants you need.
Some perennial seed, such as Aconitum (Monkshood), Delphinium and Geranium sanguinium (Cranesbill) should not be stored too long, but should be sown as soon
