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northerner_on

Anyone collecting seed in Ontario.?

northerner_on
14 years ago

I have been collecting seed for a long time - even before I started sowing seed. It just seemed to be something that interested me. But I am having doubts this year. My garden did nothing during the summer because of the wet weather, and now that it's Fall and there's a good mix of sun and rain, my garden is going nuts!! Everything is growing and still flowering. By now, my coneflowers would be ready for seed saving, but they are still full of petals and the cones are soft; my zinnias are pristine, Yvonne's Salvia is lush and in full flight, and my nasturtiums are climbing up my fence and full of blooms!! I wonder if the flowers will ever get dry enough to produce seed. Could it happen that we just have a hard frost and all the seeds are toast? I have never had this experience. Anyone has any comments on this?

Northerner.

Comments (14)

  • gardeng8

    I have the same fears of not being able to collect some seed from plants still blooming and not setting seed. In particular, the cherry brandy rudbeckia, sonora rudbeckia, and chim chimnee rudbeckia. I am also waiting for the red castor bean and the more unusual reddish sunflowers. I have collected some seed from others but really want to gather from these guys in particular. I am hoping that we will still have some warm(ish) days to linger a while longer with our plants before the harshness of winter sets in.....time will tell....fingers crossed!

  • gardeng8

    I have the same fears of not being able to collect some seed from plants still blooming and not setting seed. In particular, the cherry brandy rudbeckia, sonora rudbeckia, and chim chimnee rudbeckia. I am also waiting for the red castor bean and the more unusual reddish sunflowers. I have collected some seed from others but really want to gather from these guys in particular. I am hoping that we will still have some warm(ish) days to linger a while longer with our plants before the harshness of winter sets in.....time will tell....fingers crossed!

  • gardeng8

    I have the same fears of not being able to collect some seed from plants still blooming and not setting seed. In particular, the cherry brandy rudbeckia, sonora rudbeckia, and chim chimnee rudbeckia. I am also waiting for the red castor bean and the more unusual reddish sunflowers. I have collected some seed from others but really want to gather from these guys in particular. I am hoping that we will still have some warm(ish) days to linger a while longer with our plants before the harshness of winter sets in.....time will tell....fingers crossed!

  • marricgardens
    14 years ago

    I am trying to collect seeds but with the non-stop rain we've been having, all the seed pods are rotting! I did manage to colllect some daylily seeds but I don't think the rest will have a chance to ripen. I also have some rudbeckia seeds drying, hope they will be o.k. My coneflower is just flowering now and no hope of getting seeds. From what I heard this morning, we may be getting snow this weekend. It's to early for snow! Marg

  • marciaz3 Tropical 3 Northwestern Ontario
    14 years ago

    Here too - everything was quite late, bloomed during the warm spell in September and then, quite abruptly, froze. I don't think i'll be getting much in the way of seeds this year. :(

  • ontnative
    14 years ago

    I was able to collect seed from some of my goldenrods and asters, but many plants are not ready to be collected yet. The seedheads need more time to develop and finish drying e.g. the ironweeds and upland white asters. We've had a lot of summer rain here followed by a cool, rainy fall. It's not the best for seed drying and development.

  • northerner_on
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    You seem quite knowledgeable about seed collecting, Ontnative. We have already had several hard frosts, so today I brought in the seed heads from my coneflowers, which had been covered for the last several weeks because the squirrels were eating them! But some of them were still green. Is it possible that seeds could still be ripening when it has been this cold - hovering around 0-6 degress the past week and raining. Last year I had a bad experience when I collected Yvonne's salvia seeds after the frost and had very poor germination. My zinnias were also hit before they were dry and the 'seeds' I collected were paper thin, so I don't think they're viable. I may have to purchase some this year.

  • sharont
    14 years ago

    When the chickadees started to eat seed from the coneflowers I rushed out to catch what they hadn't got to yet!
    I'd managed to collect "lots" of seed all summer up to the freeze but as you say there are some just not ripening well. The Ligularia dentata doesn't have fat seed pods this year and Tricyrtis 'white towers' are starting to form seed pods that are empty! Eupatorium chocolate is a bust as is Gazania. I did bring in some asters to dry but seed heads are hard to see.
    Northerner, I think my zinnias are poorly formed as well!

  • marciaz3 Tropical 3 Northwestern Ontario
    14 years ago

    I was finally able to get some seeds today - hesperis matronalis, hollyhocks, lychnis (2 types) and clematis tangutica. My aunt wanted some seeds so at least i'll be able to send her some now.

  • ontnative
    14 years ago

    LOL, I have very limited experience with seed collecting and winter sowing. Last year was my first for WS. I did go out in my front yard in Feb. and collect seeds from New York Ironweed and Heterotheca villosa, which I planted. These had very good germination. I think they were "stratified" on the plant before I collected the seeds and that's why the germination was good. It's not really how it's supposed to be done. One is supposed to collect seeds from most wildflowers in late summer /fall for WS. Exceptions are some of the early-blooming woodland plants. I've been trying to use info from Bill Cullina's book to help me to determine when to collect the seed from various plants. I'm only experimenting with a few different species to see how it goes. What I'm concerned with is knowing how to separate seeds from chaff and husks, etc. Some kinds are very easy and some are quite difficult to separate. I guess it's all trial and error. Even when I have the actual seeds, they might not be viable for various reasons. That's why I have never traded seeds on the exchange before. I'd hate to send someone seeds that are no good.

  • sharont
    14 years ago

    It is a learning by doing thing....with plain white paper, sieves of various sizes, rubbing, squeezing, picking out with tweezers and sometimes 'blowing' the chaff away.
    I've made mistakes in seed identification in the past. Collecting seed (and growing) for years, now I think I can identify most seed. But, as a matter of fact, I had to refer to the Seed Site the other evening to identify fine Ageratum seed! As to whether seed is viable, a fatter seed is probably good! Tiny seed heads with fluff attached (like some Asters) are a guessing game. Hybrids are iffy. I'm always amazed with various species of clematis seed size. Anyway, I think native seeds germinate well, with the correct stratification that is and by overseeding the pot!

  • northerner_on
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Ontnative, as Sharon says, after several years of seed collecting, you get to know which seeds are good. You also get to know which seeds you can separate from the chaff and you are free to offer your seeds with chaff. My dining table is covered with little containers of seeds at different stages of dryness, little envelopes I make, strainers and sieves of different sizes...you just try and discover what works. The seed site is great reference for identifing what is seed and what is not. I have at times received seeds that turn out to be something other than what the label says, and some that are not good, but I have also purchased seeds that were no good, so we have to take the good with the bad. I don't think anyone intentionally trades defective seeds. I recently met seomeone who told me that to determine if seeds are ripe, rub them between your thumb and forefinger. Ripe seeds are hard and remain intact; immature and non-viable seeds disintegrate between your fingers. I have started using that test this year, since many of my seeds are 'iffy'. It certainly helps me identify non-viable Yvonne's Salvia.

  • marricgardens
    14 years ago

    Today I managed to collect seeds from my burgundy hollyhock, 'Court Jester' Chrysanthemum, and I even found some seeds on a hosta. Since I don't know the name of this small hosta I call it 'Unsub'. It hasn't rained here for several days, only a light rain at night, so I hope the seeds will be okay. Marg

  • ontnative
    14 years ago

    I've been collecting seed heads from some of my native goldenrods and asters. They are very fluffy so there is a lot of fluff (like little parachutes) with seeds atttached. I presume I just leave the seeds like that and don't worry about it. I have removed all the dried stem and flower parts.

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