Why Collect Seed?

Ah, the joys of seed collecting. This fall marks it a full one year for this garden prairie I planted. Because some of plants matured quick enough within their first year, I’ll be able to collect seed from these plants. This isn’t a crazy exercise to do. In fact, it’s a cost saving mechanism. As good as I wish I could have done in covering my yard with the right amount of species per square foot, I think some places, I neglected. But as long as I place the seed I’m collecting within the zero species quadrant, hopefully something comes up!

The idea behind this garden prairie is for there to be at least 6 species per square foot. This diversity and color it adds to a garden prairie is good aesthetically and ecologically. And that’s the point of this thing anyway. It’s for the pollinators!

Seed Collecting

Seed collecting is pretty basic. The hardest part is determining when a species has actually “set seed.” This means the plant has gone through the reproductive cycle fully, and a hardened seed is ready to begin growth.

Below is how showy milkweed is collected by hand.

Collecting Multiple Species

Some spots were grass heavy and needed more forbs. Some spots were barren and needed anything.

The two species I was most happy to collect, were the Partridge Pea and Prairie Blazingstar. The partridge pea plant is an annual with great germination rates. That definitely went in places where nothing else was growing. The blazingstar is a showstopper. I actually was able to take these from a planting I was apart of, and the client ordered too many : )

Boneset and Monkey flower both set seed this year. Two somewhat difficult plants to grow from seed. Hope to see them both and many more next year!!