NATURE Seeds satisfy several desires
Scavenging for seeds in the back yard can be a family adventure.
KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Once flowers finish blooming for the season, they take on additional beauty and value.
Look closely at the butterfly weed, and you'll see long pods that hold seeds for next year's garden. In addition, these pods can be dried or used fresh from the yard to make fall wreaths and tabletop arrangements for your decorating needs.
"When collecting seeds, you will find they each have their own uniqueness," says Lorraine Warner, greenhouse supervisor at Norfolk Botanical Garden in Norfolk, Va.
Collecting seeds is something you can do as a family project.
Turn it into a treasure hunt for your kids, then encourage them to use the seeds for a school science project.
Before taking your family out in the yard to scavenge for seeds, tell them a little about what they will be looking for.
Procedure
When butterfly weed pods are ripe, they start to split, says Warner. The seeds have a tuft or down attached to them; you remove this material from the seeds before storing them.
False indigo is another plant with seeds you can easily collect. When the pods are ripe, they turn black and split open.
To get those seeds before they fall to the ground, cut off the stems with pods -- you'll hear the seeds rattling around and shell the seeds like peas.
You'll also like the plump seedpods on swamp rose mallow, or hardy hibiscus, says Warner.
The pods turn dark brown to black and display a rosette shape when they split and open.
Turn the pod upside down so the seeds fall out.
Once you collect and remove debris from your seeds, place them in plastic containers or zipper bags.
Put the containers of seeds in your refrigerator until time to plant them next year.
The plastic containers prevent moisture from getting to and ruining the seeds.
"When you're ready to plant your seeds, it's better to place several seeds in a pot because all seeds will not produce," says Warner.
Lightly cover your seeds with soil, using no more than three times the size of the seed.
Keep the soil moist, and soon you'll see seedlings sprout.
XFor more tips on collecting seeds, visit the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center at www.wildflower.org. Visit Norfolk Botanical Garden at www.norfolkbotanicalgarden.org.