There are SO many seeds. It seems that every time I open a box or drawer I find more that I had forgotten.
Locally collected seeds are best for plants that will be used nearby. These are already conditioned for the weather and pollinators that frequent the area.
In the ever-expanding search for natives that I don't already have I try to be prepared in case an opportunity to gather seeds arises. I always keep a supply of ziplock bags, paper lunch sacks, a sharpie marker and some hand pruners with me. You never know what you might run into on the roadside.
In the cases of rescue opportunities for plants that may be in line for destruction from development or someone thinning out their garden, I keep a small shovel, sometimes called a “poacher's shovel” with me. It rarely gets used, but when the need arises it's very nice to have on hand.
The act of collection of seeds is the easy part. The intensive labor comes when it's time to clean the seeds by removing stems, dried petals, dirt and other chaff from the brown gold that is the actual seed. It can be quite tedious.
There are many different ways to achieve the final result. Some larger seeds, such as those of the Baptisias (Wild Indigo) and Cercis canadense (Redbud), can have the dried pods crushed and the resulting chaff separated from the seeds. Larger pieces can be picked out by hand and discarded while the smaller, dustlike chaff can be blown away with a mild breeze from nature, a fan, of a small puff of breath.
If you are fortunate enough to own a set of graduated sieves, you can just filter out the chaff.
When cleaning for my own use I'm not as picky about trying to get every little piece of chaff. If I plan to package the seeds for a swap or giveaway I try to get them as clean as possible.
Seed heads from radial flowers, such as the Rudbeckias, Coneflowers and Asters, will tend to have more chaff. Depending on the moisture level of the collected seed heads the seeds may just fall out with a slight brushing motion, of stubbornly try to fight any attempt made to dislodge them.
The milkweeds are probably my favorite seeds to collect and clean. The seeds are encased in an elongated pod that develops as the flowers fade. When these pods dry they will start to split open. This is the point when you want to collect your seeds.
Each seed in the pod is attached to it's own silky white hair that is actually a tool the plant uses for dispersal. Like a dandelion, when the seeds are released from the pod a puff of wind can carry a seed along, like a parachute, in hopes it will land somewhere that offers an environment to ensure it's germination and growth.
Cleaning these seeds is a challenge. I've tried several methods, some that were so tedious it made me want to give up. I've finally found a way to separate the seeds from the chaff that results in clean seeds and less silky puffs floating around and sticking to me as I work. A milkweed silk inhaled isn't a fun experience.
I may share this method of cleaning with you in a later post.
By the time the next installment is made Christmas will have come and gone. Celebrations of all cultures will have passed or be ongoing.
Whatever you celebrate, I'd like to wish you happy holidays, stay safe, and plan to use more native plants in 2020.
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