How to Save Flower Seed
Inside: While it might seem like an old-fashioned practice, learning how to save flower seed is not only frugal but sensible. Find out how.
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With frost behind us, it might seem like garden work is over for the season, yet several chores remain. One of those is saving seed. But first we need to make a couple of distinctions.
Heirloom Versus Hybrid
Heirloom plants are plants that were grown in an earlier era, some dating back hundreds of years, and are open-pollinated. In short, that means you can save the seed and grow these year to year and expect the plants to produce the same traits consistently. The only exception would be if you grew several different heirloom varieties of the same plant in close proximity and they crossed. While you wouldn’t see it in the developing flower, the seeds from that flower might not stay true to type. (For more information on heirloom seeds or to request a catalogue, visit Seed Savers Exchange.)
A hybrid plant is the result of a cross between at least two, sometimes more, unrelated inbred plants, to bring about desired traits, such as disease resistance. Seeds can be saved from these hybrid plants, but the offspring won’t be true to type. Instead those plants will have different characteristics from one or more of the parents. For example, years ago I planted hybrid marigolds with some lovely shades of orange, rust, yellow, and cream. The following year the volunteers came up in the usual yellow and orange shades typically found in plant stands every year.
What to Save?
After watching my flowers grow over the course of several months, I’ve already decided what I want to keep. It doesn’t matter to me whether or not they’re heirloom or hybrid. In fact, I like the little bit of mystery to growing hybrids. Plus, if I want to continue growing these hybrid seeds, if I get consistent results, I can create my own variety. But I’m getting ahead of myself.
I’ve been going through my containers, emptying out the soil from spent plants, and setting aside the ones I want to clip seeds from, like the coleus, gazanias, marigolds, and zinnias. Before cutting the seed heads off flowers, they need to be bone dry. I cut the stems and put the dried flower head into a baggie and write what it is. Usually I leave the envelope open for the seeds to dry a few weeks longer, just in case. At this point I’m not concerned about the chaff. As often happens, by the time I get back to the seeds in spring, the seeds have fallen away from the chaff, anyway.
How to Save Flower Seed the Simple Way
By far the easiest seed saving I do requires so little attention on my part it’s downright lazy. I don’t collect the flower seed, nor do I store it. I let nature do that. What am I talking about? Self-sowing! Case in point: my favorite flower bed around the log. When I go out to do my end of season garden assessment, I’ll bend the stem of any stray flower back into the bed rather than the yard so the seeds do their job come spring. (Patricia Lanza talks about this in her wonderful book!) If your beds are built up and ready to face next planting season, you can also disperse the seeds yourself. After I add some layers–manure, spent hay, leaves, compost–I will probably sprinkle some of the marigold and zinnia seed over the top of it, though, honestly, it’s really not necessary to go to all that trouble. Some good choices for self-sowing annuals include cosmos, sunflower, sweet alyssum, forget-me-nots, calendula, pansy, and bachelor’s button.
I also have a window box shaped planter with moss roses that reseed themselves every year. I just store the planter until the next year and give the flowers some light fertilizer when they need it.
Go Forth and Save Seed!
So there you have it–the basics of flower seed saving. It’s really quite easy and worth the effort–or no effort, as the case may be. Now instead of mourning the end of your garden season, you can collect seed from your favorite flowers and start dreaming of spring.
Do you save seed from your garden? Tell us about it in the comments.
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Remembering Dad
Inside: Remembering Dad on his birthday.
I’ve taken to carrying a handkerchief since spring. Because Dad did.
Because it was his.
One day Mom said she had something for me. Something of Dad’s. And that I would understand when I saw it. As we were in the middle of the grocery store, separately shopping, she approached me and pressed something white into my hand. “You’ll understand,” she said and quickly disappeared into another aisle.
I stared down at the white handkerchief, remembering. . .
Whenever you asked Dad what he wanted, whether it was for Christmas, his birthday, or Father’s Day, he’d often say, “I could use some handkerchiefs.” So over the years I’d buy them for him. Sometimes in a masculine plaid print–and as a child I’d even cross-stitched his initials on one–but often I’d simply buy the plain white handkerchiefs. After all, the older he was getting, the harder it was to find them. They were old school, and younger men weren’t carrying them. But I could always seem to find the plain white ones.
He told me a story once about handkerchiefs. Growing up, whenever he was dressed to go to town, right before he’d leave his father would say to him, “Do you have a clean handkerchief?” It was important to my grandfather that his sons didn’t leave the house without one.
Dad became sentimental upon telling it, and I wondered why.
In an age when men showed little to no emotion, “Do you have a handkerchief?” meant, “I love you and care about you.” His father couldn’t say that to him, but he could make sure he had a clean handkerchief.
I’m sure that my grandfather loved him, yet, admittedly, I find it sad he could never tell him that. But carrying a handkerchief reminded Dad of that love. He always carried one.
Which brings me to the type of dad I had (or rather have, just not here with me). He told me he loved me, told my brothers and my mother that he loved them. He loved others as well. He cared deeply for people.
As we draw closer to the end of this year of firsts without Dad–a couple of hard ones ahead of us–some of those qualities of his that I didn’t particularly pay attention to during his life have resonated with me. For one, my dad was creative. He was an inventor. We never called it that, but he had a knack for making something that he needed on the farm, like a water sprinkling system for the cows, loader bucket extensions for hauling round bales, a wood carrier, to name a few.
He was a storyteller, something I wish I would have appreciated more. Thankfully my brother Jeremy has this gift.
Dad was quick to help others. I never paid a lot of attention to this, either, because it was just how he lived his life. But if I ever attempted to make a list of everyone he helped, I’d have pages and pages full of people whose lives he impacted.
He was strong, yet gentle, and I miss that gentle strength.
The comfort I take with me now is knowing these qualities live on. I glimpse traces of his gentleness in all three of my brothers, which also continues in my nephews. I’m proud of the men in my family.
What my dad modeled, I married. Mike is strong and kind and gentle and a good father. Our daughter has shown herself to be like her papa. I think of that summer she was interning in DC when every day she would stop to talk to the homeless man who lived next to where she worked.
Dad’s memory lives on in the one who shared a life with him–my mom. Together they showed us what a lifetime commitment of love and faithfulness looks like.
As for me, I’d like to think I have a bit of my dad in me. At least I’m working on it. I will continue to carry this handkerchief because he did. Because it was his.
Because it represents his legacy of love.
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Surviving Frost, Roasted Bean Mondays, and Other News Fresh From the Farm
Inside: A bright spot to the end of the gardening season, why I love Mondays, and when you’re married to a pirate.
A Bright Spot to the End of the Gardening Season
Our first frost arrived right on schedule last week–October 29, the average first frost date for our area, actually. As a gardener, I’m a little sad, a little relieved. Keeping up with a garden–or not keeping up with your garden and feeling guilty about it–can be stressful. But I am quick to remind myself that unpicked produce does add fertilizer back to the soil, so it’s all good.
And now the sad part. Sigh. No more handfuls of cherry tomatoes fresh from the garden. No pretty flowers right outside my door or beds full of bright, cheerful perennials. It’s a wrap for 2017, folks.
And yet. . . A few stubborn holdouts survive. My little gazania flower (above), plus another container of them. A pot of red cabbage that I planted simply for decorative purposes. (I ran out of room for a couple of plants in the cole crops bed, and they’ve worked beautifully in their new role.) Wire grass, a yearly favorite of mine, still spiraling out of the old ice cream churn turned planter. Calibrachoa, also called “Superbells” (the out of focus foliage pictured behind my gazania). Purple salvia, flowers intact, still hanging on, next to the transplanted mums in one of the flower beds.
While I know it’s only a matter of weeks (or days) and these, too, will get bit by colder temps, I appreciate their hardiness, their not giving up without a fight.
Sometimes a little stubbornness can be a good thing.
Why I Love Mondays
Picture from Yelp.
Since January Mom and I started this “for now” tradition–shopping on Mondays followed by coffee at Roasted Bean. (Affectionately known by me as “The Bean.”) I won’t say we’ve spent every Monday this way, but most of them. After all, when you’ve got a van full of melting groceries in 95 degree weather, spending an hour or two in deep conversation whilst sipping coffee doesn’t bode well. (I think we need to invest in a large cooler.)
But the weather is solidly colder, and our attendance at The Bean is back to normal–thank God for small good things! A warm spot, a hot beverage, and good conversation.
But it’s more than that. Mondays in a small town, shopping for groceries or farm supplies or produce, you find friendly people everywhere. Folks out and about for much the same reason. People huddled together talking, happy greetings. Little kindnesses and doors held open and “have a good day” sprinkled around generously.
It is a real blessing to find your place in this world and simply live life. Even on a Monday.
When You’re Married to a Pirate
Sometimes we come to these things later in life. Completely oblivious. You think you know someone.
It all started a few weeks ago when Hubmeister carried in a plastic shopping bag from a clothing store. Without comment, he laid the bag on the bed and went about his usual just-got-home-from-work routine.
I went in to investigate.
A frilly white shirt sleeve spilled out from the bag’s opening. I peeked inside and spotted the rest of said shirt and some black material with metal. A hat with a plume lay beside it.
“What’s that?” I asked.
“I’m dressing like a pirate,” he said, matter-of-factly, as if every day one dresses up like a swashbuckling adventurer of the high seas. In landlocked Missouri, of all places.
Upon further probing, I discovered it was for a good cause–entertaining the kiddies at church. Handing out treats.
I asked for pictures, and someone snapped this one.
No pirate sightings since then.
What’s happening in your neck of the woods? Tell us about it in the comments.
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Get Started with Essential Oils: Advice from an EO Teacher
For over 30 years Cindy Cappel has had a passion for holistic care through the use of essential oils, herbs, and other therapies. She is a teacher, author, and life coach and joins husband Dennis in their equine programs. Cindy’s personal coaching strong suit is her ability to empower people to believe in themselves. She listens intently and poses creative questions to guide individuals in self-reflection that results in clearer understanding of themselves and renewed enthusiasm about their potential and ability to thrive in life. She delightfully draws her clients to a place of hope, love, and acceptance of self as she lays the blueprint for creating a new way of life.
Note: Cindy is such an accomplished businesswoman, which inspires me, but what I admire most about her is her positive attitude! You can find out more about Cindy by visiting her website cindycappel.com.
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How did you get started with essential oils? It was in 1985, when I was on my newly begun holistic journey through using herbs, and I was introduced to essential oils. Anything that has a high value to healing I was curious about as my immediate family had passed away from side effects of prescribed medications from illnesses. I wanted an alternative for mine and my children’s health.
Can you explain the different ways people use essential oils? The simplest way is inhalation. This is easy and comfortable for people, as when it gets on their skin they feel there is no backing out. Diffusing is another very comfortable way. It’s a great aroma for a room or area where essential oils are diffused, and it’s also not on the skin, so people feel safe using it this way. Topical is very beneficial if you have a trusted quality source. Quality is very important. Use directly on skin, reflex points in particular.
What are some unusual ways to use essential oils that most people wouldn’t think of? I have used essential oils on horses, dogs, and pigs since 1985. Essential oils are also very powerful in cooking. You don’t need much—just a drop, maybe two, when the oil is good quality. I also make candy and my own horse treats with essential oils.
What is the biggest mistake people make with essential oils? Not understanding the importance of quality and applications for EOs as directed from very trusted sources that have experience, rather than getting information just from what someone else said or did. I have been in the holistic world since the mid-eighties and have seen a lot of companies and marketing come and go. Know your source! When people say, “That oil is too expensive. I can’t use that,” they are not understanding the extent of what that oil can do for the body. You need to decide: Am I using it to give me a good feeling because of the way it smells, or do I need it to help my body recover? The right quality oils can do more than you can imagine.
What advice do you have for those just starting out with essential oils? For those on a budget? In my thirty plus years, I still have my favorite trio. That is lavender (probably the safest oil and called the universal oil), tea tree oil, and peppermint oil. I carry these three in my purse and in my tack room in the barn because no matter what I am dealing with, one of these three EOs is going to benefit the situation at hand immediately. So I would suggest starting with any of these three.
If you could only have one essential oil, what would it be and why? If I was going to pick just one oil to have on hand, it would be tea tree oil. My husband calls it my snake oil. LOL. But it works for so many things. Everything from stopping bleeding, to sore throat, to infection, fungus . . . I could go on and on.
Do you make your own blends? I do make my own insect repellent, fly spray, face spray, migraine spray, and pain spray. Whatever I or someone else needs, I will come up with my own blend. It is different for each individual’s needs and emotions.
As the cold weather approaches, what are some essential oils or blends you recommend? Tei-Fu is wonderful for congestion. Inhale it over warm water on the stove. Put on a warm towel and put around your neck to open you up or apply on your feet, up your nose, or on your chest. It’s really good. Essential Shield essential oil protects against germs and lemon oil is always so cleansing. Use these last two to wipe your counters down. This time of year we close up our houses and we wear more clothing, so the skin doesn’t get the fresh air as we normally do in warmer weather. Essential oils that are high in oxygen, when diffused, are great in the air for everyone to breath. Oxygen gives life to our cells and body.
Any parting words of essential oil wisdom? I am honored you asked me to give my thoughts on what I feel has rescued me and my family from illness and injury due to the prevention and recovery we immediately gave the body through administering essential oils. I would like to add that your mindset plays an important part in what kind of results you will get with the oils, or anything, for that matter. Whatever you believe and think about them, that is most likely what it will be. Balance and true healing comes when the mind and body are in agreement of any belief. So when choosing, gather your information, make a decision, and believe in what you’re doing.
Cindy’s disclaimer: This information is for educational purposes and in no way intended to diagnose. These are my personal experiences.
Do you use essential oils? If so, which are your favorites? Tell us about it in the comments.
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