Seeds
I have never been one to collect seeds like some of my gardening friends. I have always thought that it would take too much “organization” to collect, label, and store them. Little alone remember to use them in the spring. I truly admire the ones who do.
I am fully aware of the value of a seed…
or am I?
Have I ever really given any serious thought to this topic?
It is winter, and early winter is the time when you realize the blooms on the lovely plants you had this past growing season are gone and have turned to seeds.
Grasses, flowers, evergreens, trees – they all have seeds for us to enjoy and study. As a Garden Designer, I enjoy the texture and interest that seeds give to the garden at this time of the year.
Let’s look at a few plants in my own garden for some examples. Take the rose. Right now there are rose hips galore on my ground cover rose and my shrub rose. Rose-hips are …seeds.The daylily foliage lies flat against the ground in a shade of light brown, but the old flower stems stand tall with each pod holding…seeds.
Ornamental grasses are covered with seed heads. Some have already dropped and are working on settling in to the fertile soil to become new plants once the ground warms in the spring.
The sweet gum tree stands bare except for the gumballs that remain. Small seeds are present inside each gumball. And given enough time the gumballs will drop to the ground and release the seed.
Wildflowers, perennials, and vegetables left in the ground from the summer abound with seed pods. Even herbs like oregano and lavender will have seeds to be gathered at this time of the year.
So, take a walk and study your plants. This is a great time of the year to gather the seeds left behind on your plants and save them for next growing season, or share them with others. Look for the seeds, and remember that the life of the plant is in the seed!