Anemone canadensis – Canada Anemone
Wait until the seed heads begin to dry and turn brown. Harvest the seed heads individually by carefully snipping them from the plant. Once dry, gently thresh the seed heads to separate the seeds from the husks.
Baptisia spp. – Wild Indigos
Seed pods blacken and become dried. Once they begin to blacken, check daily by gently shaking the pods. If seeds loosen and rattle inside the pod, they are ripe and can be removed and collected. Seeds can be further processed by removing the seeds from the pod once they fully dry. Store in a cool dry place.
Small Yellow Wild Indigo Species Info
Blue Wild Indigo Species Info
White Wild Indigo Species Info
Ceanothus americanus – New Jersey Tea
Seed heads are dispersed from New Jersey Tea with force and are ejected from the seed heads. Because of this, one of the best ways to collect seeds is to tie fine mesh bags like a spice bag around the seed head as it starts to turn color. When the seeds are ejected, they are then collected in the bag and you can carefully remove the bag with the ripe seeds.
Coreopsis Lanceolata – Lance-Leaved Coreopsis
Flower heads will turn brown and begin to dry. When seed heads are dry and ‘crispy’, snip heads and place in a brown paper bag to dry further. Once seed head is completely dry, gently shake or rub the seeds loose.
Iris virginica – Southern Blue Flag Iris
Seed pods will turn brown and begin to split open. When this occurs, collect seeds and dry them further until planting time. Iris virginica has a particularly long cold stratification time (C120) and is best sown outdoors in the fall. Keep seeds in a cool dry place until ready to plant.
Lamiaceae – Monarda, Pycnanthemum, Blephilia, Scutellaria, etc. – Mint Family including Bee Balms, Mountain Mints, Wood Mints and Skullcaps
As flowers brown but before nutlets fall out, clip the flower from the plant and store in a paper bag. Once the flower completely dries in the bag, shake or gently crush flower heads to release the nutlets and remove the chaff.
Tradescantia spp. – Spiderwort
Seed pods brown and become dried. Once they begin to start to open but before seeds fall out, carefully clip seed heads into a paper bag and let the pod continue to dry. After the pod has fully dried, shake or gently crush the seed pods to release the small black seeds.
Zizia aurea – Golden Alexanders
Continue to monitor Golden Alexanders into August. Golden Alexanders stays in bloom for quite some time. Once the seed heads dry and turn brown, rub the seeds off of the seed head gently between your fingers and store in a paper bag to dry for later processing.