Harvesting Seeds: Collect Floral Beauties for Next Year

This guide provides instructions on how to collect seeds from wildflowers and garden flowers, ideal for those interested in guerrilla gardening or enhancing their garden with meadow flowers. While the optimal time for seed collection may have passed, there is still an opportunity to gather seeds for spring sowing.

Several flowering plants are currently in the process of distributing their seeds. By examining the dried flower heads, one can find viable seeds for collection.

Flowers for Seed Collection

Here are some common meadow flowers and garden plants from which seeds can be collected:

Cornflowers (Kornblumen)

Cornflower seeds are small and appear in a white, downy structure. They are largely dispersed but some may still be found.

Mallows (Stockmalven)

Mallows retain small brown rings from their blooms, which contain the seeds.

Cosmos (Cosmea)

Cosmos develop into spiky, intricate ball-like structures containing their seeds, often described as a delicate hedgehog.

Love-in-a-Mist (Jungfer im Grünen)

Love-in-a-Mist transforms into a seed capsule surrounded by delicate threads, resembling a small work of art. These capsules rustle when moved.

Poppies (Mohnblumen)

Corn poppies and Oriental poppies may still have seed capsules that produce a rustling sound. Note that some poppy seeds may only germinate in the second year.

Collecting seeds in August can capture the early stages of seed formation. While this phase may be less visually appealing, the seed pods of poppies and Love-in-a-Mist can add an exclusive touch to floral arrangements.

Pot Marigold (Ringelblume / Calendula officinalis)

Pot marigold seeds, originating from the orange-blooming variety, can still be found on plants even after rain. They form distinctive, nearly semicircular seeds.